Preseason hockey is a time for players and teams to get up to speed ahead of the new NHL season. Apparently that’s the case for the league’s officials too, who completely botched a call during a preseason game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, Jets defenseman Joe Morrow wristed a great shot over the shoulder of Wild goaltender Andrew Hammond. The shot clanked off the post and bounced along the line before hitting off the other post and coming out … and being ruled a goal, for some reason.
Even the Jets looked a little puzzled, as they tried to bang in the rebound while Morrow started to celebrate.
In typical fashion, the goal ended up being the winner as the Jets skated to a 2-1 win in the exhibition.
That’s a pretty bad missed call. Sure, it’s preseason and the War Room in Toronto probably isn’t being used as it would be during the regular season, but that’s a glaring miss. The overhead view clearly showed the puck staying out, so this wasn’t another example of the parallax angle coming into play as seen so often in hockey.
Hopefully the league’s officials step their game up when the games actually matter.
