No Goal

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No goal is a call made by referees in various goal-scoring sports (football, hockey, etc.) to indicate that a goal has not been scored. It is commonly used to disallow an apparent goal, such as when the ball or puck has entered the net but should not count as a score due to some foul or infraction.

Because the decision often depends on a subjective assessment by the referee, and especially if the score might be critical, such calls can be hotly contested. For fans of one of the teams involved, it may thus refer to a goal that was actually disallowed, or one that in their opinion should have been disallowed, but was not.

[edit] Professional Hockey History

In Buffalo, New York, the phrase is associated with a controversial goal scored by Brett Hull in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals. When Hull scored, his foot was in the crease but the puck was not. During the middle of the season, the NHL sent out a memo clarifying the "skate in the crease" rule that allowed goals in instances where the goalscorer established possession of the puck prior to entering the crease. On this infamous play, Hull kicked the puck with his left skate (while still outside of the crease) into a shooting position. Because of that action, he became the possessor of the puck prior to his skate entering the crease, which the NHL claims made the goal legitimate. Others have pointed out that similar plays were called differently during the regular season, and that the explanation the NHL has offered is little more than spin to try to avoid admitting a mistake was made.