Paul Stewart: New Years, Broken Whistles and the Ol' Goal-in-the-Pants Trick

In the current NHL rulebook, Rule 31.2 lays out in very specific terms that what matters is not when the whistle blows, but when the referee decides to blow play dead. The reasons can include losing sight of the puck or the referee deciding that a goaltender has demonstrated clear control of the puck and a stoppage of play is merited.

The key word here is "decides" to blow the play dead though. It's humanly impossible to decide to blow a play dead as soon as you lose sight of the puck. Human cognition is simply not that instantaneous. It takes at least a split second to process the fact the sight of the puck is lost. When a referee loses sight of the puck, it takes him at least a second to realize it and thus even intend to blow a whistle. In today's day and age of slow motion and instant replay from every angle known to man, the play in the Buffalo-Phoenix game looks a lot slower than it actually happened. The play was almost instantaneous. Even if the referee did see the puck land in the goaltender's pants the very instant it happened (and that assumes there would be nothing obstructing his view, which in a melee in front of the net, is one hell of a broad assumption), it still takes a split second to realize the puck is gone. By the time that split second was over, Smith went into the net unimpeded. So, by that reasoning, by the time the referee even decided to blow the whistle let alone actually blew it, the puck was most likely already in the net. To me, that sounds like a good goal.

Paul Stewart: New Years, Broken Whistles and the Ol' Goal-in-the-Pants Trick
- Paul Stewart

Butt, ,,,,,Butt,,, ,,,,, , Butt,,,,,,, Goal !!

Good read Stew.. Happy New Year!!

Thank you for addressing the phantom Pysyk overtime "goal" on December 23 in Buffalo with which I fully agree should not have counted and was puzzled at the time why it was ever allowed. The referee (Greg Kimmerly) was standing in the right corner behind the goal line while the play was to the left of the net and the puck thus had to have completely disappeared from his sight as soon as it dropped in to Smith's pants as the goalie's body was between the puck and Kimmerly. As Smith drifted back in the net Kimmerly began to drift in from the corner and put the whistle up to his mouth but curiously did not blow it as he should have as he clearly did not know where the puck was.

When KImmerly arrived behind the net he finally blew it more than three seconds after it had first disappeared in Smith's pants, but he never pointed to the net to indicate a goal and clearly still did not see it for another ten seconds during which time he is seen looking intently down in the net to find it. Kimmerly then skated away from the net consulting with linesman Brad Kovachik as he headed to the officials' crease to talk to the War Room in Toronto. It was not until after that discussion that Kimmerly announced that it was a good goal.

Obviously I don't know what he said in his discussion with Mike Murphy but simply watching Kimmerly's actions on the ice I can't fathom how he could have possibly seen the puck or known where it was from the time it fell in Smith's pants until at least 13 seconds later which was ten seconds after he finally blew the whistle.

Great blog very insightful. It's very ridiculous that they do not tell refs to go to the net. No wonder there are so many blown calls.

Happy New Year! Keep the insightful education coming! Its always good to understand what the rules are from the officials point of view. I know from working games in other sports that the black and white the fans see in the rulebook and what officials are coached to do or interpret can often be 2 different things!

It was kind of "karma" though, how did they ever allow Phoenix's goal early in the game that was deflected by an obvious high stick. The puck went in the net just under the crossbar, how could it not have been hit with a stick that was over the crossbar?
Things even out...

Thank you for addressing the phantom Pysyk overtime "goal" on December 23 in Buffalo with which I fully agree should not have counted and was puzzled at the time why it was ever allowed. The referee (Greg Kimmerly) was standing in the right corner behind the goal line while the play was to the left of the net and the puck thus had to have completely disappeared from his sight as soon as it dropped in to Smith's pants as the goalie's body was between the puck and Kimmerly. As Smith drifted back in the net Kimmerly began to drift in from the corner and put the whistle up to his mouth but curiously did not blow it as he should have as he clearly did not know where the puck was.

When KImmerly arrived behind the net he finally blew it more than three seconds after it had first disappeared in Smith's pants, but he never pointed to the net to indicate a goal and clearly still did not see it for another ten seconds during which time he is seen looking intently down in the net to find it. Kimmerly then skated away from the net consulting with linesman Brad Kovachik as he headed to the officials' crease to talk to the War Room in Toronto. It was not until after that discussion that Kimmerly announced that it was a good goal.

Obviously I don't know what he said in his discussion with Mike Murphy but simply watching Kimmerly's actions on the ice I can't fathom how he could have possibly seen the puck or known where it was from the time it fell in Smith's pants until at least 13 seconds later which was ten seconds after he finally blew the whistle.
- iScoop