Goal judges get the boot

The area behind the net will look a little different this year at NHL arenas. There will be no more goal judge sitting in Row 1 behind the net.

Sweet archival image:


The NHL has decided to do away with the ice-level goal judge. It's not that big of a change, really. The on-ice referee makes the determination of whether or not the puck has crossed the goal line, and if there is any dispute, the arena video replay judge, in conjunction with the NHL's war room in Toronto (aka the best replay system in all of sports) make the final call.

Some judges have complained privately that making borderline calls with pucks on or across the goal line will be difficult from the press box. That's where video replay has held the upper hand.

The goal judge signals a goal with the red light, but it is up to the referees, the video goal judge, or both to decide whether a goal was scored.

In an e-mail to The Inquirer, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the video goal judge, in conjunction with the two referees, had already "lessened the responsibilities" of the goal judges and minimized their involvement in determining whether a goal was scored.

Philly.com Goal Judge article

This is really for the better anyway. How many times have you seen your team fire a shot past the goalie, the red light goes on and you celebrate, only to have the replay show that the puck rang off the post and out? Too many.

I say down with trigger-fingered goal judges! And their little popemobile boxes!

I don't know why they're merely "relocating" the goal judge and not getting rid of them totally. Why can't they equip the referees with a remote device to turn on the goal light? They are the ones who call the goals officially, so why not let them activate the light. I'm sure that even the NHL can handle this kind of technological advance.

Not surprisingly, the Flyers are turning the now-empty space into "premium seating" that comes with the purchase of a luxury box (see above article).