Fansided

NHL: Will David Leggio Bring On Another “Avery-Rule”-Like Response?

By Mike Majeski

Sep 16, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Capitals goalie David Leggio (40) makes a save against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Konan (34) during the second period of preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Capitals goalie David Leggio (40) makes a save against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Matt Konan (34) during the second period of preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

David Leggio isn’t the first player to use the rule book to his advantage, but does it warrant a response from the NHL?

Some have called it poor sportsmanship or as was repeated ad nauseam on Hockey Central at Noon today: “making a mockery of the game”, while others see it as brilliant gamesmanship and a smart strategy. Either way, David Leggio of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers (affiliate of the New York Islanders) was the most famous goaltender in hockey on Tuesday, after deliberately dislodging the net when faced with stopping a 2-on-0 Springfield Falcons rush. Leggio understood that such an action would result in a penalty shot, but felt he had a greater chance of stopping one shooter than he did stopping two.

As could be expected, people are already calling for the NHL (and the AHL) to modify the rules to put an end to this practice. Others feel that this is no different than a defenseman taking a desperate dive and tripping a player on a breakaway – you know a penalty shot will be the result, but at least the goaltender will have some time to get set.

In this case things paid off for Leggio, as he successfully stopped Dany Tyrell’s penalty shot attempt.

The calls to amend the rules remind me of the infamous “Avery Rule” that the NHL implemented during the 2008 NHL playoffs. During a first-round playoff game between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, Rangers forward Sean Avery screened Martin Brodeur in what could only be described as an “Avery-esque” way. Avery parked himself in front of the Devils net and began to wave his stick in Brodeur’s face, distracting him. The Rangers at the time were on a 5-3 power play. Brodeur took a few jabs at Avery (something that could have earned him a penalty). Avery only stopped to collect the puck in the Rangers end of the rink, came back, and scored on Brodeur.

It was declared unsportsmanlike, a mockery of the game, and the typical antics of hockey’s most hated player — it was also brilliant and 100% legal. That is until the NHL issued a ruling the following morning that made it illegal for a player to distract the other team’s goaltender by waving a stick in his face, which will forever be known as the “Avery Rule”.

Unlike Avery, who at the time could do anything he wished in front of Brodeur as long as he did not physically interfere, what Leggio did is against the rules and his team was punished. However the knee-jerk reaction to increase the punishment for purposely dislodging the net is the same reaction we saw after the Avery incident. The Springfield Falcons were already awarded a penalty shot as a result. Perhaps going forward the goaltender would also be assessed a 2-minute minor (in addition to the penalty shot), but I still think most goaltenders would feel they had a better shot at stopping a penalty shot and the penalty kill unit taking care of the power play than stopping a 2-on-0 rush.

Dislodging the net disrupts the natural flow of the game and takes away a scoring chance, but it is also a good strategy when faced with a situation in which there is very little chance of making a save. What Leggio did is not different than purposely fouling the other team in basketball in order to stop the clock. Sure they get a free-throw, but you stopped the clock. It is a final desperate attempt to give your team a better chance at winning.

As Leggio stated in his interview on Hockey Central today, this isn’t the first time that players have exploited the rules to give their team a competitive advantage. While he didn’t bring up the Avery Rule, he did mention the old practice of purposely flipping the puck over the glass in order to stop the game to give a tired team some rest. The NHL responded to this by awarding a two-minute “delay of game penalty” that now everyone wishes would just go away, because more often than not, the puck goes over by accident on a clearing attempt.

Accidents happen, so once again we are introducing another judgement call to the refs: whether the goaltender purposely or accidentally dislodged the net – all while keeping their eyes on the puck and whether it crossed the line. Seems like a lot for one isolated incident in the AHL.

Unless more goaltenders start doing what Leggio did, I do not think we’ll see a response from the NHL. 2-on-0 rushes are rare in the NHL (unless you are the Edmonton Oilers goaltender) so I do not think this strategy is going to become rampant in the league, as some have feared. NHL goaltenders have nudged the net off its moorings to stop play, but it is a rare occurrence.

David Leggio’s dislodging of the net showed a great understanding of the rules and was the best decision he could make when facing multiple players on a breakaway.

More from FanSided

Home/NHL