When A Goaltender Is Not A Goaltender

While watching the Ottawa Senators game, Chris Phillips took a goaltender interference penalty when the Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller came out of his crease and made a play on the puck. In doing so he was handling the puck with his side to the oncoming Phillips. Phillips ran into the side of him, not with a violent or predatory hit but just a low impact body check that a Pee-Wee player could absorb.

At this point Tyler Meyers come to the 'aid' of his goaltender and somehow Phillips gets 4 minutes and Meyers gets 2 for roughing. I am all for protecting the goaltender but only when he is in his crease, you know the on painted BLUE. If a goaltender can't play the puck in the corners why is he overprotected behind the net. If those line are there to promote offence is what Phillips did not, by rule, a legal hit to a player playing the puck? If anything it should have been 2 for roughing and 2 for instigating on Meyers and nothing or at best 2 min to Phillips even though all he did was attempt to get away and/or defend himself.

If a goaltender is going to put himself in harms way then he needs to expect to be treated like a skater. Gary Galley said on the broadcast that it was the right call...I would argue that it was the convenient call and the one that always gets made, however, that does not make it the right call. Either fix this rule or don't let the goaltenders out of the crease at all. If it is a contact sport you have to allow contact. This is not as difficult to police as head shots, elbows and hits from behind.