Coyotes goalie Mike Smith blasts NHL concussion protocol rule

Mike Smith didn’t allow a single goal that counted in practice on Tuesday, but the Coyotes goalie was still hopping mad a day after being removed from Monday night’s game against the visiting Anaheim Ducks.

Shortly after stepping off the ice following a brisk workout at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Smith told azcentral sports that the NHL’s concussion protocol system needs an overhaul.

“I think there’s a lot of flaws in the system, especially with the goalie position, and it needs to get fixed,” Smith said, adding, “What stops a fourth liner from going and bumping into a goalie? It’s just a two-minute penalty to get your starting goalie out? I don’t think it’s happened in a playoff game yet, but I’m sure it will.”

At 4:29 of the third period, Smith was removed from the game under concussion protocol after Anaheim winger Jakob Silfverberg collided with Smith, knocking off the goalie’s mask. The determination was made by an NHL spotter watching the game from Toronto.

By rule, a player deemed to have possibly suffered a concussion must leave the ice, get undressed in a nearby room, and be examined by an independent physician. The testing can take several minutes and in this case, Smith wasn’t cleared until there were about 90 seconds left in the game.

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“When your helmet comes off in a game and you’re the goalie and the whistle hasn’t gotten blown, I think your first instinct is to probably protect your face,” Smith said, explaining what happened Monday night. “I think that was the reason why I did what I did and it has nothing to do with you being injured. It was more to protect myself before the whistle got blown. I didn’t agree with the call at all.

“Once the spotter says it’s a mandatory test, you have to come out of the game. I told our trainer I wasn’t going to come out and they informed the ref, but the ref’s not allowed to drop the puck until you leave the game.”

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Imagine, Smith said, if Monday night’s incident had occurred during a playoff game.

“That’s exactly what I’ve brought up many times,” he said. “It’s never gotten fixed. Like I said, it’s a flaw in the system. If that’s an important game and your starting goalie goes out of the game, what makes it say the goalie that goes into the game doesn’t get run over and he has to come out of the game?

“Now what do you do for a goalie?”

azcentral sports reached out to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly via email for a response and Daly, who is also the league’s chief legal officer, offered the following statement:

“Our Concussion Protocol as it applies to goalies in particular is something that has been debated and discussed over a number of years and in great detail. It is the view of our Concussion Subcommittee that our current Protocol reflects the best, safest and most sensible approach to what can be a difficult issue. For us, Player safety has to be of paramount importance. While the matters at issue will continue to be discussed regularly and we will always strive to improve the system, I do not anticipate a change in the Protocol for the balance of this season. The current Spotter System will continue for the balance of the Regular Season and Playoffs.”

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Coyotes captain Shane Doan, asked for his opinion of how and why Smith was removed from Monday night’s game, said it appeared to be clear to him that the goalie was fine.

“I understand they’re trying to protect us,” Doan said, “but I think there has to be at times a little common sense, too, in figuring out how to handle it a little bit more to the situation. We understand it’s just a game and we’ve got to protect our heads and that brain injuries are a problem, but common sense can also come into play a little bit. There’s got to be a way to balance that out.”

Doan, like Smith, also has an issue with the spotter being allowed to make such a significant decision while watching the game from 2,000 or more miles away.

“I think the people that are there, watching the game live, have probably a little bit better understanding than people who are watching it on TV,” Doan said. “You can tell by the way Smitty was rambling and talking that he was fine. But at the same time, we’re always going to say we’re fine. So you always have to have an outside person making that decision.”

Doan went on to suggest that if a player, specifically a goalie, gets cleared during the protocol testing period, that the team that loses the goalie should be awarded some type of restitution – say a four-minute power play, for instance.

“There has to be a way of repercussion,” he said, “that if it’s your goalie, they’ve got to give you a chance. I don’t care what it is, you’ve got to give something back. Something has to be done to make it fair.”

What Smith doesn’t think is particularly fair is how long it takes for doctors to administer the protocol test. If it means missing 13 to 15 minutes of a game and then having to wait out an intermission, it could be nearly 40 minutes before he’s able to return and by then, he’s cold and his body is tight.

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“I’m cleared, but now I’m coming back and now I’m more at risk of injury than before,” Smith said. “I got cleared with a minute and a half left in the game, so I just stayed in the training room. I wasn’t happy. It was a 3-1 hockey game at that point and, you know, we’re trying to build here and I felt like I was playing a pretty good game and any time you have to leave the game, you’re not happy about it.

“But that instance (Monday) was one that can’t happen. It’s just a frustrating time. It’s the most important time of the game and like I said, it’s just an important game when those points matter for a goalie. If it’s a playoff game, you can’t afford for your goalie to be missing 12 or 13 minutes of one of the most important games of the year.”

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett didn’t have an opinion on the subject when asked about it on Tuesday.

“The rule’s not going to change,” he said. “I’m just telling you, that rule, from what I’ve heard, the NHL is going about their business and they’re going to do everything in its power to make sure that player safety is top notch. They feel that’s the key step in it. They’re not going to put a player in jeopardy, players are going to have to recognize that, and that’s the way it’s going to go.”

Asked if he’s OK with the league still using a spotter watching on TV to make a determination, Tippett said it makes no difference.

“It doesn’t matter whether I’m OK with it not,” Tippett said. “That’s what the league has mandated.”

Note

A day after trading defenseman Michael Stone to the Flames for a third-round pick in 2017 and a conditional fifth-round pick next year, the Coyotes recalled defenseman Anthony DeAngelo from the Tucson Roadrunners for depth purposes. DeAngelo, 21, scored three goals and nine points in 20 games for the Coyotes earlier this season.

Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Wednesday night between 7-9 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.