In my hockey-watching experience, despite what the rules say (which is that if a defending player last touches the puck en route to the net, then the goal is awarded "sans aide" (unassisted) to the nearest offensive player), it seems to me that hard shots that are deflected in by defenders are scored as if they'd gone in cleanly, with the shooter getting the goal, etc. On the other hand, if a defenseman puts the puck in his own net after having some kind of possession, then the nearest offensive player gets the goal unassisted. Why do I think that's "fair?" Well, having played a lot of defense, and having put at least **two** such goals into my own net over the years, I'd like to think that offensive players' harassment was an important factor influencing the eventual outcomes. Maximal harassment usually comes from the nearest guy, so ... Dave Delchamps Cornell University Let's Go Red !! P.S. Yes, even in our weekend city league games here in Ithaca we have official scorers!!