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During overtime of last night's preseason game at Madison Square Garden, a penalty shot was called. Philadelphia Flyers center Scott Laughton overhandled the puck in the offensive zone and lost it to defenseman Keith Yandle.
Yandle gained possession and had a semi-breakaway with Laughton in backchecking pursuit. Referee Evgeny Romasko called a penalty shot, ruling that Yandle was hooked from behind on the play. Yandle converted it to win the game.
1) The attacking player is fouled from behind. 2) The attacker is past the red line (not the blue line). 3) The attacker has passed everyone on the defending team except the goalie. 4) The attacker has possession and control of the puck at the time he's fouled. 5) The attacker loses a reasonable scoring chance as a result of the foul.
On this particular play, criteria number two to four were indisputable. Criteria one and five were 50-50 judgment calls. I thought Romasko hustled, had a good sight-line and made a bold and decisive judgment call on the play. THAT is the primary means by which officials get coached and reviewed.
Agree or disagree with the call all you want -- and, by the way, the disagreeing reporters and fans referencing Evgeny's nationality (as if that had anything to do with the call) should be ashamed of themselves. From the standpoint of coaching and reviewing officials, I thought he did what he needed to give himself the best chance at making the right call.
If the referee believes all five circumstances are all in place, the penalty shot ruling MUST be made. It doesn't matter what the score of the game is, what period it happens or anything else.
As with any call, positioning is critical. Never forget: positioning sells calls. calling a penalty shot. The official should be confident and decisive in making the ruling. It's when the guy is hesitant to call what he sees -- when he's afraid of how the benches or a supervisor will react, and you can virtually see the wheels turning in his head on whether to call a minor penalty or a penalty shot -- that he looks bad.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.