D-Man in Crease

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Rule 4.18.4 (p.47):  "No defensive player, other than a properly equipped goalkeeper, can enter his own crease with the perceived intent on blocking a shot or acting as a goalkeeper."

In case (A), when a defender who is inside the crease puts his stick in front of the goal mouth, he's done enough to convince me that he is intent on blocking a shot or acting as a goalkeeper.  Unless a shot is in progress, this is an immediate whistle and flag-down if the attacking team has possession; the defender will serve 30 seconds for a conduct foul if this is his team's first such offense, and 1 minute releasable for unsportsmanlike conduct if it is not their first such offense.  If a shot is in progress, it is an immediate flag-down, with the whistle sounded as soon as the shot terminates; penalty time is the same.  (If the shot results in a goal and the foul is only technical, the penalty is wiped out.)  If the ball is loose, it is an immediate whistle, with possession awarded to the attacking team.

Whether or not the goalie is in the crease has no effect:  this is a safety call to protect the defensive player who is not the goalkeeper.

Case (B) is more of a gray area -- we officials must somehow infer an intent, which is not always clear-cut.  But since I figure that the purpose of the rule is to protect the defensive player in spite of himself, I would claim that his presence in the crease signals his intent, no matter where his stick is, and protect him by calling it as I did in Case (A).  He is still very much at risk of being struck by a shot, without benefit of the special equipment worn by a goalkeeper.

A defensive player straddling the net also entails the gray area of intent.  Unless the player is crouched down below the goal frame, his helmet is still at risk of being struck by a shot that clears the crossbar by a foot or less.  He can also be struck anywhere by errant low-angle shots that miss the goal mouth, so he is even more at risk.  Once again, I'd err on the side of safety -- handle it the same as Case (A).

Because a foul could be involved, it matters which team has possession.  If the defensive team has possession, there is no call to be made.  If the ball is loose or in the possession of the offense, it is a foul (conduct or unsportsmanlike).  Loose-ball technical fouls result in an award of possession, and fouls committed by the defense with the offense in possession result in penalty time (unless the foul was technical and a goal was scored before the whistle).

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