My last potboiler on the scoring of assists was so successful in
eliciting comment thought I'd try another.  (BTW, the assist
discussion has been extremely interesting.)
 
One of the list members from Michigan State who communicated with me
off the list remarked that a goal is scored if it is deflected off
an offensive player's skate--UNLESS IT APPEARS HE WAS TRYING TO KICK
IT IN, IN WHICH CASE IT DOESN'T COUNT.  Now, isn't it a bit strange
that the rules make the awarding of assists close to automatic (as long
as there's agreement on who touched the puck), yet a referee's
JUDGEMENT is called for on the kicking-it-in-the-goal issue.  Seems to
me goals are a heck of a lot more important than assists!  Since
several of you are officials and/or official scorers, you can probably
enlighten me on this.  All I can say is, it seems like players' skates
are almost always in motion; how easy is it to decide that a motion
was not a kicking one?
 
P.S.  I realize a goal is also awarded if the puck is deflected off the
      skate or any other part of the body of a defensive player.  But
      at least in this case no judgement is required!  BTW, why in the
      world the gurus who write the rules feel it is necessary to
      award every goal to someone on the offensive team escapes me.
      What's the point of saying the nearest offensive player scored
      a goal when it deflected into the net off an opponent?  If
      anything, it would be more logical to award the goal to the
      player whose pass/shot was deflected--assuming, of course, that
      it was on offensive player! ;-)  I don't think points are
      awarded to an offensive basketball player when the ball is inad-
      vertently tipped in  by a defender (although I'm willing to be
      corrected.)  I realize that something like soccer may be more
      appropriate as a comparison to hockey, and I believe that deflec-
      ted goals are awarded to the offensive player who last touched
      the ball.  Still . . .
 
                      ***********************************
                     *      Steve Christopher, NMU       *
                    *  "Go 'Cats!''Going for two in '92!" *
                     *        [log in to unmask]         *
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