Hitting The Post

It's about time we clarify what hitting the post in hockey and soccer means.

I'm sick of sportscasters saying "he beats the goalie but can't beat the post".

Stop right there. How exactly is the goalie beat if the puck or ball didn't go in the net? I'm pretty sure that a goalie standing in front of the net on the angle that they do reduces the amount of net the shooter can shoot at, therefore eliminating much of the scoring space available. This is why the shooter had to aim towards the outer part of the net, which often results in hitting the post if not missing completely. Does this not mean the goalie did his job by covering most of the net and forcing the shooter to shoot at the part of the net that is more difficult to score in?

Let's say the shooter shoots and the puck or ball misses the post by 1 mm. Was the goalie still beat? Let's say it's not 1 mm and actually grazes the post. Suddenly now the goalie is beat?

If the shooter did not score, THE GOALIE WAS NOT BEAT!

End of discussion.