Kerry Fraser spent many, many years as an NHL referee, and from what I recall was never one of the more popular ones (not that any of them are popular). Now that he's retired, he writes about officiating for TSN and always offers some pretty interesting insight as to what happens during an NHL game and why the game gets called the way it does.

He's also probably not going to be very popular in Washington at the moment.

In his latest entry, Fraser answers a question from a reader asking about the contact that took place between Capitals forward Mike Knuble and Bruins goalie Tim Thomas on Joel Ward's game-winning goal on Wednesday night.

Fraser responds that it's possible that the goal could have been disallowed due to the contact, citing NHL rule 69.1.
It would defy logic to maintain that rule 69, as it is written, was not sufficiently violated for the referee to disallow this goal.

Rule 69.1 — "Interference on the Goalkeeper...Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper's ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease.

"The overriding rationale of this rule is that a goalkeeper should have the ability to move freely within his goal crease without being hindered by the actions of an attacking player. If an attacking player enters the goal crease and, by his actions, impairs the goalkeeper's ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed."

Mike Knuble was not pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with Thomas. It matters not if the contact on Thomas by Knuble was deemed to be deliberate or incidental other than a minor penalty that might result. What matters most is that all the elements of rule 69.1 were violated and the goal should have been waved off.
You can read the rest of Fraser's explanation by clicking here.

Whether or not Fraser's interpretation of the rule is correct I'm absolutely positive of one thing: Unless a goalie is physically tackled by an attacking player (or sat on by one) there is no way that goal, or one like it, is going to be disallowed in that situation. No. Way. It's just not going to happen. Not in a Game 7. Not in overtime.

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