Trapezoid hell is the real name for this four sided piece of territory behind the goal in ice hockey. Instituted to limit the play of a goaltender leaving his crease to get the puck, it has become more of a forwards "no-fly-zone". A goalie only has to step one or two paces to get behind the net and reach the puck. A forward, screaming in from the neutral zone ice area, has little time to decide if he can get to the puck and do so without plowing into the goalie, which would be goalie interference.
This almost always means the goalie has a "free play" on the puck. Given the choice between getting possible possession of the puck, or getting a two minute penalty, most times players jump into the boards or to the side to stay clear of the goalie thereby losing all opportunity to get the puck. And I thought the blue area in FRONT of the crease was the goalie’s domain?
In years past, goalies stayed in the crease, block shots, stood their ground and rarely moved the puck with the possible exception of pushing it to the corner. Some goalies started leaving the crease to chase an errant pass and soon everyone realized it was easier for the goalie to slide behind the net and control the play. And so it became fashionable for goalies to stray from their net to take away an offensive attack. Not a bad idea, really.
But, if the blue area in front of the net is the goalies domain, where he should be protected from abuse and be allowed to do his job, why is he given the same protection when he feels he needs to be a skater and roam the ice in search of adventure? No other player on the ice has that kind of protection to play the puck. And neither should goalies.
The goalie interference penalty was put in the rules to protect the goalie from players running the goalie from the blind side or while the goalie was doing his job by trying to keep the puck from going in the net. This rule needs to be enforced better too. But if he strays from his crease and feels the need to become a skating member of the team, he should not only be allowed to enjoy the benefits of this freedom, but also be subject to the harsher side of it too.
Goalies who leave their protected area need to be allowed to be checked. And don’t give me the crap of "the goalie is unprepared to be hit" story. If he knows he can be checked, he damn well better be prepared!!! Get rid of the "zoid", put more offense into the game and maybe a little more checking for those brave souls who venture into the skaters area and want to play the puck.
