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Friedman: Referees will look to get goalie interference calls right

Anaheim Ducks v Phoenix Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 31: Referee Dan O’Halloran signals for a disallowed goal from the Phoenix Coyotes during the thrid period of the NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Jobing.com Arena on January 31, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. The Ducks defeated the Coyotes 4-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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By now you’ve probably noticed a distinct uptick in goalie interference calls during games. Either they’ve resulted in penalties or, at worst, they’ve caused goals to be disallowed. There’s fewer things more frustrating than seeing a player get shoved into a goalie or just stand too close to one and seeing cause a goal to be wiped away.

CBC’s Elliotte Friedman mentions during his great 30 thoughts column that you can expect to see the men in stripes try to do a better job of getting the call right from here on out.

Get ready to see more officials conferences after scores when there’s contact with the goalies. After the GM meetings, a memo was sent to all referees and linesman to consult with one another to make sure they get it right. For example, linesman will be allowed to tell referees if it should be no goal because there was a penalty on the play, even though they’re not allowed to call one. Just the same, if one of them sees a defender was responsible for pushing an attacker into the net, the goal can stand.

The amount of sense this all makes is immense. With the playoffs coming up and the added emphasis there’s been to pay attention to what happens in and around the goal, making sure the call is absolutely right is vital. The last thing anyone wants to see is a playoff game or series altered because of a bogus call around the crease.

This is where someone mentions something about 1999 and Brett Hull while Sabres fans throw their computer on the ground.