Question: can a goalie play the puck outside the trapezoid

Answer: No, New since the 2005--06 NHL season, after testing in the American Hockey League, a trapezoid is marked behind each goalie net. The goalie can only play the puck within that area or in front of the goal line. If he plays the puck behind the goal line and not in the trapezoid, a 2-minute minor penalty for delay of game will be assessed by the referees. This rule is widely referred to as the ``Brodeur rule'', after New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, whose puckhandling behind the net is believed to be the cause for the rule. In 2014, the NHL lengthened the goal-line side of the trapezoid by two feet on both sides of the net.