Can someone, anyone, please explain to me what the heck goalie interference is?
There have been countless cases of the infraction on the NHL ice this year, while in other cases what we think is a penalty — even after video review — isn’t.
For whatever reason, the application of the rule has become muddied.
One of the latest examples came Monday night when Buffalo’s Johan Larsson scored just after Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen was knocked to the ice.
No penalty was called. And even after the officials reviewed the replay — which, in my opinion, showed goalie interference — the goal stood.
Sigh.
Why can’t the NHL get it right?
Toronto coach Mike Babcock made, perhaps, the most sensible comment when asked about the rule after Monday’s loss in Buffalo.
He said, “No one knows what’s going on… let’s get it fixed before the playoffs so we all know the rules.”
There’s no question the rule will be put under the microscope when NHL GMs meet in Boca Raton, Fla., in two weeks’ time.
But the question is, will the league make any changes between now and the post-season?
Even if it does, there’s bound to be a goalie interference call, or two, that could cost a team a playoff game, or a series, or even worse — the Stanley Cup.
Whatever it takes, the NHL must fix it.
The quickest and most painless way to do it is eliminate the coach’s challenge and live with whatever the referee calls on the ice.