NHL reverses decision Nathan MacKinnon's goalie interference penalty

UPDATE: The NHL has officially rescinded its Major penalty ruling on Nathan MacKinnon's controversial goalie interference call from Tuesday night. MacKinnon was assessed a 5 minute Major and a game misconduct penalty for running Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram in a controversial call. Had the NHL kept the call as a Major, it could have implications down the road for MacKinnon. That's because the NHL issues an automatic 1 game suspensions for players who incur a certain amount of Major penalties in a short period of time.

Honestly... that's wild. I can't ever remember the NHL doing something like this before. While I agree that the play did not warrant a Major penalty, I actually can't believe that the NHL has officially rescinded the call. You live and die by the call of the officials, in my opinion.

I can't help but think that Mackinnon, being a superstar and all, got some sort of special treatment here.

For our earlier report on MacKinnon's penalty, published by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin as events occured, read below.

A wild and controversial moment unfolded Tuesday night in Colorado involving Nathan MacKinnon and goalie Connor Ingram, leaving players, coaches, and fans debating one of the most disputed calls of the season.

During the second period of the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, MacKinnon crashed hard into Ingram in front of the net in what quickly turned into a chaotic sequence.

Officials did take time to review the collision, but assessed MacKinnon a five-minute major for goalie interference along with a game misconduct, immediately ejecting the Avalanche superstar from the game. Ingram was forced to leave the ice following the collision due to injury, and was replaced by Tristan Jarry.

The decision surprised many watching the play unfold.

On the sequence, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse appeared to inadvertently shove MacKinnon toward his own netminder, limiting the Avalanche star’s ability to avoid contact. Because of that, some expected the officials might downgrade the call to a minor penalty after review.

Instead, the major penalty stood.

While the collision looked brutal, many observers felt there was no clear malicious intent behind the play.

The controversy didn’t stop on the ice. After the game, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar was asked whether the officials provided a clear explanation for the major penalty. His response was blunt.

“No. Well, not a good one. The goalie is hurt, so it’s five? Again, I don’t really give a crap if their goalie is hurt. That’s on their D-man, not our guy.”

The play is already sparking heated debate online, with fans questioning whether the officials made the right call or whether the situation spiralled because of the shove from Nurse.

Either way, it was one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of the night, and the Avalanche went on to lose 4-3 to the visiting Oilers.