This is why we can’t have nice things.

Sunday night, when the Edmonton Oilers took on the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, something happened that made everyone groan. And that’s the latest instance of asking, was the game-winning goal in overtime, a good goal or not?

Ryan Poehling’s Game Four winner just eked over the goal line and got lodged under Oilers’ goalie Tristan Jarry’s skate. After an initial moment of hesitation, the Referees ruled it a good goal. Of course, the Situation Room back in Toronto took a look and “confirmed” the on-ice call. 

However, by Monday morning, social media was ablaze with fans and media alike debating if the puck had actually fully crossed the goal line or not. You see, in The NHL, a goal only counts if 100% of the puck has crossed the line. Not 99% of the puck. 100%. There’s no room for subjectivity. The rule is crystal clear. 

The problem is that the view the officials had was not clear. Even the overhead camera was unable to deliver a clear picture of the puck fully crossing the line because Jarry’s skate was on top of it. 

This is why The League needs to hurry up and use its new Innovation Lab to develop and perfect the puck-tracking technology that will prevent these sorts of controversies from happening in the future.

The good news is that The League is already working on this technology. It cannot afford to have a skate – or a glove – get in the way of a clear and concrete visual that shows whether a puck has, or has not, fully crossed the goal line. 

Heck, forget the cameras. Put a motion-sensing laser inside the goal. Station it at the proper depth where, when the puck comes into contact with the laser, the red light goes off and we know for a fact that it’s a good goal. Program the motion-sensor so that it only activates when the puck goes past it, not a skate, or a stick, or a player’s body. There, problem solved.

Speaking of problems, what do you think is going through Connor McDavid’s mind right now? He could have become a Free Agent on July 1st and signed with any team he wanted. But no, he chose to extend with the Oilers for two more years, and they’re now one loss away from an embarrassing first-round exit against the young Ducks. 

The Oilers have gotten worse, not better, over the last three years. Their depth is all but gone. Their goaltending remains a massive problem, and the metaphorical noose that hangs around them is getting tighter with each passing year that they don’t win The Cup. 

As for the Ducks, this is a team that’s going to be very scary in a couple of years if they augment the roster and mature the way they are capable of. So too will the Utah Mammoth, who are doing much better against the Vegas Golden Knights than anyone expected them to. 

There’s a changing of the guard going on in the Western Conference, with Anaheim, Utah, the San Jose Sharks, and a couple of other young teams beginning to overtake the perennial playoff clubs. This goes for the Eastern Conference as well, where teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens are clearly on the ascent. 

As they say, sports are cyclical, and The NHL is beginning to witness another turn in its cycle.