Earlier during what is likely to be his third Vezina Trophy-winning season, Connor Hellebuyck pretty much gave up trying to figure out exactly what constitutes goaltender interference.
Winnipeg's star goaltender has served on competition committees. He has given spiels and offered clips as exhibits to explain what should or should not be called. Still, he has remained baffled by what is and what isn't interference 鈥� and he is not alone.
鈥淚've really tried my best to help over the last four or five years,鈥� Hellebuyck said after a goaltender interference challenge went against him and the Jets in a fall win. 鈥淚鈥檝e tried to help. I鈥檝e tried to make it more black and white.鈥�
Just because your favorite NHL goaltender gets bumped, nudged, pushed, crashed into, goes down with injury or even loses their helmet when a goal is scored doesn't mean it necessarily will be goaltender interference. Or sometimes it will be and not count after video review, like the New York Islanders having Monday night, much to coach and Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy's dismay.
Goalie interference at the general managers' spring meeting last week, with agreement on situation room decisions in 52 of the 54 video clips shown and plenty of what senior executive VP of hockey operations Colin Campbell called 鈥渃olorful discussions.鈥� Commissioner Gary Bettman said finding a consensus constituted a vote of confidence on behalf of GMs.
"All the debates about consistency and not understanding, the managers understand fully well," Bettman said. 鈥淭here was only one that was unanimous, which tells you that it is a judgment call and there鈥檚 going to be lots of opinions.鈥�
What is goalie interference?
鈥淚 know what I think it is,鈥� Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood said of interference. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 know that鈥檚 what it actually is.鈥�
Director of officiating Stephen Walkom and other executives have told teams to be sure they have video evidence to overturn a call on the ice before making a coach's challenge. Losing a challenge is a minor penalty.
鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 black and white,鈥� VP of hockey operations Kris King said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of judgment, not only from the guy calling it in real time but also from us, as well, when we鈥檙e looking at these plays.鈥�
It is spelled out under section 69.1 in the NHL rulebook: 鈥淕oals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper鈥檚 ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.鈥�
Then there is this clause: 鈥淚ncidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.鈥�
That has opened the door to all sorts of interpretation. NHL senior director of hockey ops Kay Whitmore, a retired goalie like Roy, called it 鈥渁 convoluted rule.鈥�
Through the first 1,048 games this season, there were 105 coach's challenges for goalie interference, with the call being upheld 45 times and overturned 60. Last season, there were 88, with 40 upheld and 48 overturned, up from 85 in 2022-23 with 43 upheld and 42 overturned.
鈥淎ny time you have a coach鈥檚 challenge, someone鈥檚 mad,鈥� Campbell said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get a manager saying or a coach, 鈥榃ell, I saw that play three weeks ago in a Winnipeg-Edmonton game, it鈥檚 the same thing tonight.鈥� We say: 鈥橬o, they鈥檙e all snowflakes. They鈥檙e similar but not exactly the same.'"
Sorting through the confusion
There鈥檚 enough gray area in the interpretation of the rule that Florida coach Paul Maurice has a checklist he goes through prior to a challenge. First, he quickly consults with goaltender coach Rob Tallas, who looks at the play from a goalie鈥檚 point of view. Then, the video team gets involved 鈥� is there indisputable evidence? All those factors combine with this 鈥� a gut feeling.
鈥淒o I think that鈥檚 goal interference?鈥� Maurice said.
All of this is supposed to take place within about 30 seconds before the game moves on. And the process goes out the window if Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is 鈥渟our鈥� 鈥� Maurice's word 鈥� about a play.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably calling it regardless of whether I think he鈥檚 right or wrong,鈥� Maurice said.
Unless, of course, it鈥檚 the postseason.
鈥淲hen you get into the playoffs, that鈥檚 not true. I鈥檒l look at it and think, 鈥楢m I getting this call, or am I not?鈥�" Maurice explained. 鈥淭hen I鈥檒l make that decision.鈥�
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was incensed earlier this season over a collision in a game against Buffalo. Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood was hurt and down on the ice after Sabres forward Zach Benson crashed into Avalanche center Parker Kelly and fell into Wedgewood鈥檚 right leg.
Benson got up, gained possession of the puck and scored with Wedgewood still down and inside the goal. Bednar didn鈥檛 like the lag time with his goalie down and challenged for goaltender interference. It was purely out of spite.
鈥淚t gives them another chance to do the right thing,鈥� Bednar said. 鈥淭he goal shouldn鈥檛 have counted, and so, yeah, I was mad. So we just did it.鈥�
Bednar talked to the league the next day. They understood the other's point of view, even if they did still disagree.
鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of things that we look for,鈥� Bednar said. 鈥淒oes he go in on his own, does he get pushed in? Does the goalie have time to get reset? You've always got to look at the blue paint, too. There鈥檚 a bunch of things.鈥�
The league's criteria involves whether contact was intentional or incidental, occurred in or out of the crease, if the defending player caused it and whether the goaltender had a chance to reset.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty complex,鈥� Walkom said, confident the standard has been communicated to teams. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not far off. Maybe originally when we started, there was some differences of opinion, but there really isn鈥檛 now.鈥�
Technically, nachos on the ice aren't included in the rules provisions for goaltender interference. A tray of nachos was tossed onto the ice from the stands in the middle of the play in Edmonton. Corey Perry weaved past the container and scored as Capitals goalie Logan Thompson pointed out the food to officials.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a first,鈥� Washington coach Spencer Carbery told reporters. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever seen nachos on the ice in a National Hockey League game."
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Graham reported from Denver and Whyno from Manalapan, Florida. AP freelance writer Scott Charles in New York contributed to this report.
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AP NHL:
Pat Graham And Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
