Remember that infamous non-goal Brian Dumoulin didn’t score a couple weeks ago in Toronto?
Yep, should have been a goal.
In fact, the NHL admitted as much during the NHL general managers meetings which concluded Wednesday in Boca Raton, Fla. As Jim Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports.com Thursday, “We polled the room, and that was one that was suggested that it could have been the other way.”
The Dumoulin non-goal was one of five goaltender interference calls — out of 172 through Tuesday’s games — the league says it got wrong this season. Of that total, 120 were upheld and 52 were overturned.
But the Dumoulin controversy did help spark a proposed tweak to the NHL’s Rule 78.7 (i) regarding coach’s challenges on goalie interference. Now, instead of the on-ice officials having final say on calls, they will be made at the league’s Situation Room in Toronto, where one of six former referees — Paul Devorski, Don Koharski, Bill McCreary, Mick McGeough, Rob Shick and Don Van Massenhoven, who now serve as official supervisors — will make the call.
Rutherford was among the overwhelming majority of managers satisfied with the new arrangement, which was instantly green-lighted by the NHLPA and awaits final approval of the Board of Governors. The proposal is expected to be enacted for the start of the playoffs.
“I think it’s difficult to put it on the referees when they concentrate on their own games,” Rutherford told our site. “They don’t study the rest of the games throughout the league like Hockey Ops does and, this way, Hockey Ops has references to how different plays were called and it can give us a chance of consistency. So, with that being said, I think the referees did a good job with it under their circumstances. But this way, with Hockey Ops watching all the games every night, they get comparable goalie interferences and they can be consistent on those calls.”
The new centralized review in Toronto, however, does not get to the heart of the the issue, at least in some minds: What is and isn’t goalie interference?
But Rutherford doesn’t believe interpretation is the issue.
“I don’t think we need more clarifications. Just read the rules,” he said of Rule 69. “The rule is pretty clear.”
PENGUINS
• No one came close to stating this publicly, but the higher-ups in the organization are very much looking forward to this weekend against the Devils and Flyers, entirely because they know focus won't be an issue. All kinds of extra measures were taken to keep everyone's eyes on the Canadiens, Rangers and Islanders, but there's only so much that can be done when elite players experience as much open ice as the Penguins did for those first two periods at Madison Square Garden last week. Messed up a lot of things. Facing quality opponents, the thinking goes, will ground that. — Dejan Kovacevic
• Bill Guerin earlier this week turned down a chance to be interviewed for the Hurricanes' GM vacancy -- the one left when Ron Francis was booted upstairs -- primarily because of his close bond with the Penguins' front office, all the way up to Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, but also because he has enough confidence in his ability that he can someday succeed Jim Rutherford, who turned 69 last month. — Kovacevic
• Phil Kessel’s whippy stick, which has helped him to score 325 career goals, is completely legal and well within the NHL’s Rule 10 regarding stick lengths, curves, composition, etc. But one teammate wondered if he would have been nearly as prolific in the wood stick era? The hosel on Kessel’s stick is very narrow and would almost certainly break on any shot if it were made of wood and not the best and latest composite technology. The whip in Kessel’s custom-made twigs helps him propel the puck at great velocity. “He doesn’t shoot the puck, he leans into his stick,” the teammate joked. However, the whippy stick doesn’t help explain Kessel’s shot accuracy. — Bradford
• One controversial rule the NHL won’t alter is offsides. There was much discussion on changing the current challenge of offsides plays, but ultimately there was no appetite to do so. "After it was discussed, we felt that leaving it the way it is is the best way to do it,” Rutherford said. — Bradford
• Perhaps the best news Rutherford and his counterparts received is that Gary Bettman predicted next year's salary cap should rise from $75 million to $78-82 million. Following the trade of Ian Cole and the contract extension to Patric Hornqvist, Carter Rowney is the Penguins’ only notable pending unrestricted free agent. — Bradford
• The emergency recall rules, which limit teams to four following the trade deadline, played into the decision to bring up Josh Jooris and to reassign Tristan Jarry this week. Jarry is clearly better than Casey DeSmith, but he’s yet to put any distance between himself and his challenger to be Matt Murray’s full-time backup. Someone explained to me that Jarry has been at his best when he’s been Murray’s backup. But for some reason he falters when he’s in competition with DeSmith. — Bradford
STEELERS
• Eli Rogers was at the Rooney Sports Complex this week and was walking around without crutches. Rogers still has some work to do while rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered Jan. 14 in the playoff loss to Jacksonville, but the fact he's off the crutches is a good sign. I did a radio show with him at the auto show about a month ago and he was still hobbling around. So he's making progress. I still expect him to re-sign with the Steelers when he's officially cleared by doctors on a one-year deal similar to those signed by Fitzgerald Toussaint and Daniel McCullers in the past week. — Dale Lolley
• A big deal is made out of it whenever Kevin Colbert or Mike Tomlin visits a pro day. But the key to discerning which players the Steelers are really interested in comes from finding out which assistant coaches were there. For example, Tom Bradley was with Colbert at Penn State earlier this week, while Jerry Olsavsky was one of the those in attendance at Ohio State. Bradley's presence could be because of his Penn State roots, but it's even more likely it's because the Nittany Lions have four defensive backs who could be drafted this year. As for Olsavsky, there's no doubt he was kicking the tires on inside linebackers Jerome Baker and Chris Worley. — Lolley
• I'll get a chance to talk with Colbert Sunday and Tomlin Monday at the owners meetings in Orlando. It will be interesting to find out where they view new safety Morgan Burnett lining up. My guess is that they see him at strong safety. Remember, the Steelers were interested in Jabrill Peppers in the draft last year, envisioning him as a guy they could line up at strong safety or drop down into the box as a nickel and dime linebacker. They had similar plans when they traded for J.J. Wilcox, but those never came to fruition. Now, with Wilcox and Burnett both on board, they have the ability to do that more readily. — Lolley
PIRATES
• There wasn’t some grand meeting among the Pirates’ veterans at the beginning of spring training. Instead, David Freese, Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Ivan Nova and Francisco Cervelli maintain a constant dialogue, exchanging ideas on how to best lead this group in 2018. One of the veterans declined to divulge any details; however, he emphasized that they do need to approach this season differently in that regard. — Lance Lysowski in Bradenton, Fla.
• On the other hand, those same veterans don’t want to micromanage a younger roster. Instead, they want the group to have some fun off the field. There’s currently a friendly dominoes tournament going on among players. “You don’t see that in every clubhouse,” Nova told me. “It’s something different to make sure they have fun and be themselves.” — Lysowski
• Clint Hurdle’s speech at a team meeting last month was a rallying point for this group. He spoke of being an underdog and told the players how confident he is that this roster can and will defy the odds. Sure, there’s frustration among some players, but Hurdle is not a source of that frustration. "He always believes in us and always knows what to say," one veteran told me. — Lysowski
• Trading for Corey Dickerson bought back some good will with the players. One veteran told me it was finally a sign that ownership and the front office did indeed intend to try to win in 2018. At the very least, it indicated the Pirates weren’t rebuilding like the Marlins or Rays. — Lysowski
• Multiple sources told me the Indians have no plans to work out a trade with the Pirates if the latter choose to not put relief pitcher Jordan Milbrath on the opening day roster. Milbrath, a Rule 5 draft pick, must be offered back to the Indians if he doesn’t make the cut. The Pirates would love to be able to put Milbrath in Triple-A, but they’ve known all along that the Indians would be tough to negotiate with if Milbrath was unable to make the jump from Double-A to the majors. — Lysowski
PITT
• The meeting scheduled Friday for the Pitt board of trustees’ athletic board isn’t a panic move in the school’s search for a new basketball coach. In fact, its main purpose will be to prevent a panic move after the school had its offer turned down by new UConn coach Dan Hurley. There are conflicting opinions among administrators, trustees and donors on many topics — a major one being if the focus should be on veteran or up-and-coming coaches — and the meeting’s purpose will be to get everyone on the same page before Heather Lyke makes her next move. — Matt Grubba
• Pat Narduzzi made a candid statement after Thursday’s spring football practice, giving the specific number (23) of guys who ended up on the ground during contact drills. He said that number was a record low and added, “We’re trying to stay off the ground, stop guys falling down getting overaggressive. It’s the hardest thing to control. They just want to go.” As important as spring practices are to coaches and young players, Narduzzi saying “safety is always a concern” was a reminder that losing a key player in spring could cause more damage than having 15 offseason practices can help. — Grubba
• A group of Pitt football alumni led by Carson Long, the kicker on Pitt’s 1976 national championship team, has assembled an effort to restore the gravesite of legendary coach Jock Sutherland at Homewood Cemetery in the Point Breeze neighborhood. Long, who has put many years into research of football’s early years, said restoration of the grave will cost $8,000, but his hope is to create a fund that will cover upkeep of the site for the long term. The Scotland-born Sutherland played end for Pop Warner on the Panthers’ 1915 and 1916 national championship teams, and he had a 111-20-12 record and won four consensus national titles coaching the Panthers from 1924-38. Sutherland also coached the Steelers for two years before his death from a brain tumor in 1948. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951. — Grubba
PENN STATE
• Quarterback Tommy Stevens wasn’t at practice this week for the Nittany Lions when they opened spring ball. However, this isn’t related at all to whether or not he will transfer at the end of the semester, sources confirmed. Players typically don’t appear at practice when they are injured, which explains Stevens’ absence. — Audrey Snyder in State College, Pa.
• The outlook for Penn State basketball largely hinges on whether or not sophomore Tony Carr returns. While Carr is teetering at the end of the first or early in the second round in multiple mock drafts, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be back. If he isn’t, that’s a big blow to this program, mainly because if they can’t make a tournament with Carr, then when will they? — Snyder
• NFL scouts will always look for any reason to knock a player’s draft stock and there was concern about whether or not news of Saquon Barkley having a child next month would hurt his draft grade. Of course it won’t, but the rumor that swirled in State College for months was confirmed this week when Barkley’s girlfriend announced the upcoming birth of their child. In a league that has plenty of bigger issues, Barkley should be the least of their concerns. — Snyder
• All 32 teams were RSVPd for Penn State’s pro day, but the only two teams I didn’t see with my own eyes were the Jaguars and the Colts. Take that for what it’s worth, but the Steelers’ large contingent could mean something. The only general manager there other than Kevin Colbert was Oakland’s Reggie McKenzie, who was there for the second year in a row. — Snyder
