After the Stanley Cup Final game on Wednesday night, Jon Cooper held a news conference in which he questioned the legality of Colorado's game-winning goal in overtime.
Cooper talked about his love of the NHL and his team's journey to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles before he focused on Kadri's overtime goal that gave the Avs a 3-1 lead in the series.
It's going to sting more than others because it was taking on. It's difficult for me. It will be difficult for me to speak. I will have to say something. He said he would talk to you tomorrow. When you see the winning goal, you'll see what I'm talking about. I feel bad for the players. We probably should play.
Cooper took a break after a single question.
There was speculation after the game that the Bolts thought the Avs had six players on the ice. There were camera angles that showed six Colorado skaters on the ice as Kadri collected a pass, went into the zone and beat Vasilevskiy for the winning goal.
The issue was whether Nathan MacKinnon was close enough to the bench to be considered a retired player when his teammate jumped on the ice. Skaters have to be close to the bench and out of the play before a change can be made.
The NHL Hockey Operations said that a too many men on the ice penalty is a judgement call that can be made by any of the four on-ice officials. Hockey operations met with the officials after the game. Each of the four officials advised that they didn't see a lot of men on the ice for the winning goal.
There are too many men on the ice who are not reviewable.
The NHL gave out a scoresheet to the media that had six skaters listed for the Avs on Kadri's game winner, and then edited it to list five other skaters online.
According to the NHL, players jumping off the bench in celebration of Kadri's goal may have ended up on the initial score.
Kadri was confused by Cooper's gripe.
I don't know what he was thinking and why it shouldn't have counted. Kadri played in his first game of the series after having thumb surgery. The puck hit the back of the net, so not sure why he said that.
The news conference began with Cooper talking about his team's fast start and then moving on to criticize the NHL's salary cap system.
I really like this league. The league is the best in the world. The people that run it are great. All about it. He said it was like a dream come true because he was a Canadian child.
I have been a part of some heartbreaking losses and defeats to the teams that took us out, and have been with a group that just fights, fights and fights. They made it to a third Stanley Cup final. The rules are put against you because of the league's desire for parity. It's great about the league. It is more difficult because of that. Don't forget to watch this team, what they've gone through, and the battles they've fought. We are all in this. Everyone, including players, coaches, refs, and everyone else.
There is a fifth game in Denver. The teams with a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven have an all-time series record of , including a 2-1 record in the Stanley Cup Final.