NHL GMs call for change on goalie interference challenges
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter sends the puck past Arizona Coyotes goaltender Adin Hill, right, as Kings defenseman Drew Doughty collides with Hill and defenseman Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson during overtime of a NHL hockey game on March 13 in Glendale, Ariz. The goal was disallowed due to goaltender interference, and the Coyotes defeated the Kings 4-3 in a shootout.
NEW YORK >> The NHL could change its goaltender interference rules as soon as the playoffs that begin April 11.
The league’s general managers recommended shifting the decision on a coach’s challenge for goalie interference from on-ice officials to the league’s situation room in Toronto. The board of governors and NHL/NHL Players’ Association competition committee must approve the change for it to go into effect.
Currently, on-ice officials have the final say on whether a goal should count or be disallowed when challenged. Under the proposed change, the officials would continue to be involved, but a member of the NHL Officiating Management Team — made up of former referees — would be incorporated into the decision-making process.
The league says no changes are being made to the standard by which goalie interference is judged, just the way it’s determined.
