The author of the article acknowledges that “more often than not... the whistle [for obstruction of free space] blows while the shot is in the air.” If that’s the case, does blowing the whistle really reduce a defender’s risk of injury to any meaningful extent? Wouldn’t it improve the game, without significant risk to the safety of defenders, to have the officials hold their whistle, to encourage them to call dangerous propelling if a shot is taken when a defender is obstructing the free space to goal, and to allow a goal to count if the shot is taken when the defender is no longer obstructing the free space to goal?
