Goaltending interference a big talking point at NHL’s GM meetings
What is goaltending interference?
It is a hot-button topic that has been discussed amongst fans, players and media since the dawn of the game. Once again, the type of player is coming up during this week’s NHL General Manager’s Meetings.
The rule has been argued about for a long time and seems to come up whenever the league’s GMs get together. However, no seismic change has come to goaltender interference as a result.
On Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli chimed in from the GM Meetings with Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL netminder Carter Hutton to discuss what discussions are looking like in regard to goaltender interference.
Carter Hutton: I think a lot of fans get confused by [goalie interference]. The one for me the other night with [Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan] Gallagher and [Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei] Bobrovsky, where he drops his stick…There’s a gamesmanship of what goes on. Like, goalies aren’t stupid, either. They’re going to challenge it. They’re going to push the envelope as it moves forward here.
Frank Seravalli: I agree totally. I would say that they’re certainly cautious of that. That exact play was discussed in the room yesterday, and I think they want to be careful to not go a bridge too far and to allow goalies to get comfortable…One of the things that they talked about also was in the blue paint or not? If you’re in the blue paint, and even if it’s minimal contact, it’s likely going to be called no goal. Once you’re outside of it, it’s fair game. Not to say it’s open season on goalies, but I think they want to be really clear what that line is and isn’t so much as they can, even though it’s still a pretty subjective thing.
Carter: Yeah, of course. I think we just want some consistency, right? We don’t want the game to go slow. We want to speed it through, and obviously get to a point where the fans aren’t there all night because we’re arguing about calls.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…