Officials Get Goaltender Interference Calls Right

Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Cleary both got nailed in overtime by the referees for goaltender interference. Both had the puck and were going to the net hard, making significant contact with Marc-Andre Fleury.

Mike Babcock was a little bit pissed off in an interview about it. His comments were fairly mild saying that he'd never seen anything like that.

I hate to break it to you Mike but those were penalties.

Even though I am an on-ice official, I am not a big fan of the game called by NHL officials but they got those two calls right.

I realize people will disagree because they had the puck and were just going to the net. The thing is goaltender interference is a fairly cut and dry penalty, or at least it should be. You make contact with the goaltender you sit. Bottom line.

Obviously the contact has to be significant enough to affect the goaltender, but if it is the player sits.

Part of his motivation was to make a point about Michel Therrien but Babcock was genuinely upset about the penalties and he is in the wrong.

The officiating hasn't been great throughout the playoffs but I thought they called a pretty good game last night including the calls on Zetterberg and Cleary.

I'm sure there are plenty who disagree, but having seen the plays on TV and replayed them dozens of times I have to say that I would have made the same calls and I still think they are the right ones.

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