OHL defenseman Ty Nelson fired a shot that didn’t go in – but it did break the puck.
The North Bay Battalion blueliner’s blast hit the crossbar, splitting the puck in two. Half the puck went in, the other half deflected into the corner, nearly hitting referee Mike Marley.
Unfortunately for Nelson, the goal didn’t count. The puck needs to completely cross the goal line. Half doesn’t count.
The officials confirmed the call on the play. No goal.
“When [Battalion Assistant Coach] Bill Houlder sees something new for the first time, you know it doesn’t happen often,” said Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen. “The whole puck needs to go in net and it’s pretty tough when the puck breaks in half for it to all go in the net.”
While it’s quite rare, pucks have broken in half in the NHL as well.
It happened during a 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. The puck split in half after hitting Kris Letang’s skate, drawing a whistle.
Once the puck is broken, it’s unplayable – which means a whistle to stop play.
While there’s no specific rule addressing a broken puck, by definition, a broken puck no longer meets the league requirements for a puck. From Rule 13:
The puck shall be made of vulcanized rubber, or other approved material, one inch (1”) thick and three inches (3”) in diameter and shall weigh between five and one-half ounces (51/2” oz.) and six ounces (6 oz.).
Certainly, a fractional puck wouldn’t qualify.
The puck would need to remain intact when it crossed the goal line for a goal to count.
Now that would be a fun video review…
When it comes to hockey, especially the nuances of play involving unique incidents like broken pucks, I'm quite familiar with the ins and outs. First off, let's delve into the incident you've described involving Ty Nelson and the broken puck.
Ty Nelson's shot, which split the puck in half but only allowed one portion to cross the goal line, highlights an interesting scenario in hockey. This event is indeed a rarity, but it's not entirely unheard of in the sport. The crucial factor in scoring a goal in hockey is that the entire puck needs to completely cross the goal line. Even if half of it crosses, as in Nelson's case, it doesn't count as a goal.
The situation isn't explicitly addressed in the rulebook because it's so unusual. However, Rule 13 specifies the standards for an intact puck used in play. A broken puck is considered unplayable, leading to an immediate whistle to stop play. The league's regulations dictate that a puck must meet certain dimensions and material specifications, including being one inch thick, three inches in diameter, and weighing between five and a half to six ounces. A fractional puck resulting from a break would no longer qualify as a standard puck, making it ineligible for a goal.
Interestingly, this incident isn't isolated. There's a precedent for this in the NHL, notably during a 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins when a puck split in half after hitting Kris Letang's skate, leading to a whistle and stoppage of play.
Despite the lack of a specific rule addressing a broken puck, the fundamental requirement for a goal remains: the puck must be intact when it crosses the goal line. So, while it would indeed make for an intriguing video review, the rules dictate that a fractured puck wouldn't qualify for a goal, as only an entirely intact puck counts.
In essence, the case of the broken puck emphasizes the technicalities and specifics of scoring in hockey, demonstrating how even the rarest of occurrences fall within the broader framework of the game's rules and regulations.
