With the Canadiens on the powerplay versus the Bruins tonight, in the first period, the Bruins dump the puck and it ends up a few feet in front of Canadiens' rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak, in the high slot, with speedy but always dangerous Patrice Bergeron heading towards him at full flight, Halak picks up the puck with his catching glove instinctivly, he knows that he cannot freeze that far out of his crease however, Patrice Bergeron is applying pressure on Halak and he has no choice and freezes the puck right in front of the blue ice.
Immediately I'm thinking, even though I didn't think it was going to happen: "That's kinda close, too close, delay of game?"
I was dead right, Gord Dwyer picks up his arm and calls a delay of game penalty on Jaroslav Halak. A fuming Guy Carbonneau can be seen standing on the bench with rage as he yelled on, Sheldon Souray discussed incessibly aggresively with Dwyer to no avail while I scream towards my television screen "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"; the young netminder had just recorded his first two penalty minutes of his NHL career.
And this idea of delay of game came from a random thought of mine during the game.
But in a situation like this, Halak has no choice and he is probably allowed to freeze the puck, after all, he was only a few feet from his crease under pressure by Patrice Bergeron who even made contact with the Slovak netminder by slashing his glove.
Incredible, just incredible.
A robot would call it a penalty, such as EA Sports' NHL franchise or SEGA's 2K series where penalties are called once you press the "hook" button or check someone violently against the boards. A computer is reffing the game, however, referees are acting like robots by calling the penalty not for the infraction, and to quote Stephen Walkam "for the intention".
I'm sure Jaroslav Halak had the intention of giving the puck away with Bergeron in front of him and by doing so he delayed the game.
You know what, to be frank, it's a load of crap.
At least Halak got the better part of the period, stoning the Bruins 16 times notably on a breakaway late in the period against Shean Donovan, in which he made a spectacular eagle save and earlier on a slapper from the high slot by newly-acquired Dennis Wideman.
"Whatever" is all I can say when someone asks me what I think of a ref.
And here's the justification (may be wrong quote...)
Rule 31, i of the NHL Rule Book
If a goalkeeper participates in the play in any manner when he is beyond
the center red line, a minor penalty shall be imposed upon him.
Last time I checked, the slot, is not the "center red line".
Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.
1 fanatics have replied:
If you come out of the crease you have to play the puck. You can't come that far out and just pick it up, textbook delay of game.
By the way, you're quoting the wrong rule in the rulebook.
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