The Ducks And Oilers' OT Goal Controversy Was Preventable

"You've got this play on the ice, that we're now in zoomed-in, slow-motion stop time, still not entirely sure that it crossed the line, but apparently, they knew it was in on the ice," Dubnyk added. "That's outrageous. You have one referee that's even slightly in position to see, which he's not, and he's not out of position, but he's just not in a place that you'd ever be able to know if that puck's in the net."

The Real Problem Wasn’t The Puck in Oilers’ OT Loss to Ducks

The Real Problem Wasn’t The Puck in Oilers’ OT Loss to Ducks Overtime and video review rules led to a controversial Game 4 loss for the Oilers. The real frustration? How officials made the call without clear proof, not the puck's location.

This is where puck-tracking technology would've saved everyone their time and grievances.

Each puck has an infrared emitter, and cameras can detect infrared signals from the pucks up to 60 times a second.

If you have the overhead camera inside the net detect the signals, or some kind of sensor below the goal line that detects whenever a puck fully crosses the goal line, we would have virtually indisputable evidence of whether a goal should count.

The debate wouldn't be about whether the referee should have called a goal on the ice. It wouldn't be about whether the puck actually crossed the line or not. All the subjectivity would be removed from the equation.

Now, NHL deputy commissioner told Sportsnet's The Fan Pre-Game show on Monday the league is working on that reliable technology, but it would be difficult to implement.

"It is difficult to have a definitive technology that sees through all that traffic, even in the form of something embedded in the puck," Daly said. "We haven't found a fail-proof technology yet."

He also said he doesn't think it's a burning issue among NHL teams. But clearly, Sunday night showed it can make the difference between an overtime-winner and a save. So even if there is something that's not 100 percent accurate right away but gives a much, much better review of the play, then we're getting somewhere.

We'll never completely remove the subjective nature of officiating the sport. But it's clear that technology can be a help and not a hindrance in hockey.

If we can track pucks for statistical clarity, we can also use that tech for officiating clarity. Surely Oilers fans would want that right about now for closure.

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