Bruce is that legal?

[Peter R]

can you use the stick like a shovel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vG3...layer_embedded

[Bruce]

Yes...Provided....

can you use the stick like a shovel...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vG3...layer_embedded

YES, IT IS LEGAL, if the offensive player who scored the goal did not
touch the puck above the level of the crossbar of the net. From what I could see, the player seemed to shovel the puck from about a foot below the crossbar. The crossbar is 4 feet above the ice.

It is common for an offensive player behind the net to bank the puck into the net off the goaltender.

If the offensive player puts the puck into the goal from a level above the crossbar of the net, the goal does not count. There is no penalty.

This usually happens when the puck pops into the air, and the offensive player chops the puck down into the net.

In the NHL, a goal scored when the offensive player may have touched the puck above the level of the crossbar can be reviewed on video.