>At 6:04 PM 4/2/96, Eric Carlson wrote:
>> The rule is very clear that unless the ref can say in his opinion that
>>McNeill deliberately directed the puck to a teammate, he is not supposed to
>>call an illegal hand pass.  I just don't see how anyone can say with with
>>certainty he "deliberately directed" the puck anywhere but down where it
>>ended up behind the goalie and Remackel followed the play and put the puck
>>in for the goal.
>
>The NCAA rule is different.  There is no mention of a hand pass being
>deliberate or not deliberate.
>
>Rule 6-17-a (in part): "If the puck, after being batted in the air by hand
>or high stick or propelled by the hand along the ice, even though in the
>crease, is controlled first by an opponent, all players are eligible to
>play the puck and play is not stopped.  If the puck, after being batted in
>the air by hand or high stick, or propelled by the hand along the ice, even
>though in the crease, is controlled first by a teammate except a sideward
>or backward bat from the goalkeeper, play must be stopped immediately."
>
>The note to Rule 6-46-b reads: "'Control of the puck' is defined as the act
>of propelling the puck with the stick."
 
On April 2, Eric Carlson wrote:
 
>Thanks, Mike, that's exactly what I was hoping to see and why I was
>qualifying my opinion as to the goal.  That's a very interesting difference
>between NHL and NCAA rules besides the obvious ones.
>
>Here are some additional questions for anyone that cares to answer them...
>
>1) So, is a puck caught and dropped in the offensive zone by an offensive
>player always an illegal hand pass if the offense plays it first or only if
>a teammate plays it?
 
Usually only if a teammate plays it first. One of the most common examples
of this is when the defending team tries to clear the puck with a high shot
and the defenseman at the point jumps up, catches the puck, drops it to the
ice and immediately plays it himself. If he bats it to a teammate, it would
be ruled a hand pass. If he bats it to an opponent, the hand pass is waved
off.
 
>2)  Does rule 6-17a only apply to hand passes when the puck is in the
>crease?
>3)  If not what does the "even though in the crease" mean?
>4)  Is that supposed to mean the rule applies even if the hand pass is made
>when the puck is in the crease?
 
Someone with more insight to the NCAA rule can chime in here, but I think
they're just basically saying that a hand pass in the crease is the same as
a hand pass anywhere else in that zone. (The crease is a special area under
certain other situations.)
 
>5)  Where was McNeill when he made the hand pass?  In or out of the crease?
 
McNeill was flying across the goal area, from his right to his left, but
not through the crease. I'd say he "took off" a little in front of the hash
marks and gloved the puck a bit outside of the crease. (Just my view.)
 
>6)  Are they talking about both the attacking and defending teams in that
>rule?
 
The hand pass rule is different for the attacking and defending teams. The
defending team can make a hand pass anywhere in its defensive zone, as long
as the hand pass starts and finishes in the defensive zone. Conversely, the
attacking team cannot make a hand pass in the offensive zone (but when they
get back in their own defensive zone, they're ok).
 
>Now  I'm not saying these next things happened, I'm just posing some what
>if questions.
>
>7)  Supposing McNeill bats the puck out of the air and the Vermont goalie
>gives it "a sideward or backward bat" as mentioned in the rules, is
>Colorado College allowed or not allowed to control the puck at that point?
 
This is going to be speculative, because it will depend on the referee's
view and interpretation of the situation. This will differ from ref to ref
and from situation to situation (that's why they call it a judgement
call!). If they rule that the goalie was making a save, that generally
doesn't imply possession and control, so the hand pass would not be waved
off. But if the goalie settles it and shoots it into the corner (which is
sideways and back), they would almost certainly wave off the hand pass and
any player would be eligible to play the puck.
 
>8) Supposing the puck had hit the Vermont goalie somwhere on his body on
>the way down, is that "a sideward or backward bat"?
 
It may have. That's the only question still in my mind. But that type of
incidental contact wouldn't have washed the hand pass. In fact, if it had
bounced off of a defending player's leg, for example, the hand pass
probably would not be washed. (I say probably because, again, it's a
judgement call).
>
>9) In that event could Remackel then put the puck in the net as McNeill
>suggested?
 
No. I don't see how. A UVM player would have had to control the puck. If no
UVM player played the puck, Remackel would have played a hand pass and play
should have stopped (and the goal disallowed). The big question (and a
question for the ages) is whether or not a UVM player touched the puck
after the hand pass.
 
>10)  If McNeill had knocked it down with his hand and then hit it into the
>goal himself with his stick, then what would the call have been?
 
This would have been OK. Or, if he hit it down, hit it with his stick and a
teammate scored, it would have been OK.
 
>11)  Also does the NCAA have the same differentiation between hand passes
>in the offensive and defensive zones as the NHL?
 
Yes, and USA Hockey adopted that rule just last year.
 
Someone else also brought up the subject of players closing their hands on
the puck. In most cases, the refs will allow this as long as the player
drops the puck to the ice immediately. If they run off with it, the ref
will stop play. (You see examples of this all the time - how often does a
player grab a puck out of the air, set it down and skate off? All the
time.)
 
Also, someone mentioned intent. While the rules may deal with intent, the
on-ice interpretation is usually made without regard to intent. How can you
tell if a player meant to direct it to his teammate? (Hell, most of the
time they do.) It's almost always a strict "Did Team A player play the puck
with his hand? Yes. Did his teammate play it next? Yes. Stop play.
 
That's it. Just six more months 'til next season!
 
John
 
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