No Penalties Yet for Goalies

The Mighty Ducks won’t be penalized if one of their goalies has illegal equipment the first time they’re checked under the much-ballyhooed NHL crackdown, General Manager Jack Ferreira has been told by NHL senior vice president Brian Burke.

That’s because the Ducks were one of four teams that did not receive a promised compliance check before Sunday, when the new penalties went into effect.

Violators caught with illegal equipment will receive a one-game suspension without pay, which amounts to a large fine and a serious handicap to the team.

Duck goalie Guy Hebert removed a piece of lettering from his pads trying to make sure they were within the 12-inch width limit, but remained concerned about them expanding when wet and was eager for confirmation from the NHL they were legal.

“You just want to know you’re measuring them correctly,” Hebert said.