Sens goalie calls for crackdown on crease crashers

Craig Anderson would like everybody to stay out of his house. He’s frustrated and he just can’t take it anymore.

As the Ottawa Senators prepared to close out their schedule leading into a nine-game break, on Tuesday night at home against the Arizona Coyotes, the club’s top goaltender, back after missing 11 games with a concussion, told reporters after Monday’s skate he’s sick and tired of crease crashing.

And, he’d like to see the NHL’s general managers take action because goalies are getting hurt because they aren’t getting being protected by the league.

“Make the crease six inches smaller, and if a guy goes in the crease, then blow it down,” Anderson said.

“You won’t have guys running into the goalie. (Bruins goalie) Tuukka Rask is out with a concussion right now because a guy went to the net. I missed time because a guy went to the net hard.

“There are lots of other situations where guys are going to the net and it’s hard. If a goalie is in his crease, and a guy enters his crease, then blow it down.”

Rask was injured Saturday against the New York Rangers when Filip Chytil collided with him going to the net. Yes, Boston defenceman Charlie McAvoy’s hit on Chytil may have caused him to crash into Rask with more force, but a collision was likely to happen, one way or another.

Anderson was hurt on Dec. 21 against the New Jersey Devils when he was run over by Miles Wood in the first period.

Sure, Anderson had been banged around a couple of times that day, but he feels if there’s a rule to keep players out of the crease then maybe the concussion doesn’t happen.

This is a subject the 37-year-old Anderson has always felt strong about because he doesn’t feel the goalies get the kind of protection that’s afforded to some of the other star players in the league.

He believes part of the reason crease calls aren’t made is the NHL’s determination to increase scoring on a yearly basis.

Anderson said if there are 100 less goals scored in the league because of the crackdown, that’s not a huge difference.

“You wouldn’t see Sidney Crosby getting run over, you wouldn’t see the best players making $7, $8 or $9 million a year, you wouldn’t see those guys getting run over,” said a frustrated Anderson.

“What’s different about a $7-, $8or $9-million goalie?

“That’s one of the core components of your team and a guy who plays 60 games, and you’re putting him at risk because you want more scoring?

“I mean, now you’ve kind of touched a nerve here, but it’s one of those things where you can see when teams don’t have their starting goaltender, you play .500 or worse.”

Anderson hasn’t discussed the issue with Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion. He doesn’t want to sound like he’s whining.

But Anderson is the NHL’s second longest-serving goalie behind Florida’s Roberto Luongo, and his opinion matters. bgarrioch@postmedia.com Twitter: @sungarrioch