John writes:
>Thank you to everyone who responded (so quickly!) to my query as to
>why no one brought Steve Shields (Michigan goaltender) a new stick
>after his was broken.
>
>The consensus from the responses is that an illegal stick minor would
>have resulted if a non-goaltender were to enter the ice carrying a
>goaltender's stick (even he intended only to skate it to his goalie).
 
So much for the consensus :-)...it's wrong.  A teammate most certainly
could have grabbed a stick at the bench and brought it to Shields, provided
he did not intentionally participate in the play while carrying both
sticks.
 
Rule 3-1(f): Equipment (Sticks)
"A minor penalty shall be assessed to a player or goalkeeper who
participates in play while in possession of more than one stick, except
that no penalty will be assessed to a player who is struck accidentally by
the puck while carrying a replacement stick to a teammate."
 
Nowhere does it state that only a goalie's stick can be carried to a
teammate, btw.  And, it would have been a bench minor if someone from the
bench had thrown a stick to Shields (to answer that question).
 
>Several people also mentioned giving up a "normal" stick and getting a
>stoppage in play.  From reports in the Ann Arbor News and the hearsay
>that I receive, here's the scoop.  Shields did NOT want a "normal" stick
>because it was a 5-on-3 situation, therefore Michigan would have only
>two skaters with sticks.  He was upset that his teammates did nothing
>to create a stoppage in play, especially after the penalties had
>expired.
 
This is understandable, but being down 5x3, it's difficult for the team
with only 3 skaters to stop play.  If they had tried to freeze the puck
along the boards or shoot it out of play, the referee would most likely
have recognized the intent and called Michigan for delay of game.  It would
have been better for Shields to take a teammate's stick and then have the
teammate get his own new one if Michigan was able to ice the puck.  Let the
guy without the stick play one of the two positions in the triangle right
in front of Shields - in this case, it's more important for the guy at the
top of the slot to have his stick to intercept passes.
---
Mike Machnik    [log in to unmask]   Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)    *HMN*