Kick it!

The GMs had their meeting down in sunny Florida, and they walked away having made a couple of changes. One, a pretty big one, will take effect immediately.

No, the nets are not getting bigger. We're not going to see Esurance ads on player sweaters. We're going to see a drastic change to the rules about kicked-in goals.

We all know that a goal will be disallowed if there is a "distinct kicking motion" which propels it into the net. Rule 39.4 (iv), relating to video review, reads:

Puck directed or batted into the net by a hand or foot. With the use of
a foot/skate, was a distinct kicking motion evident? If so, the apparent
goal must be disallowed. A DISTINCT KICKING MOTION is one
which, with a pendulum motion, the player propels the puck with his
skate into the net. If the Video Goal Judge determines that it was put
into the net by an attacking player using a distinct kicking motion, it
must be ruled NO GOAL. This would also be true even if the puck,
after being kicked, deflects off any other player of either team and
then into the net. This is still NO GOAL

Rule 49.2 says pretty much exactly the same thing, but says that a puck that is first kicked, then touches any player's stick shall be ruled a good goal.

Anyway, this rule will be changed. From now on, a puck CAN be kicked into the net. According to Luke Decock's article:

As long as the player's skate remains on the ice, he can turn his skate or even slide his skate to redirect the puck. That guideline replaces the "distinct kicking motion" previously used for rulings.

Basically, this means that we will see fewer disallowed goals. Whereas now, the officials look for knee flexion and foot thrust to determine "distinct kicking motion", they'll now look to see only if the skate is on the ice. On the ice, good. Off the ice, no good.

I don't understand why the rule is being changed during the season. I guess the War Room is getting tired of getting calls about kicked-in goals.