During their annual meeting, the NHL’s general managers recommended that the Situation Room should resolve all goaltender interference challenges.

Before that change could be implemented, the NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee needed to approve the rule change. On Wednesday, that approval happened.

The criteria for judging goaltender interference remains unchanged. However, amendments have been made to Rule 78.7 (ii) Coach’s Challenge – Goaltender Interference, and will be implemented as of Wednesday, March 28.

You can read the updated rule – with changes in bold – below.

(ii) Scoring Plays Involving Potential “Interference on the Goalkeeper”

(c) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal should have been disallowed due to “Interference on the Goalkeeper,” as described in Rules 69.1, 69.3 and 69.4.

(d) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “NO GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal on the ice should have been allowed because either: (i) there was no actual contact of any kind initiated by the attacking Player with the goalkeeper; or (ii) the attacking Player was pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending Player causing the attacking Player to come into contact with the goalkeeper; or (iii) the attacking Player’s positioning within the crease did not impair the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal and, in fact, had no discernible impact on the play.