Opinion: Refs sent Bednar message with phony goalie interference calls

3 days ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images


Blowing the same call twice in the same game didn’t appear to be an accident. Message received?
Last Thursday, Jared Bednar lashed out at the refs following the Colorado Avalanche’s overtime win over the Buffalo Sabers.
Bednar, who is typically a calm, cool, and collected individual, was frustrated after play was allowed to resume after a collision left Avalanche goaltender goaltender Scott Wedgewood down and hurt in the net, allowing Buffalo’s Zach Benson to score on a wraparound.
“The referee said it wasn’t because we put their guy into Scott [Wedgewood],” Bednar said. “I said I don’t give a shit.”
Bednar explained that if a skater were down in the shooting lane, the officials typically blow the play dead. But since it was a goaltender, the refs allowed the play to manifest.
“As soon as the puck squirts to the corner, they got to blow it dead,” Bednar said. “They do it all of the time for regular players because of player safety. The rule would state that we have to touch it. But they don’t follow that rule; they never follow that rule.”
Meanwhile, last Saturday, the Avalanche lost 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens. Both teams played great defensive hockey throughout the game. Colorado started strong, but Montreal gained a second wind during the second and third periods and outplayed the Avalanche during long stretches. But what overshadowed a great game were two awful goaltender interference calls.
Ross Colton was whistled for goaltender interference after he was shoved into Habs’ netminder Jakub Dobeš by Lane Hutson. The contact caused the 28-year-old to crash into Dobeš, who was uninjured and continued playing great hockey.
Plus, Artturi Lehkonen was handed the same fate in overtime after he was on the receiving end of contact, causing him to collide with Dobeš after a failed attempt to score on the breakaway.
“I thought we got pushed in on both of them. In fact, I thought we were getting a power play on the first one,” Bednar said. “I don’t know how they’re supposed to stop. It’s not like he’s cutting in at an angle. The guy’s behind him, putting the pressure on him, and makes contact in both cases.
“Try it, 100 times out of 100, you’re not stopping when a guy hits you from behind coming down on a breakaway. It’s not going to happen.”
What’s the message?
The officials clearly didn’t like Bednar calling them out. Everything he said in the Buffalo presser reaffirmed his thoughts about inconsistencies from game to game, albeit this was a different issue. It’s unusual to see an NHL ref crew make the same mistake, especially on something that’s very cut and dry in goaltender interference. I’ve played this game for much of my life, and there were several instances where I got checked from behind and made unfortunate contact with the opposing goalie. Never once was I given a penalty for goaltender interference. But this is the premier hockey league of the universe, so there’s absolutely no excuse for refs at this level to exhibit such a fundamental lack of understanding of hockey rules. But it’s for that reason that I don’t think it was an accident. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a coach calls out league officials and in the very next game, we see two blasphemous goaltender interference calls that even a five-year-old could have pointed out were wrong. Furthermore, if what Colton and Lehkonen did constituted goalie interference, Benson should also have gotten a penalty for running into Wedgewood, right?
If there was any message, it was don’t criticize the officiating. Every professional sporting league handles criticism differently. In the NBA, players and coaches are typically fined $75,000 for excoriating the referees. Bednar wasn’t given a monetary penalty but was taxed for inept officiating.
If this is how the league handles goaltender interference going forward, it sets a dangerous precedent, and someone will get hurt. So much for player safety....

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