Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Former ref would have allowed non-goal that drove Boudreau mad

Hockey Hall Of Fame Legends Classic Game

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 13: Former referee Kerry Fraser skates out to boos during the Legends Classic Game at the Air Canada Centre on November 13, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Bruce Bennett

In the grand scheme of things, the Anaheim Ducks are so far out of the West playoff picture that a disallowed goal against the Boston Bruins mattered most in that it absolutely drove Bruce Boudreau bonkers. (Angry Boudreau = entertained onlookers.)

TSN’s readers picked former official Kerry Fraser’s brain on the subject, who ultimately believes that the goal should have counted.

Fraser first stated that while contact in the crease isn’t the only standard for a disallowed goal, he had some qualms with the way rule 69.1 was set up:

When this mandate was imposed following the most recent GM meetings in Florida, I said that it would not work effectively. I provided what I thought was logical assumptions and referenced examples from game situations that had been ruled upon. One most obvious example as to why long distance calls seldom work came from a San Jose goal scored in OT that was disallowed by the back referee at the red line when he ruled incidental contact had been made with Calgary goalkeeper, Miikka Kiprusoff. The contact clearly came from Kipper’s own player Olli Jokinen and not Sharks forward Tommy Wingels as the ref suspected.

Given the depth perception that results when a linesman views the play from a distance as close as 65 feet or the other referee as far back as 95 feet at the red line it is unrealistic to expect a more accurate decision could be rendered than from the official on the goal line 15 feet away. There are often times the low ref does require accurate information to make this call as we have seen but it is unlikely to come through an on-ice conference as the mandate provides. Last night’s decision that resulted in a Ducks goal being disallowed is further evidence of this.

Even with the flaws of opening things up to human error in mind, Fraser said that he would have allowed the goal to stand, which was obviously not the case (to Boudreau’s chagrin).

Since Marty Turco was content with the position he assumed within his goal crease I would have allowed the goal to stand just like the referee on the goal line. In this case, with Anaheim 11 points out of a playoff spot it might appear as though it just water off a Duck’s back. Good luck trying to convince coach Bruce Boudreau of that!

So, hey, Bruce - there’s at least one referee on your side. Unfortunately, he’s writing columns and not making calls ...