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Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Hackett sore after open ice hit
MONTREAL (CP) -- Jeff Hackett was left wondering about respect between NHL players after being flattened while playing the puck in open ice.The Montreal Canadiens goaltender admitted Tuesday he miscalculated the rush near his own blue-line that led to a head-on collision with charging New York Islanders centre Steve Webb.
But there are supposed to be rules, written and unwritten, about running goaltenders.
"I didn't expect not to be hit, but stuff like that wouldn't have happened before like it does now," Hackett said of the hit in Monday night's 4-2 loss to the Islanders.
"It's respect for other players. I wasn't happy, but I left myself wide open. I've learned my lesson."
Hackett, who left the game after the hit at 7:31 of the second period, suffered a bruised left shoulder and back spasms. He will miss tonight's game against the Colorado Avalanche but may be ready for a game Saturday in Toronto.
Webb was not penalized, but Canadiens forward Scott Thornton got two minutes for roughing him up after the play.
"I don't know the guy who did it so I can't say if he's a dirty player," said Hackett. "But I didn't expect what happened to happen.
"The only benefit of the doubt I can give him is that maybe we both went to the boards to get out of the way. I'm not totally blaming him."
Webb said he only saw open ice ahead when he chased the puck into Montreal territory for what he thought would be a breakaway. The six foot, 210-pound centre said he wasn't able to change course when he saw Hackett at the last second.
"If he says he didn't see me, he's a liar," Hackett added icily. "I'm not a dirty player and I never felt you had to keep your stick or elbow up (when about to be hit). I guess I'm wrong."
Rule 78, Note 3, of the NHL rulebook says a goaltender who leaves the crease is not "fair game" and that only incidental contact is permitted if the attacking player makes a "reasonable effort" to avoid him.
But Canadiens coach Alain Vigneault found nothing wrong with Webb's hit.
"If the goaltender is out of his crease, you're not supposed to hit him, but if he's at the blue-line?" said Vigneault, who also saw no fault in Hackett's risky sortie.
"I'm not going to hack the Hack for a desperate attempt to make a great play," he added. "He's an aggressive player who was ready to sacrifice his body to make a play.
"We wish all our players were like that."
Hackett said he thought the puck was travelling faster than it was and that he'd have time to clear it. Once he committed himself to playing the puck, he couldn't retreat. He got to it just before Webb hit him.
Now, the Canadiens have added the team's most valuable player to their overcrowded clinic. They were already missing six veterans to injury or illness.
Jose Theodore, who replaced Hackett, is to start tonight and Mathieu Garon will be recalled from Quebec to back him up.
"It's a big challenge for me," said Theodore.
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