Awarded Goals

Awarded goals are extremely rare and you may go through your entire life without ever experiencing this situation, however you should still know what factors are required for a goal to be awarded.

For the most part the goalie must be removed from the ice in order for a goal to be awarded although there are a few situations where a goal may be awarded when the goalie is still on the ice.
  
Changing the Goalie For An Extra Attacker

The key to remember is that the goalie has been legally substituted for. Here is an example of such an occurrence.

Team A is losing by one goal with just under a minute remaining in the game so they decide to pull their goalie to try to gain an advantage over Team B.  As Team A’s goalie is on his way to his players’ bench, a member of Team B picks up the puck and is on a clear breakaway with the puck in the neutral zone.  The goalie, realizing that he must do something, decides to throw his stick at the puck carrier to try and knock the puck away from the puck carrier.

If the player that is going to replace the goalie on the ice as an extra skater is on the ice (one skate is all that is needed for him to be considered on the ice) when the goalie throws the stick, then a goal will be awarded since the goalie is considered off the ice once his replacing teammate comes onto the ice to replace the goaltender.

If the goaltender has not been legally substituted for yet and the puck on the puck carrier’s stick is still in the Neutral Zone and the stick has been thrown from the side or from in front of the puck carrier, then a Minor penalty would be assessed against the goalie and no goal would be awarded.  If the puck carrier is in his attacking zone (defending zone of the goaltender) then a Penalty Shot will be awarded.  Furthermore, if the goaltender throws his stick from behind the puck carrier when the puck (on the puck carrier’s stick) is in the neutral zone or attacking zone of the puck carrier then a Penalty Shot will be awarded.

Simple, isn’t it. It all depends where the stick is coming from and where the puck carrier is at the time the stick is thrown.

Player Doesn’t Have Control & A Stick Is Shot At The Puck

In order for a goal to be awarded, the puck carrier needs to have both possession and control of the puck and not just possession.  For instance, when a goalie has been removed from the game and the puck carrier has both possession and control of the puck on a breakaway when a stick is thrown at him, you would award a goal.  If the puck carrier decides to shoot the puck towards the goal thus giving up control of the puck you would have the following two options occurring the moment that the stick reaches the puck. 

If the puck is in the defending zone of the team that has its goalie removed from the ice when the stick reaches the puck, then a Penalty Shot would be awarded and the goaltender would be permitted to come back onto the ice to defend the net.  If the puck is anywhere else on the ice then a Minor penalty would be assessed instead of the Penalty Shot.

Defending Player Covers The Puck In The Crease

As was stated previously, the puck carrier cannot give up control of the puck if he wants a goal to be awarded when he is fouled illegally.  However, hockey is full of interesting rules that can be confusing and this is one of those examples. 

The puck carrier shoots the puck towards the opposition’s net.  The opposing team has pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker and thus they don’t have anyone protecting the net from goals being scored.  However, when the shot puck reaches the crease one of the defending players’ jumps on the puck and covers it with his hand thus preventing a goal.  Since the puck is loose and the attacking team no longer has control of the puck no goal can be awarded, right?  Wrong, in this situation a goal will be awarded because the defending team that had pulled their goaltender had a player intentionally jump on the puck in the crease and this action prevented an imminent goal from being scored. Thus you must award the goal to make up for the one illegally taken away by the defending player that jumped on the puck.

An Obstacle Was Left In Front Of The Net

Some goalies may think that when they leave the ice that if they leave their stick, glove or a pile of snow in front of the net, it will help to prevent any goals when the puck is shot along the ice at the net.  This may be true but it is illegal.

For instance, a goaltender places his stick along the ice in front of the net and starts to proceed towards his player’s bench.  The opposing team shoots the puck that hits the stick and in doing so a goal was prevented.  If the goalie is still on the ice and has not been legally substituted for, then a Minor penalty will be assessed for interference.  If the goaltender is off of the ice or legally substituted for, then a goal will be awarded.

Net Knocked Off It’s Moorings

Here is another situation where a goal may be awarded.  A goaltender has been removed from the ice and the opposing team takes a shot at the empty net. It doesn’t matter where the shot originated.  Now as the puck is about to enter the net a defending player pushes the net off its moorings.  Is a goal awarded? 

Two criteria must be met for a goal to be awarded in this situation since the puck carrier no longer has control of the puck. 

(1) The net must be taken off its moorings (not in its normal position) and

(2) The shot must go into the general area of where the net was located. 

If both of these criteria are met then a goal may be awarded since the defending player intentionally knocking the net from its original position took an imminent goal away.

If the puck did not reach the goal line or if the puck did not go into the general area normally occupied by the net then a Minor penalty would be assessed against the defending player that knocked the net off the moorings and if this occurs in the last two minutes of the game or in overtime then a Penalty Shot will be awarded to the attacking team and the goaltender will be allowed to return to the ice to defend the net during the Penalty Shot.

The Goaltender Is On The Ice & A Goal Was Awarded

As was mentioned earlier, there are a few situations where a goal can be awarded when the goaltender is on the ice.  Here are those situations:

1)      As mentioned above, when the goaltender was on his way to the bench to be substituted and he shot his stick at the puck carrier from behind.  As the example states, he was legally substituted for and therefore is considered off the ice even though his physical body is still on the ice.

2)      When a goaltender is defending his goal during a Penalty Shot he cannot throw his stick or any other object at the puck carrier and he cannot intentionally dislodge the net from it’s moorings or a goal will be awarded.