Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford was one of four NHL general managers named to a new working group that will study goaltending equipment, along with Doug Riseborough of Minnesota, Garth Snow of the Islanders and Brett Hull of the Stars.
(These names have been floating around for a few weeks now, but as of today it's official.)
Martin Brodeur, Ryan Miller, Rick DiPietro, Mike Cammalleri and Dany Heatley will represent the NHLPA.
From the release:
The Goalie Equipment Working Group will meet on June 11, 2008 in Toronto to examine the configuration and dimensions of goaltender equipment with respect to safety and performance. If the working group decides alterations to the rules governing goaltender equipment are warranted, and will not jeopardize the safety of the goalies, these recommendations will be forwarded to the Competition Committee for consideration.
“The NHLPA’s membership supports reviewing modifications to goaltender equipment provided the safety and protection of goalies is not compromised,” said NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly. “These five players, together with the general managers, will each bring a unique perspective to the goalie working group, and we anticipate that following the meeting there will be recommendations for the Competition Committee to review.”
“As we discussed with the Players' Association, player safety and competitive fairness are paramount whenever you're contemplating any change to the game," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "By assembling this great group of former and current players to review goalie equipment, I'm confident we'll have the right recommendations to move forward both from a competitive and protective level."
In other words, how do we get these guys to look less like the Michelin Man? (And Garth Snow should know...)
N&O
sports writer Luke DeCock tracks the Carolina Hurricanes.
