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League checks into disallowed goal

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO and SHARON GINN

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 13, 2000

PHOENIX -- The NHL has no rules regarding showing disputed or controversial calls on arena scoreboards, league spokesman Gary Meagher said Tuesday.

The statement came one day after the Pepsi Center scoreboard in Denver repeatedly, and clearly, showed Peter Forsberg's disallowed goal enter the top corner during the Avalanche's 2-2 tie with the Lightning.

"We have guidelines in terms of helping the team out," Meagher said. "We don't want stuff up there in terms of an officiating call or non-call that was clearly intended to incite the fans.

"This is a little different situation. This was something related to the video replay that was clearly aired on the game broadcast (shown on the scoreboard)."

The controversy arose 15:41 into the second period when Forsberg appeared to score short-handed to give Colorado a 2-1 lead. But referee Don Koharski waived off the goal, saying the puck hit the crossbar. Though the play was reviewed, the call stood.

That's when the boos came, and Colorado coach Bob Hartley became angry.

"I still don't understand how they didn't get that," Lightning coach Steve Ludzik said.

Neither does the NHL. Meagher said the league has no problem with Koharski, who called it as he saw it. And neither Meagher nor Ludzik would comment on what was perceived to be a makeup penalty call that almost immediately put Tampa Bay in a five-on-three short-handed situation and led to Ray Bourque's goal at 17:13.

But the league is worried about the missed call on the replay and is investigating.

"This is a different area and, frankly, it's one that doesn't happen very often where the video replay ends up being the wrong call," Meagher said.

TELEVISION UPDATE: For Sunshine Network vice president and general manager Jim Liberatore, getting the problems with the Lightning Hockey Network fixed has been like the process of choosing the president: "Every time we think we have it," he said, "we don't."

For now, the network, a grouping of 14 area cable stations that broadcasts games produced by Sunshine, remains in place. Midseason efforts to find a more reliable home for 10 remaining games failed, Liberatore said.

"We discussed pulling (the rest of) the games," Liberatore said. "But I'm not going to have the 80 to 90 percent of the people who haven't had problems not get the games."

Viewers in Hillsborough County were unable to see the Nov. 29 game and two-thirds of the Dec. 1 game because of equipment problems with the local Time Warner station. Other glitches, including audio problems, have surfaced with the network, which was created this season as a way to show 20 games in addition to the 50 shown on Sunshine.

Liberatore said while the problem in Hillsborough County apparently has been fixed -- viewers were able to watch Monday's game -- Sunshine will look for other options for next season.

ODDS AND ENDS: Dan Cloutier played just 20 seconds of the third period, replacing Dieter Kochan so the Lightning could get a timeout, but he was credited with the tie because he was in goal when Mike Johnson scored with 2:56 remaining. ... Defenseman Paul Mara (abdominal strain) was sent to Los Angeles to see team rehabilitation coordinator Craig Morris. Mara will miss Thursday's game against the Coyotes. The team will catch up with Mara when it plays Saturday against the Kings. ... Defenseman Andrei Zyuzin (concussion) is expected to play in Los Angeles.

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