Hypothetical goalie question - what would you do if.....?

Question

You're the goalie of a team in the Stanley Cup finals - Game 7 - overtime. There's a scramble in front of your net, bodies all over, the puck bouncing around. You watch as the puck slides ever-so-slightly-but-completely over the line, a goal that loses the Cup for your team. However, in the split second it happens you know that no one else has seen it, it happend so fast that the ref hasn't had time to decide if he can see the puck and/or should blow the whistle. In other words, you are the only person who knows. Do you:

-- Accept that the other team won, fair and square.

-- In that split second, swipe the puck back over the line.

Now, let's not get into an argument about whether or not you would have time to do that, whether the ref would have blown the whistle, whether there would be a reply to see the goal, etc. Let's just assume that this is one of those rare instances when those would not be a factor - and it's a split fraction of a second. What would you do?

The 10 points goes to the person who not only answers the question, but gives me the most compelling argument as to why he/she would do what he/she did. I know what I would do and why. If your answer and reason match mine, you have the best shot, BUT you can disagree with me if your reasons are compelling enough.

A) Calling it a nonesense question is not only going to cost you the points, it MISSES the point. This is about rules, jusitifcation, character, and more.

B) There are hundreds of times each year where the reply cannot tell. I see them every week; though rare, they occur. Put enough bodies in the net, it'll happen. And I said INGORE THAT.

PLEASE add this question to your watchlist - because I am dying to give my answer, but I won't until time has passed. So far 5 answers, some dumb some interesting, but all missing the key point.

WOAH - I am not saying that the goalie should go the the ref and say. "Hey, that was in." The alternative to pulling it out is to just do nothing, and in less than a half-second it would be seen and called a goal.

BUT WE HAVE A WINNER - Until the referee sees it cross the line (or the reply judge sees it across the line), it's not a goal. It's not cheating, because your job is to stop the other team from scoring, and they didn't score unless or until the ref/judge sees it across the line.

My high school girlfriend actually broke up with me over this question. She didn't like my justification for swiping it out (pre-replay days, too), and thought I was therefore unethical. Tough standards!!

Ms. Hockey is correct!

Answer 1

the puck is fair game until the whistle is blown, if your a goalie that is quick enough to cover it and drag it back thats fine with me. IF the ref dosn't see it, its not a goal unitl they do!

The other team doesn't win until the ref points his arm and blows the whistle so if you recover the puck, that a fair play!

Answer 2

swipe it man, it's not like you're gonna distinguish what happened in that split second with all of the emotions running rampant if the ref can't even decide. You would naturally try to swipe it because of the stakes, if any goalie let a puck like that go in, I would honestly have to say they weren't trying hard enough. Besides you should already be going for it, so why not follow through? Remember when the lightining won the cup? yeah there was a play where the puck was clearly across the line in replay, but it was called no goal and never reviewed...pretty much the exact same situation, if that goalie had known it was across the line he would have done nothing different.

Answer 3

You're kidding, right? Or you're working on a sports-related sociology project...

First of all, it really doesn't matter one bit what you see or know or think because if the ref didn't see it, and presumably it wasn't caught on camera, it's not a goal. You could go over to the ref and confess you saw it but makes no difference if the ref didn't see it go in. It's not a goal. He'd think you were insane, anyway, if no one else saw it.

You aren't lying about it because no one would even ask you because nobody but you even saw it cross the line. In this scenario the subject wouldn't come up.

Besides, if you did confess, your teammates would tape you naked to the side of the team bus for the ride home because you just cost each one of them and the coaches and trainers tens of thousands of bonus dollars (some players also get huge contract bucks if they win a cup), and it's unlikely you'd find another NHL job again. And that's before the team owner got hold of you.

As a former defenceman I probably pulled a dozen pucks out of the net over the course of 15 years in goalmouth scrambles. Maybe two counted as goals.

But over that period of time I also saw opposition players kick or push pucks with their hands into our net that counted as goals. I saw blatant penalties by the opposition that weren't called by the ref that ended up with a puck in our net. I saw players score goals that counted after they had gone three feet offside. I saw referees call games where we had twice as many penalties than the other team (even though the infractions on both sides were equal) which ended up in us being outscored. I saw teams whose only hope of scoring was by knocking our goalie down, and they did, and the goal counted. I have seen the puck go through a hole in the side of the net that counted as a goal. I've even seen pucks bounce off the backboards and under the net which had been bumped an inch up in the air accidentally by the goalie that counted.

Fair is a four-letter word in sports.

So by pulling a few puck out of the net without the ref seeing doesn't weigh heavily on my conscience. I figure I'm still not even yet.

I saw Brett Hull (playing for Dallas) score a goal against Buffalo with his foot in the crease (rules at the time said the play should have been ruled dead) that counted and won the Stanley Cup. And now he's a GM.

Answer 4

It is irrelevant what the goalie does nowadays. The replay is ALWAYS a factor.

Once that puck is in the crease, the NHL War room doubles the focus on their above net cameras. Once it gets close to the net, they'll be reviewing the film. A similar incident happened last year during the San Jose-Nashville series while I was in the war room watching games. The whole room goes into a frenzy and they ended up calling down and informed the referee that a goal had been scored although the goalie had batted it out.


Copas
Can't remember. It was the first or second period though. It wasn't a game deciding play by any means

Answer 5

Best question ive seen so far

but im gonna differentiate from the group.

that puck was in. tis a game fair and square they won. why cheat what goes around coems around right? you may just have to accept the fact that yu knwo what that puck should have been saved by me and it did go in. no point of lying. then it will stay with you forever and i know when i do something bad or stuff i still think bout it.

Would you ever steal froma convienience store?
this is the same thing you are STEALING the stanley cup you didnt earn it

The palyoffs is for the best of the best and who are you kidding? you just werent the best on that night. games are meant to be played fairly

Plus what if people evantually find out?
you wouldnt be able to live with yourself. im sure you would try and get over the fact you lost the cup rather than years after having your team mated know they didnt really earn it that would kill them. not to mention you would be oyutkasted by all people, people will give you the barry bonds treatment.

As hard as it is for me to say. im going to HAVE to say GOAL.

Answer 6

Well, I am a goalie. Now the right thing would be to let it go in. But as a goalie instinct I would go and sweep it back out.

1) It's the Stanley Cup. That's a dream of anyone who plays the game of hockey. To win the Stanley Cup.

2) It's an instinct. If no one noticed, then I am going to get the puck out of the net. As a goalie, you've had calls go against you, so get one for you.

3) ITS THE STANLEY CUP.

Answer 7

Natural reaction is to pull it back for ANY goalie..

Karma would tell a sensible man to "fess up" and let a ref know, but 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 that aint happenin..

With all goals being reviewed, there isnt much room for debate. Has a goal ever gone in and the goalie point that fact out?? Not to my knowledge..
Either way, the goalie in question will have to sleep with either giving up the cup winning goal, or have a clear conscience and be hated by your fans for being honest..

One question I would pose is-- Being players constantly argue AGAINST penalties and opposing goals with the referees NEVER if ever reversing their calls; would they actually listen to the goalie if he made that decision to be 100% honest???

We all kinda know what the MORAL thing to do is-- but all is fair in love and war-- and fighting for the cup is one hell of a war IMO...

LITY-- which team was it for?? I dont remember that instance.

LITY-- Thanks.. Na-- they have pretty much owned us the last 2 seasons anyway..

Answer 8

You ALWAYS play until the whistle blows and let the replay booth catch it! That's a no-brainer! Just don't make it obvious when you grab the puck to keep doubt in everyone's mind. :)

Answer 9

I'm putting that puck back over the line.

I would.
You would.
We ALL would.

Don't kid yourself. Game 7. Overtime. That puck never went in.

Answer 10

Having lived through both "no goals" my *** would be kicking that thing out of the net so fast, Light would hang its head in shame.