Because hockey is so fast and so tough, it spawns more controversy than any other major sport.
This was evident after the last Rangers home game in which Vegas beat the Blueshirts late in the overtime period on a breakaway by Golden Knights center Jack Eichel.
No sooner had the red goal light flashed then the following arguments emerged:
1. THE GOALIE: Should Jonathan Quick have stopped Eichel's point blank backhander?
2. RANGERS DEFENDERS: How did the three New York defenders fail to stop the Vegas' breakout? And which one was the real culprit?
3. OFFICIATING: Did the referee' double-minor call late in the third period lead to the Rangers eventually demise?
Each question inspired differing opinions on all three issues and to put an end to all the feudin' a fussin' and a fightin' over these issues, I hereby turn the column over to author, goalie Jerry Hack, co-star with The Maven and moderator Alena Sychova on the hit podcast "Bottle Rocket."
Jerry Hack: "Ask any goalie – like me, for instance – about Nathan MacKinnon's shot and I'll tell you this: The backhand is the toughest shot to stop simply because there's no way to read where the shot is going – up, down, left, right, five-hole.
"All options are open. When a player of MacKinnon's skill is eight feet away and roofs one over your shoulder, it may appear to be a 'bad' goal. Trust me, it is not. On the forehand you can read most guys like a book. Shesterkin's ability for this is almost unmatched."
Hack, like Pal Jess Rubenstein, wonders why the true culprits – the trio of Blueshirts on the ice – were not more helpful, especially #17, defenseman Will Borgen.
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"What the heck was Borgen doing?" Hack wonders. "He had MacKinnon defended perfectly and then just about augers himself into the ice trying to block a pass. That allowed the NHL's leading scorer free access to a prime scoring area.
"Look closely at the goal and you'll see MacKinnon is about eight or nine feet from Shesterkin when he lets the shot go. It goes straight over the goalie's shoulder and under the crossbar.
While it may look like a bad goal to some, but not if you ask a goalie like me.
"Borgen is the one to blame here!"
And so he is; but NOT the referees. The sides were three-on-three – that's EVEN – when Eichel scored. Case closed!