The National Hockey League had something of a very minor controversy in the first period of Saturday night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. I would say it’s not really controversial at all, but a former NHL player took it upon himself to object to the decision made on the ice and has created a bit of a conversation around the call as a result.
What started everything was a bizarre shorthanded goal from Maple Leafs veteran defenseman Mark Giordano in the closing minutes of the game’s opening period. Giordano would unquestionably get the puck over the goal line, but the controversy surrounding the goal would stem from the fact that the net was dislodged long before the puck crossed the goal line.
Making matters all the more complicated was the fact that the goal was initially disallowed by the officials on the ice, with a penalty being called on the Sabers for delay of game, only for that call to be reversed by the officials at NHL headquarters.
Here’s a look at the goal itself:
Following the goal, former NHL defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he felt allowing a goal in a situation like this was a little bit silly on the part of the league.
“I don’t like this,” said Bieksa during the intermission. “I understand what we’re trying to do now with the net coming off… maybe I’m a traditionalist.”
Bieksa clearly felt that the play should have been ruled dead before the goal would have counted.
“The net goes off which I get sucks and it’s delay of game penalty… but like 6 minutes later Giordano gets a breakaway against an imaginary net and the puck goes in through the imaginary net? This is like my brothers in my grandparents basement playing mini-sticks.”
Bieksa also argued that the net being in position could have impacted the play with the puck potentially bouncing off the post or even the goaltender’s body position changing due to the post being in the way.
“The puck goes in and doesn’t hit the post because it’s not there, so it goes through the imaginary post?” asked Bieksa. “What are we doing here?”
Do you agree with Bieksa’s objection? Or did the NHL’s officials make the right call?
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