But will Milan Lucic's collision with Ryan Miller on Saturday lead to significant changes in the game?
Despite the hysteria that play and the league's decision not to discipline Lucic have caused in the last few days, it appears that no new rules will be implemented to govern the play of goaltenders outside of the crease.
Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli noted that Lucic's hit and Brendan Shanhan's decision not to suspend him were major topics at Tuesday's GM meetings in Toronto, but there was no decision to alter the rulebook.
"It's fair to say that there's heightened awareness on that," Chiarelli said of contact with goalies. "There's no changes coming, per se, it's just that Brendan wanted to make it clear, and he made it clear. I think the majority spoke also, that goalies aren't fair game."
Netminders are still off limits to contact no matter how far they stray from their nets. But should it be that way? Opinions are divided on the topic.
"I would not want it to be legal to run a goalie over," Bruins center David Krejci said. "But a little contact? It makes you look bad if the goalie is out of his crease and is playing the puck and you just have to swing away from him. He just makes the pass when you swing away and it makes you look bad. Then you get in trouble from your coach.
"If they want to play the puck outside the crease, then we should be able to do something about it," Krejci added. "Obviously not run him over, but make a little contact like Looch did."
It can be argued how "little" the contact between Lucic and Miller was. Lucic did receive a charging minor, and deservedly so, as he sent Miller flying from the violent crash. Despite the hyperbole coming out of Buffalo, no one in the league is advocating making it "open season" on goaltenders. The question is whether they should be subject to the same rules as the other skaters on the ice when they come out of the crease to play the puck.
That means legal hitting and checking, with the same protection from charging, boarding, high-sticking or any other illegal act that other players get. Krejci is in favor of changing that, but his boss doesn't want to see changes to the current rules that force opposing players having to make every effort to avoid contact with the netminder no matter where he is on the ice.
"I don't think they should be hit, absolutely not," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "But there's a difference between a hit and a collision and that's always going to be a gray area in everybody's minds. Some people are going to call certain things a hit, some people are going to call it a collision.
"As far as I'm concerned, as a coach, I'll abide to any rule they want to put in there," Julien added. "If they say you can't touch them at all, then that's it, you can't touch them at all. If they keep the rule the way it is, then let's keep the rule the way it is. And I know for a fact that if Milan had intended on hitting [Miller], he would have never got up. We all know how hard he hits. That speaks for itself."
How about letting the goalies speak for themselves? There are reasons to give the goalies special consideration, as there are differences between skaters and goalies, even when the netminders turn into de facto third defensemen by coming out to play the puck. Goalies are wearing heavier equipment, which can offer extra protection but also limits mobility and the ability to avoid a hit. Goalies are also not accustomed to being hit, which can make the collisions that do happen more dangerous.
"Me and Timmy [Thomas] were actually talking about it," Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said. "A lot of times, especially me and him, we're not the best puck handlers in the league, so you focus on the puck not bouncing that much and trying to make the right play. A lot of times you focus on that puck so much that you can't see people coming at you."
Rask still defended Lucic, though, noting that regardless of the rules, collisions are going to happen.
"As far as I'm concerned, the rules haven't changed, so still go by the same rules," Rask said. "Everybody knows that [Lucic hit] was just an accident. Everybody knows you don't try to take a goalie's head off or anything. Things happen in the game and it's just part of the game. Accidents happen.
"It happened to me a couple weeks ago in Montreal," Rask added. "I kind of dove and poked the puck. The guy didn't see me coming, so I could have hit him. What about if a goalie goes out and hits a guy, what happens then? It's a tough play. You've just got to be careful."
That is an added gray area to this controversy. While forwards have to take a hands-off approach to goalies, the netminders can get away with some shots of their own. Henrik Sedin found that out the hard way when Thomas blasted him at the top of the crease in one of the more memorable moments from last year's Stanley Cup Final.
"I guess it's every man for himself out there when it comes to that," Rask said. "When it comes to a race for the puck you've seen goalies try to take out guys out too."
But when it's every man for himself, shouldn't every player be subject to the same rules?
"I know you're not supposed to hit a goalie," Krejci said, "but if he's out of the crease and is playing the puck, I don't know if you're allowed to have contact or not, but I don't see why not. I'm sure there has to be a limit, but the NHL is going to make it clear what we're allowed and what we aren't allowed to do."
Right now, the rule is clear. Goalies are off limits, regardless of where they are on the ice. What's equally clear is that not everyone agrees with that.
