Puckhandling Beats the Rules

Vol. I, No. 17

March 16, 2010

The Devils bettered the Boston Bruins by a score of 3 - 2 on Monday night (about 12 hours ago).  It was an important game, going up against a team struggling to get into the playoffs, tied for 8th place in the Eastern Conference.  Boston has been playing hard hockey for the past week, ever since the Penguin's "Matt Cooke felony-on-ice" incident which happened last Sunday.

Monday night was an intense game. The Devils won the first period, chasing Boston's goalie Tim Thomas from the net.  The Bruins outplayed the Devils in the next two periods, with two unanswered goals and the replacement goaltender (Tuuka Rask) shutting out the home team.  But the Bruins could not overcome the 3-goal hole that had been dug in the first period.

One of the Devil's goals was unusual.  Marty Brodeur threaded a pass up ice to forward David Clarkson, who went in on a breakaway, scoring the second goal of the evening with a neat backhand flip which beat Thomas.  It was Brodeur's 34th career assist.

What makes this remarkable is that Brodeur got an assist at all.  They are harder to come by these days.  He did it by making an instant, accurate, up ice pass.  Other goalies (Tom Barrasso and Grant Fuhr) have had higher lifetime assists (48 and 46 respectively). But most have gotten assists by passing to a defenseman behind the goal, who then rushes up the ice and scores or assists on another goal.  And in the past, it was easier to do this than today.

Since the 2004-05 non-season, the ability of goaltenders to play the puck has been restricted by the trapezoid rule.  Before 2004, goalies could play the puck anywhere behind the goal line.  After 2005, they were restricted to playing the puck only in a trapezoidal area behind the goal line. No more venturing into the corners to pass the puck to another player. 

The real reason for the goal change was to reduce the effectiveness of goaltenders like Marty Turco (Dallas) and Marty Brodeur (New Jersey). Remember that the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils won three Cups in the six years from 1998 through 2004.  It seemed that puckhandling goaltenders like Brodeur and Turco were able to have an impact.  So the league fixed their wagon.  Since that time, the Stars and Devils have been competitive, but never Stanley Cup finalists.

That's why Monday March 15 was such a sweet game for Marty Brodeur and the Devils. He played the puck in front of the goal line (legal) and made a letter-perfect pass to his teammate.  The video clip is bound to be featured in NHL week highlights.

It may be impossible for Brodeur to catch the old records set in pre-trapezoid times, but at least for one night, puck handling skills outshone the regulations.  That's the way hockey is supposed to be.

Hockey Rules.