There are plenty of situations in which fans second-guess referees and NHL executives. Any hook, slash or whatever other infraction (or improper call) can drive biased parties batty.
Yet the times when these debates rest under the spotlight come when a goal goes under review, especially in the case of the dreaded “intent to blow” loophole. It seems like every league has its own fan-frustrating rule; who can forget the controversy over the NFL’s “tuck rule” when a Tom Brady fumble was called back?
Who knows what the real story was behind tonight’s big goal under review, but the bottom line is that the officials/video crew in Toronto decided to award a Chris Kunitz power-play goal that was originally disallowed. That tally gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 lead they would later cough up to the Carolina Hurricanes after Jussi Jokinen scored, which perhaps will limit the amount of controversy. Ultimately, the game came down to a shootout won by the Pens, but it was still a pretty big goal at the time.
Check out the goal below and decide for yourself if it was the right call. Did it seem like the official was about to blow the whistle (or “intended” to blow it) before the puck crossed the goal line? Could it be that the officials/league were influenced by the fact that Penguins fans could see replays without the intent-to-blow context? Let us know in the comments.
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