LET'S DO A LINE

I just had an epiphany!

I may have come up with a solution to the problem of whether or not a puck completely crossed the goal line.

There was an incident that was deemed inconclusive in last night’s game against the Flames. Prior to repeatedly taking bad penalties and turning the puck over, Todd Bertuzzi put a puck on net that Turco spit back at him with his left toe. Calgary scored on the rebound but the situation was reviewed to see if Bertuzzi’s effort had in fact gone all the way over the line.

In these situations it seems to me the biggest issue for those in video review is figuring out if there is space between the puck and the goal line, and thus a good goal. (The rule states that if any part of the puck is in contact with the goal line it is not a goal)Finding daylight, or white ice, between rubber and red is at times really difficult to see from the fixed overhead cameras.

My idea is to have a second line the width of the puck painted in a different color (maybe a bright yellow) on the net side and adjacent to the existing goal line. With this, the reviewer would only have to see a bump in the line to decide if it went all the way over the goal line. (Surmising that the puck is sliding flat) Optically this would be infinitely easier for the decision makers.

Once again I have spitballed and spoken.

NHL – take heed.