Defining the crease (RE: covering the puck situations)

[timelydewd]

I know that it is a penalty shot if you conceal/cover/fall on the puck while it's in the crease ("No defending player, except the goalkeeper, will be permitted to fall on the puck, hold the puck, pick up the puck, or gather the puck into the body or hands when the puck is within the goal crease. For infringement of this rule, play shall immediately be stopped and a Penalty shot shall be ordered against the offending team), but my question is, how does it work when the puck is partially in the crease and partially outside of it? Assume a small part of the puck is on the red line that makes up the border of the crease and that most of it is on the white ice outside.

In other words, must the ENTIRE puck be within the confines of the crease, or can just part of it be there for a penalty shot to occur?

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

Puck has to be entirely in the crease

 

[tarheelhockey]

The rule book doesn't specify, so it's up to the referee's judgment to call it one way or the other.

Considering it's not reviewable, my guess is "just barely touching the line" would not get it done one way or the other. Wherever most of the puck is located, is most likely to be the ref's call. If it's directly on the line, that would mean it's in the crease because the line is part of the crease.

 

[timelydewd]

The rule book doesn't specify, so it's up to the referee's judgment to call it one way or the other.

Considering it's not reviewable, my guess is "just barely touching the line" would not get it done one way or the other. Wherever most of the puck is located, is most likely to be the ref's call. If it's directly on the line, that would mean it's in the crease because the line is part of the crease.

As a fan and a ref, I like to have things be clearly defined - at least as clearly as possible. I've asked this elsewhere and the answers are pretty much 50/50. You may be right. It's ambiguous because the references to this in the book contradict one another: one says "within the crease," whereas the other blurb mentions the "goal crease area." If you read those, you wouldn't be crazy if you came away with two different interpretations.