The new wrinkle in the NHL this season is the presence of concussion spotters, who can call down to the ice if they think a player is playing with concussion symptoms. It’s happened a small handful of times this season, and on Tuesday it created an odd situation, as it was a goaltender – Antti Raanta of the Rangers who was pulled after getting run over in the third period in a 2-1 game as Markus Granlund was crashing the net. The Rangers then scored to tie the game before the concussion spotters ordered Raanta to be pulled for concussion testing.
Raanta was not only pulled in a close game late, but he was pulled after the referees spoke to him at length after the hit. It wasn’t a situation where a player was out there skating during the heat of play. Raanta fell on the ice, play stopped as a result of a penalty, and the refs conferred with Raanta and it looked like they thought he was fine. The spotter obviously thought that the referees couldn’t possibly catch signs of a concussion and may not have been looking for them.
#NYR goalie Antti Raanta said that he underwent concussion testing. He knew immediately there was no injury, understands league protocol.
— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) November 9, 2016
#NYR head coach Alain Vigneault said they got the call from the league's concussion spotter and observed the rules per Raanta being pulled.
— Seán Hartnett (@SeanLikesSports) November 9, 2016
Henrik Lundqvist came in cold and gave up two goals in six shots as the Rangers would go on to a 5-3 loss. Raanta would come back into the game, so the spotter’s call was simply an act of pure precaution. Former Rangers goalie Martin Biron thinks that the guidlines should be slightly different for goalies.
I understand the spotters are there to protect the players but goalies are in a different situation and can't just miss a shift. https://t.co/ZoYuMLFZPT
— Martin Biron (@martybiron43) November 9, 2016
I'm not saying goalies health matters less, likeliness of another hit is low and unless he shows real signs of concussion you leave him in.
— Martin Biron (@martybiron43) November 9, 2016
We'll see what people say when playoff game and your star goalie gets taken out for precaution. Protect players but signs need to be seen.
— Martin Biron (@martybiron43) November 9, 2016
Goalie injuries happen all the time and goalies have to come in cold, so it’s part of the game. And goalies’ health is just as important as any other player. But the timing of this pull plus the result is sure to spur some further discussion on this issue.
