Czech forward Jaromir Jagr scored an amazing one-handed goal against his former Rangers teammate Henrik Lundqvist, currently tending goal for Team Sweden. It was impressive… but it shouldn’t have counted.
Tomas Plekanec, captain of the Czech squad, was pushing his way into the crease.
Unlike in the NHL, there’s very little tolerance for players in the crease. The IIHF rulebook spells it out:
Rule 471.a.4 – DISALLOWING A GOAL
No goal shall be allowed […] if an attacking player stands or holds his stick in the goal crease when the puck enters the goal net, unless he has been physically interfered with, by the actionof any defending player so as to cause him to be in the goal crease when the puck enters the goal net, unless if in the opinion of the Referee, he had sufficient time to get out of the crease…
According to the referees, though, Plekanec was only in there because he was bumped. He was hit, but it was by defenseman Niklas Kronwall, trying to move him out. Take another look:
(via @PeteBlackburn)
Lundqvist thought Plekanec should have had a penalty on Jagr's goal for pushing Kronwall into him. Ref told him it was his guy that hit him.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) February 12, 2014
Officials for the game were two of the top refs in the Olympics – Konstantin Olenin of the KHL and the NHL’s Kelly Sutherland.
Jaromir Jagr pushes the puck past Lundqvist. Goal stands despite Plekanec standing in the crease. Czechs with life and energy down 4-2.
— Sean Hartnett (@HartnettHockey) February 12, 2014
Plekanec might have gotten away with shoving Kronwall into Lundqvist, but the goal stands. #Sochi2014
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) February 12, 2014
Bit of interference there by Plekanec on Kronwall, pushes him into Lundqvist on Jagr maybe goal
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 12, 2014
The goal stood, cutting Sweden’s lead to two. That would be as close as the Czechs would get, as the Tre Kronor took the game by a 4-2 score.
