Igor Shesterkin Backs Anthony Stolarz After Mask Scare, Indirectly Calls for NHL Rule Change
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin had Anthony Stolarz's back in calling for more protection after the goalie suffered a scary incident without his mask.
Thursday night's game between the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs wasn't the shootout you would have thought, as the Maple Leafs squeaked by with a 2-1 OT victory thanks to Auston Matthews' heroics.
But it was something that happened earlier that is causing a stir, which was the fact Anthony Stolarz lost his mask and still needed to make a save before the whistle was blown down.
It could have led to serious injury and Stolarz post-game was none too pleased and implored the NHL to take a look at perhaps adjusting the rules to better suit the goaltender's safety as opposed to prioritizing scoring chances.
Shesterkin Echoes Stolarz's Concerns After Their Goalie Duel in New York
However, he's certainly got one ally in his fight for a rule change, that being his opponent on Thursday, Igor Shesterkin.
The superstar goaltender gave his thoughts on the Stolarz situation and also wished that the play would have been blown dead, regardless of if his team was looking to score:
They should (blow) a whistle right away because it's a very dangerous play.
The rules currently state that if a goalie loses his mask and the opposition is in the middle of a potential scoring chance, one that is completed, then the whistle is blown down.
Growing Pressure on the NHL to Address Goalie Safety
Issue being that you're still taking a shot or multiple shots at an unprotected player with a frozen rubber puck that can cause serious or fatal injuries; you can't risk that for anyone in the league.
It doesn't matter if Connor McDavid is about to hit his 93rd goal to break Wayne Gretzky's record; if the mask comes off the whistle blows. End of story.
While there are modern advancements in goaltender equipment safety, there's only so much the physical aspect can do, and it doesn't matter how well-equipped the goalie is, when that protection is suddenly absent; that's a concern.
You can't really make a new style of puck that doesn't hurt, and there's not much else a goalie can do besides having the best possible equipment.
So a rule change has to be a priority, and we don't need to go through a potentially scary, or downright unfortunate incident in order to get there.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 18|1215 ANSWERS Igor Shesterkin Backs Anthony Stolarz After Mask Scare, Indirectly Calls for NHL Rule Change Should the NHL adjust their rules to blow the play dead if a goalie loses his mask? | ||
| Yes | 1127 | 92.8 % |
| No | 88 | 7.2 % |
| List of polls | ||