Goal-killing reviews are killing the game - slowly

Sporting News, The, May 5, 1997 by Larry Wigge

It has to happen sooner or later. The referee will phone upstairs to see if a goal really should count and he's going to get a recording that says, "Sorry, but Mr. Smith is either on the line or not available to answer the call. At the tone, please leave a message."

The solution: Call 1-800-NOGOALS.

That semicircle in front of the net has become hockey's version of the Bermuda Triangle -- where playoff goals mysteriously vanish.

Things came to a head last spring when blues goaltender Grant Fuhr was run over during St. Louis second playoff game against Toronto and suffered knee injures that finished his season. Before the 1996-97 season, league officials, in an effort to protect goalies, decided that a strict interpretation of the in-the-crease rule was necessary -- even if a player only has a toe inside the line.

Video replays were used 411 times in the regular season, with 204 of those reviews analyzing potential in-the-crease violations. The result: 117 goals were upheld and 87 disallowed.

There is no question that players crash the net more often in the playoffs, but some games have had two or three reviews -- giving the illusion of more video replays than shots on goal.

NHL vice president Brian Burke bristles at the criticism: "I tell the players I can see where the crease is from upstairs. It's blue injured this season and that the less vulnerable netminders produced a record 127 shutouts.

No one will dispute it's important not to miss a goal, especially one in the playoffs that could cost a team $1 million or more. And I'll tenders. but let's not forget that this game is attractive because of its speed and skill, and all the delays are hurting that strengt.

"I'd like to take all those (video) things and throw them out on the ice and smash them." Stars coach Ken Hitchcock says. "Now we're into looking for toes and skate blades. Let's just play. Let the refs make the call."

Oilers G.M. Glen Sather says he expects to hear a lot of discussion about changes in these video bloopers. "The next thing somebody is going to say is, 'Every goal that's scored we're going to review on video.' There's no happy medium?"

The goal crease was enlarged about 57 percent 10 years ago -- from a 4 x 8-foot rectangular box to the current semicircle -- for the safety of the goalies. Now there is talk about putting the box back inside the semicircle to eliminate the needless delays.

"I don't like the idea at all," Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall says. "A goalie doesn't work in the rectangle, he moves in the rectangle, he moves in a semicircle, side to side. It (reinstating the rectangle) won't work. I don't think the rule should be changed. Maybe it should be something like you don't get the goal if a whole foot is in the crease."

Says Burke: "Players always look to extend the rules. If we let them have a half a foot inside the crease and say no harm, not foul, then the nest time they will go a foot and held in."

Burke misses the point when he argued the video replays are not a factor as long as the plays in question end up being called correctly.

Constant delays are what soured everyone on video replays in the NFL. Now those delays are putting a negative twist on an important NHL tool as well.