The NHL Hates Toronto, Too
From [Empty Netters]
Last night in Carolina, another talented group of NHL officials displayed their incredible skill:
Finally, clear evidence that the NHL hates Toronto.
Either that, or Gary Bettman desperately wants the Carolina Hurricanes to succeed.
NHL officiating is an inconsistent joke.
From "even up" calls to refusing to suspend superstars to the "intent to blow the whistle" rule, NHL refereeing is poor at best.
It's not because the league is out to get any particular franchise or because Gary Bettman favors any one team.
It's just poor. Across the board. And that's sad.
Note: This does not apply to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
We all know that Gary Bettman has been rigging the entire league for years to make sure Sidney Crosby raises the Cup as often as possible.
Of course, it sucks when a bad call hurts your team.
It hurt Buffalo fans in 1999, it hurt Red Wings fans on Wednesday and it hurt Leaf fans yesterday.
We've even heard that a referee may have made a bad call before Gary Bettman came to the NHL.
But that's not the point.
It doesn't matter when it happens or how it happens or what team it happens against.
What matters is that it happens.
Of course, referees are human and it's understandable that they make mistakes.
Often times the referee can't see the puck, or he doesn't have the right angle on a penalty call.
It's unfortunate, but it's understandable.
Sometimes the difference between a goal counting and a goal being disallowed is a fraction of a second and referees need to make the right call quickly. And sometimes they make mistakes.
That's not to say it's right, though.
The NHL should be doing whatever it can to improve the quality of their referees so that they make the right calls more often.
However, bad judgment calls are not the only issue with officiating in the NHL.
Things like "make up calls" are conscious decisions made by referees.
They're not calls made in the heat of a fast-paced game.
They're not the result of being out of position or having a puck lost in a crowd.
NHL referees, in almost every game, try to "even up" penalty calls.
It's gotten to the point where it's expected.
How many times have you heard a coach or GM complain that one team received more penalties than the other?
The NHL has established the fact that both teams will have a similar number of chances on the power play and, when they don't, the referees will do their best to even things up.
It's ridiculous and it's essentially an NHL standard now.
Those calls are not caused by an incorrect decision made in a split second.
They are caused by an ingrained mentality among NHL referees.
A mentality that should change.
Anyway, after the jump, NHL.com talked to Ray Shero about the Penguins' depth.
Let's Fight Over A $200 Stick
Via every hockey blog on the internet this morning.
Scott Niedermayer throws his stick over the boards to a fan. And well it is not pretty.
[Puck Daddy] has this video which we agree shows some big time punches being thrown.
Have to score the fight for the dude in the flannel shirt.
No idea why he was that angry.
Go Pens
P.S. If you are wondering why we aren't talking about the Pens. We're not concerned.
Any analysis anyone could do is immediately rendered gay because of injuries.
So suck it.
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Oof. PENS LOSE.
We swear. We were ready to end our little hissy fit and recap a game.
Not this one.
Not like this.
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GAMEDAY 22 - SENATORS
7:30 PM
Scotiabank Place
Listen to the game at [WXDX]
If you have any questions for Mike Lange, Phil Bourque or Bob Grove join the Penguins Radio Network Facebook page.
You can submit questions via the discussion tab for the Crash the Net segments or Penguins Hotline after the game.
Of course, the big news is that Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot are returning tonight.
Of course, it's impossible to have all good news on the injury front.
Mark Eaton, the one defenseman that has played every game this season, missed the morning skate and will be a game-time decision.
Dan Bylsman "remains optimistic" that Eaton will play, despite him having back spasms.
Citizen's Voice has some interesting stats regarding the Pens defense.
If Eaton doesn't play, he will be replaced by Chris Lee (who was called up from WBS.)
That means the Penguins will dress four defensemen that have a combined total of 22 games of NHL experience between them.
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Detroit Got Nothing On The Republic Of Ireland
The NHL has had some major blown calls, including this one last night in the Wings/Dallas game.
From the Chief of Pants at [Abel to Joke]
That was such an obvious miscarriage, such a clear, blistering prison washroom assault of a call...that it’s almost impossible to believe Toronto missed it. If they didn’t, if they overturned it, could LaRue have simply ignored them out of sheer embarrassment? Not likely, but something idiotic happened.
And nothing will be done. Nothing. LaRue, of course, is one of Gary’s best. A ref in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, so you know he has to be good, right?
I’m wondering what the reaction to this will be from the MSM and blogging “elite”. I’m wondering who has the nad to call this exactly what it is...another example of a travesty by the most inept professional sports league in North America.
Oh. That’s right. It’s just another Wing fan and a conspiracy theory, right? Ok. Go with that if you want, but I’d suggest you watch this joke real close before stepping out on that branch.
It’s no conspiracy. It’s reality and we all just accept it. We, all hockey fans, just bend over and accept it. We accept the worst officiating in sports. We accept a crooked, incompetent commissioner. We just take it because we love hockey and we love our teams.
It’s time somebody stood up for the fan. The guy to do that may be the guy who hung up the skates yesterday. He’ll never be a commissioner, but he can definitely be a voice to be reckoned with.
It’s sickening and embarrassing what we’ll put up with. If you’re a fan of the NHL, you’re nothing more than an idiot pawn. And I’m right there with you.
A lot of emotion from the Chief. We could imagine ourselves being pissed off beyond belief, too.
Thank God Crosby pays off the refs so this doesn't happen.
Lost in all the Chief's ranting is that the Wings were down 2-1, so who is to even say they would have won the game?
Just saying, over the course of an 82-game season, things even out.
Soccer fans in Ireland wish they could say that.
As sports fans, we enjoy soccer's World Cup. It is compelling.
Late last night in a win-or-go-home qualifying match between France and Ireland,
maybe one of the worst calls in the history of sports occurred. [YAHOO]
To set the stage...
The game was in Paris. It was in extra time. Ireland was stunning the world.
They needed to win to get to the World Cup. France only needed a draw.
We're not even Irish, and that hurts.
They are calling it the "Le Hand Of God Goal," which is a tribute to the "Hand of God Goal."
Unreal.
Go Pens.
Sidney Crosby is Better Than You
Sidney Crosby carried the Olympic Torch in his home province of Nova Scotia today.
Empty Netters has some pictures.
Also, this was mentioned in cblog earlier today, but it's worth posting here.
Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated wrote an article on why Sidney Crosby should be named Sportsman of the Year.
It Never Ends
Jay McKee is out for two-to-four weeks.
Head coach Dan Bylsma announced after practice Wednesday that defenseman Jay McKee will be sidelined the next two-to-four weeks with a finger infection.
"Jay McKee has an infection in his finger and he needed to get that cleaned up and it’s going to be two-to-four weeks," Bylsma said.
It's now official.
Mark Eaton is the only healthy defenseman that played in the home opener.
We have entered bizarro world.
There is some good news, however:
"Brooks is progressing along, but not ready for (Thursday) night we think," Bylsma said. "Both Brooks and Gonchar are moving along in the right direction, so hopefully we get one of those guys back for (Thursday’s) game. It’s possible and we can call someone up if need be."
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They Never Learn
Dan Steinberg is up to his old tricks again on his B(L)OG.
By all accounts, Steinberg is a good enough guy.
But he's from Washington, so he's a joke.
Recently he put his love affair with everything Redskins on hold
to post something about Penguin fans.
Basically, he posted a bunch of Blingees
that were being posted at LGP.
He neglected to post this one, for some reason.
Steinberg says:
(True story: I saw someone mention how the top two teams in the Eastern Conference were playing Saturday night, and I suddenly thought maybe I had missed the fact that the Caps were playing the Pens. Nope. The Caps are playing the Devils. I guess this is why the Pens need the sparkles.)
Tip to Steinberg...
Before you jump to conclusions that the Pens and Caps are playing, you should wait for someone to mention that, "the defending Stanley Cup champions are coming to town, " or ,"Hey, Dan, there's a rematch of the Eastern Conference Semifinals tonight. Hopefully the Caps show up this time."
