The Vancouver Canucks appeared to have two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the NHL disallowed both efforts. The decisions were controversial and Ryan Miller commented on the incidents after the game, stating that he really isn’t sure what the league is doing.
Here are the two plays in question.
First, Jannik Hansen’s effort was overturned due to the league believing there was a distinct kicking motion.
Next, a coach’s challenge determined that the Canucks were offside prior to Radim Vrbata scoring.
After the game, Miller discussed his displeasure, stating that both should have been goals.
Via The Score:
“They changed the rule (to say) you can direct it with your skate as long as you don’t kick, and (Hansen was) moving his skate backwards.
I’m very confused. I don’t think I know enough to make any more (comment) other than that. They both probably should have been goals, and we should have been one goal down with plenty of time left.”
Mike Babcock and the Maple Leafs benefited from the decisions, but he too has no idea what the league is doing.
As seen over on NHL.com:
“I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen, so I just watch,” Babcock said. “I just tell them, ‘Let’s be ready either way.'”
Babcock has spouted out plenty of objectionable opinions lately, but this statement is pretty telling.
The NHL’s review policy has been under fire for incidents where the puck is hidden within a goalie’s glove and appears to cross the line, but Miller’s comments call out the league more directly.
The league has attempted to be more liberal with reviews looking for a distinct kicking motion, but the rule hasn’t been changed and you can’t fault the first goal for being called off. The same goes for the second decision as it’s pretty hard to see conclusively what’s happening. It may be more surprising this coach’s decision worked unless there was another view not shown in the video.
The NHL has predominantly been a league filled with inconsistency. That’s especially true for penalty calls, but now it’s also true for the review system. By attempting to make sure all good goals are counted, the league has inadvertently created more gray areas. There are more decisions to be made and the NHL continually lands on both sides of the fence. Video review and the coach’s challenge could be huge successes, but only if the league finds some consistency.
