Sure it wasnt Bryz with that softie? :D

Game 6 tomorrow, cant wait. I dont wish harm on anyone, but its getting close with 71 & 87. Crybaby cheapshot artists.

Marty with a costly brain fart in Florida

Anderson steals the game for the Sens. Rangers actually played there best playoff game to date but couldn't get one in. Backs are against the wall.

Hoping to be headed to a couple of game sevens after today, there is nothing like elimination hockey.

Went to the game Friday and pointed out to my wife to watch how much Crosby whined to the refs. She is a Penguin fan and even she was irritated by how often it occurs.

panthers put the devils on the golf course? hawks weasle back in it?..pens march back..wow ..game 7 at philly will be insane..

i don't think there's going to be one. and i'm hoping that the caps end their series today. i don't want them to have to go back to boston.

pens toast..

nuts

Tough loss

Another horribly officiated game but the Blueshirts are :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3b9g...e_gdata_player

In the end, it didn't matter - but how in the hell do they allow Ottawa's goal with 40 seconds left? :eek:

Gonna be an interesting wed night. Comes down to which netminder has the more stellar performance. (Obv lol)

An overhead replay CLEARLY shows the reason why Neil had to attempt to kick the puck into the net.... his STICK was in the Lundquist's mid-section pushing him out of the crease:zz:

Nice to see the honcho's manning the replay review were as clueless as the officials on the ice last night.

I didn't watch any of the post game, but the only thing I could think of was that it was't conclusive that Neil actually made contact and kicked the puck in ( they credited Spezza with the goal). Obviously I thought it was a garbage call.

Sure, it would have been nice if the referee's microphone worked when announcing it was a goal.
I expected a full explanation this morning SOMEWHERE, but as of now, nothing. We can only surmise because the imbecile on the ice called it a goal (totally ignoring Neil's actions both with stick and foot), the other imbeciles felt they needed "conclusive" evidence to overturn it. It sure as hell looked conclusive to me.

Hank wasn't particularly pleased. And Neil threatening Del Zotto after the game is both laughable and potentially suspension worthy (I can recall a guy named Avery being suspended for off ice comments).

What we didn't see (at least I didn't, because I was focused on Neil's nonsense) was Michalek KICKING Girardi during that scrum. Supposedly it will be reviewed, although based on what's gone on to this point, can't help but expect nothing to come of it.

A couple things on the second Ottawa goal:

1. Video replay can't go back and call a penalty that went uncalled by the officials on the ice. Similar to the missed holding calls on every single touchdown return Devon Hester and Dante Hall ever made in their NFL careers.

2. While it looked like Neil attempted to kick the puck in the net, I can't say for certain whether he did or not. Given that there wasn't video evidence that he absolutely did kick the puck in, the folks in Toronto had to let the goal stand.

I'm curious to hear thoughts on the Del Zotto-Neil hit. I thought it was a questionable one - more questionable than Neil-Boyle - but also similar to Torres-Seabrook from the 2011 playoffs that did not result in a suspension. Just my two, completely unbiased cents.

I thought it was very similar hit to the one Neil put on Boyle (which I really didn't have a problem with). If a guy has his head down, it's hard to avoid hitting it when making or finishing your check. Case in point the hits against Seabrook (last year), Boyle (game 5) and Neil last night. There was no action against Neil, so I'm not expecting Del Zotto to be getting any phone calls.

I agree to an extent, but I also had a problem with the Torres hit last year. Nailing a guy in the open ice with one's back (which is what Neil did - sort of a Kronwall type of play) is a lot different than a shoulder to a head. Just my opinion though, and I can certainly see it both ways.

I thought Del Zotto's hit was clean, it isn't his fault Neil was looking behind. I also think the goal was good because there was no proof that Neil actually touched it.

With all the concussion issues (still sucks that Marc Savard will never play again), I think any hit where the principle point of contact is the head should result in a penalty. There was a way for Del Zotto to hit Neil without making contact with his head.

raffie Torres hit was clean to. you come across the ice w your head down, you need to get dropped. This is the NHL playoffs folks, not squirt house league hockey

It's funny, watch the videos on Scott Stevens who is celebrated as one of the best checkers in league history. The majority of these hits would be suspension worthy these days. Many of them are blind-side hits to the head (where he leaves his feet).

Not the greatest quality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPBjt...eature=related

Oh, that Stevens hit on Lindros that basically ended the best part of Lindros's career would result in a suspension these days. I get the crackdown though, I really do.

I have no problem with the crackdown either. I do have trouble when players get penalized for big, clean hits. It's just unfortunate that the officating in the NHL rivals that of the WWE on many occasions.

Nail on the head there. Officiating in the playoffs tends to be tight in the first period, less tight in the second period, and completely non-existent in the third when a game is tight. All bets are off in the overtime. What's worse is the supplemental disciplinary process.

I'm not going to pretend I'm an un-biased observer, but I stand by what I wrote earlier.

I heard a former player speaking about the officiating today, and it goes back to the NHL wanting robots as officials, as opposed to the guys from the past, not all of whom were even particularly good refs, but at least they had a feel for the game, and knew when to crack down to keep control, and knew when to let the players play.

Don't forget, the guys from the past did the job all by themselves. Obviously it's easier for one guy to dictate the flow of the game. The flip side was the amount of stuff that was missed during these games.
Back then I really think it was an unwritten rule that the whistles were put away after the 5 minute mark of the 3rd period (especially in the playoffs).

Kerry Fraser and Don Koharski were probably the only two ref's I ever liked seeing walk onto the ice in playoff games.

Donutgate might be the best scandal in NHL history.

I'm not looking at the youtube link in the hopes that it can only be Jim Schoenfeld telling Koharsky to "have another doughnut, you fat pig."

:tro:

Why is there another famous Don Koharski moment that I'm missing? :rolleyes:

Well, the part where he sucked as a ref for his entire career? There's always that. Kerry Fraser or Bill Mccready he was not.

Not a fan of McCreary at all. Van Hellemond was pretty good for a while, then lived off that reputation for about 20 years of mediocre work.

No one better than the Big Whistle!!!!!!!!!

:tro:


we always cringed if he was calling a caps game.

Paul Devorski was also great...Paul Stewart, while not a great ref, always had a great feel for the game and was great at defusing a situation that was getting out of hand. Some of these knuckleheads now are useless.
That being said, I'll put the NHL officials up against any other sports league in terms of quality.

again i am not a hockey fan, but have enjoyed seeing the Blackbirds knocked out. Any chance the Yotes have a chance against Nashville.

Tough match up for the Coyotes. Actually a tough match up for anyone against the Preds. Rinne, IMO, is the best goalie in the league.