I’m sitting here watching the LA Kings play the Colorado Avalanche. There have been several occasions now when the Colorado Goalkeeper, Roy, will leave the crease to redirect the puck to one of his team-mates. On these occasions, he’ll actually be quite far from the goal and it would be quite possible for a Kings player to check him against the boards. Yet they don’t.
My question is: Is there a written or unwritten rule against checking the Goalkeeper? It would seem like a good strategy to check Roy’s ass against the boards and lay him out on the ice. During those seconds, the goal would be open. Why doesn’t this happen very often?
Checking the goalie is legal when he’s outside the crease, but most of the time they are considered off limits. If someone is messing with the goalie, one of his teammates will retaliate. A game usually has to be really nasty before the goalies start getting checked.
You can’t check a player unless he is in the play - has the puck, is going for the puck, or just released it and you don’t have time to keep your momentum from hitting him (finishing the check). If Roy sits around outside his net, trying to stick handle, then he’s fair game. But once he clears the puck, he’s not in the play and you can be called for interference, charging, etc for running him, just like any other player away from the play.
For the most part, you can’t even the check goalie when he’s out of the crease. The referee will almost always call goaltender interference on the play.
The goaltender is protected as long as he is in his own end of the ice.