There are only two things about hockey I have been consistently vocal about over many years (decades, actually); this issue and Kerry Fraser’s refereeing (I have never witnessed another referee consistently alter the outcome of games due to jaw-dropping, incomprehensible penalty calls – like a good waiter in a quality restaurant, you do not notice them as you enjoy your evening but they deliver their service and perform their job efficiently (a referee should be the same – not so with Kerry Fraser)). At least with Mr. Fraser’s retirement, I can reduce my forehead-meets-wall incidents.

Also, I pray you forgive spelling of pray (prey). Maybe it’s the brain damage…

During the period the penalty was only assessed to goaltenders, I was even more livid over the injustice of the penalty. I would see a goaltender get assessed this penalty then witness the same ‘infraction’ done by non-goaltenders two or three times during the same game and no penalty would be assessed. It absolutely boggled my mind that a goaltender, who wears a blocker glove (with adequate stick gripping ability) and a glove (with marginal stick-gripping capability) and uses a broad, flat stick with marginal puck handling capability and wears much more bulky equipment that marginally hinders puck handling capability, would get a penalty of this sort while a non-goaltender with significantly greater puck control and maneuverability would not.

When I heard that the goaltender-only delay of game for shooting the puck out of play was going to be reviewed during the off-season I was elated. Finally the powers that be came to their senses. Fortunately, they made the infraction less unjust by applying it to every player; unfortunately, the rule still lives. When this was announced, I think I looked for the nearest wall to bash my forehead against.

I have read some of the comments from people who agree with the rule with the most common one seeming to be that it should force players to increase their skill by finding an alternate solution to their situation instead of shooting the puck out of play. Considering I’m completely polarized to this penalty, I’ve paid close attention to these penalty calls and have observed the replays closely after the penalty gets called. I am not so polarized that I have kept statistics, but have observed that by far the majority of the situations when the penalty is called is not while a player (and team) is under extreme duress forcing the player to desperately flip the puck out of play to relieve the pressure. The majority of the situations are during the regular flow of the game and the player is doing what he has been taught to do to advance their team out of their end and go on offense – play it out along the boards and not through the centre of the ice (unless more advantageous with little or no risk). The majority of the time that the puck flies out of play (resulting in the penalty) because the player is trying to advance the puck is when the puck is on end and the player has way less control.

Out of all the penalties, this one is the most defeating and demoralizing to a team. Other than ‘too many men’, the rest of the penalties are more easy to swallow as the players are making aggressive hockey plays (usually checking) with a lot of them being dubbed ‘good penalties’ but shooting the puck out of play when all you were trying to do is advance the puck towards the opponent’s end is defeating.

I am dreading the day when the team I support gets back to the Stanley Cup Final, pushes the series to a 7th game and it goes into overtime and completely dominates the other team who is only alive due to their goaltender ‘standing on his head’. Then the unspeakable happens (which I am now speaking about), a defenseman on my team sees his forward streaking to get in position for a breakaway and the defenseman tries to flip the puck off the boards or glass but it flies out of bounds because the puck is on edge (and he gets bumped a bit by an opponent (I’ll throw that one in just to increase the drama)). So instead of a possible breakaway in overtime, game 7, my team gets a penalty and the other team scores 8 seconds into the powerplay for their only shot on goal in the overtime. My team doesn’t win the Stanley Cup. (Again). …And I’m looking for another wall (probably concrete or brick, this time) to bash my head against. That might give some fans some nightmares – sorry, but it could happen.

The point of the scenario above is to point out that it seems only this type of situation might be the only way the rule gets changed to emulate the icing rule (which does greatly impact the strategy of the guilty team, often resulting in using up their time out and/or results in a goal by the other team). Furthermore, recall the Stanley Cup winning goal by Brett Hull, game six, 1999 – skate in crease rule (not called) Buffalo Sabres go ballistic – if it was called, Dallas Stars would go ballistic – either way, stupid, frustrating rule that either way did not really affect either the goaltender being able to make the save or the player making the goal (no harm, no foul). The ‘skate in crease’ rule was altered during that off-season to reflect ‘no harm, no foul’. Will it take the same type of scenario to get the delay of game penalty rule altered? I prey it doesn’t and the rule is altered out of common sense.