NHL approves goaltender interference rule change
The National Hockey League's board of governors has approved rule changes regarding goaltender interference, the league announced Tuesday.
The changes were drafted by the league's general managers during a lengthy discussion on the subject at last week's annual March meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., and will be implemented in games as of Wednesday.
The updated rule is keyed by the NHL situation room making the final call after consulting with on-ice officials for scoring plays involving potential goaltender interference that are reviewed. The new amendments to "Rule 78.7 (ii) Coach's Challenge - Goaltender Interference" read as follows:
(c) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a "GOAL" call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal should have been disallowed due to "Interference on the Goalkeeper," as described in Rules 69.1, 69.3 and 69.4.
(d) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a "NO GOAL" call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal on the ice should have been allowed because either: (i) there was no actual contact of any kind initiated by the attacking Player with the goalkeeper; or (ii) the attacking Player was pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending Player causing the attacking Player to come into contact with the goalkeeper; or (iii) the attacking Player's positioning within the crease did not impair the goalkeeper's ability to defend his goal and, in fact, had no discernible impact on the play.
--Field Level Media