This whole obstruction thing

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

Living down here near Tampa, hockey is surprisingly a hot topic most afternoons on the radio waves. I always listen to Steve Duemig from 3-7, and he finally got into talking about the Finals in the 3rd hour. Amazingly, he goes on a rant about Detroit sucking the life out of this series, how we've failed the NHLs hope of a great Finals and Sid being featured, agreeing with Michelle BSerrien about "obstruction" and how Detroit's reverted to the dead puck style we all hated.

Of course, I called in. I made it pretty simple: It's kind of difficult to accuse the Redwings of obstruction when they haven't let the puck go the entire series. And really, after Nashville, Colorado, and a very good Dallas team went by the wayside without a peep about us obstructing - you're suddenly going to accuse us now because Pitt is getting its ass handed to them against a superior Western Conference team? Accusing the Red Wings of playing like those Devils teams is an insult - and another excuse for why Pitt has sucked. How about the fact that we've assembled the best top 4 defense the NHL has seen in at least a decade? Pitt saw nothing to prepare them for this, and they're going to have to regroup to make anything of this series. As for Detroit shattering all the hopes and dreams of a great finals....sorry, I couldn't have scripted it any better. My condolences to all the average Joes who thought they were watching two goliaths play. There can only be one, kids.

WE ARE THE HIGHLANDER!

[Z and D for the C 712]

More people who don't like the Wings because we're just too good.

[Echolalia 2,961]

how did the dj's respond to this

[VM1138 1,921]

Frankly, the obstruction crap is a fraud.

Why bring it up now, in the Finals, and not earlier?

And the dead puck? I'm sorry, what is dead about having one team play keep away and CONSTANTLY moving the puck? I can see how it's not fun for the losing sides' fans, sort of like how the Superbowl always sucks because of a blowout. I can understand frustration that the series is not that even yet.

But this is not the Wings fault. Everyone acts like they're supposed to play down to the level of Pittsburgh and let them back in.

[BlueMonk 102]

Does anyone else think it's hilarious that this obstruction tag is being hung on the Wings? 4 or 5 years ago, it was the obstruction teams that stopped Detroit from scoring goals in the playoffs. Wings fans lamented how teams like the Ducks and Flames had defenders climbing on the backs of the Red Wings and mugging them out of the playoffs. The Wings were the high flying team that deserved to score more but couldn't because the hooking and holding was robbing them of a chance at the Cup.

Now, here they are, finally going deep into the playoffs, and... they're the ones now being accused of obstruction.

Irony.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

[cirov19 1]

"Sure we'll give Pittsburgh the puck for you so you are satisfied watching 'alive' hockey."

[savaking72 0]

If there was obstruction going on against the Wings it would be called. The Wings are the team that's on the NHL's s*** list. While Crosby is the NHL's golden child. If the Wings were doing anything illegal then it would be called. Notice the non call on Robert's hit to the head Franzen. If anyone should be yelling it's the Wings. The Pens are just sore because they don't have an answer to the Wings. Notice Crosby's bitchfest to the refs in the 3rd of game 2 (when he was on the bench). They will try anything just to get on the powerplay. Lose with some dignity. Don't go out like a whiny little school girl with a skinned knee.

[seeinred 1,488]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

Playing hockey would only make you realize how bad it sucks to be obstructed all game long, not see it any better out there. If you're not seeing any by the Wings, then your definition is just fine

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

how did the dj's respond to this

We both spoke candidly, but it really wasn't getting anywhere. He kept inadvertently praising us by talking about Pitts's inability to score and how bad Malkin has been, but he kept bringing up the fact that Detroit clogged things in the neutral zone blah blah. "We're boring. yuck blah blah" Can't really convince a radio host to take Pitts' cock out of his mouth in 3 minutes. I'm 60% sure he hasn't watched the games, because game 1 was very spirited until the floodgates opened in the 3rd, and the other night was just methodical domination after we jumping out to an early lead.

After I hung up he talked about how the NHL needed a team back like the 2004 Lightning, who "skated up and down". Yeah, THOSE great days. Where Marty St Louis won the frikken Hart and Ross with 94 points or something(And I believe Lang was 5th with 79...79!!!!), and the average score of a game was 2-1. Spare me. 2004 was the apex of the deadpuck era.

[NHLrules? 32]

And they played the Flameouts.

They didnt clutch grab that year? LOL

[MississippiWing 14]

see when i was in DC myself and a gentlemen on the metro go into a discussion about this as I had my wings hat on. He was asking how I could be from Mississippi and be a Wings fan. He said I was an obvious victim of the "Ted Turner Syndrome". He said they reason everyone hates the Wings is they get more tv games than any other teams. He said the same thing happened to the Atlanta Braves in the 90's. They were an okay team that always made the playoffs, but had the most fans of any team not named the Yankees. Said it was because every game they had was on at least 1 channel if not 2. With that my stop came. I calmly walked away told him Crosby is still a diving little ***** and has a trash stache and have fun losing your only shot at a Stanley Cup.

[RedWingAbner 13]

Duemig is a moron. I live in Tampa too.

In November, he said that Tampa (the Lightning) was the best team in the Eastern Conference and strong Cup contenders. I guess Cup Contenders finish 30th in the league. The only reason the bolts weren't lower is there aren't more teams.

I e-mailed him and we got into an argument about how he thought Johan Holmqvist was the next Dominik Hasek. Literally. He used Hasek as an example and tried to tell me that Holmqvist was the next big thing. I guess big things get traded to Dallas and ride the pine pony.

I stopped taking anything he said seriously after that.

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

Obstruction shall be defined as any tactic by a player who attempts to or who restrains an opponent who is not in possession of the puck, or who physically prevents an opponent from moving freely in the direction he wishes to go. The term 'obstruction' shall be used coupled with the appropriate foul (holding, hooking, interference, tripping) when the obstruction offense occurs in the neutral zone."

Basically, playing the man when he doesn't have the puck. It was brutal watching games in the late 90s and before the lockout. Players literally wiped out guys who were trying to jump into the rush without any repricussions. If you dumped it in, you'd just get clutched and grabbed and the forecheck would be over.

I have seen none of that from Detroit. I've seen a lock in the neutral zone, but that's body positioning and skating. When Detroit starts to knock guys around who aren't near the play, than accusing us of obstruction might hold water.

[#19forPresident! 1]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

To add to what Probert 5 for Fighting has already said, obstruction is usually seen when a defending player hits a man without possession, is outclassed in speed or ability and they use their stick, hands, or some other means besides their body to take the opposing player off the puck.

As someone else simply put it on another forum when the rule changes were made, pretty much anything besides a check can be called interference or illegal "obstruction" at a ref's discretion, it just happens that the refs don't see anything wrong with our defense tactics to classify them as illegal and personally I agree with that assessment.

So the long and short of it is, Therrin is complaining about legal obstruction, aka defense, and his team's lack of ability to break ours down. It sounds like a him problem not an us problem to me, but the guy is frustrated and doesn't know what else to say so I guess he's hoping they will call penalties for playing defense from here on out.

Edited May 29, 2008 by #19forPresident!

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

Duemig is a moron. I live in Tampa too.

In November, he said that Tampa (the Lightning) was the best team in the Eastern Conference and strong Cup contenders. I guess Cup Contenders finish 30th in the league. The only reason the bolts weren't lower is there aren't more teams.

I e-mailed him and we got into an argument about how he thought Johan Holmqvist was the next Dominik Hasek. Literally. He used Hasek as an example and tried to tell me that Holmqvist was the next big thing. I guess big things get traded to Dallas and ride the pine pony.

I stopped taking anything he said seriously after that.

He's a total homer, but I like the guy. He's far more tolerable than national idiots like Rome. I'm amazed he'd say that about Holmquist, though.

[VM1138 1,921]

Yeah, if you don't have the puck Detroit lets you go wherever you want. They just don't let you receive the puck on a pass.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

There isnt any. Pittsburgh are just whiney little you know whats who will do whatever it takes to win. But too bad for them they wont.

[RedRockit 0]

see when i was in DC myself and a gentlemen on the metro go into a discussion about this as I had my wings hat on. He was asking how I could be from Mississippi and be a Wings fan. He said I was an obvious victim of the "Ted Turner Syndrome". He said they reason everyone hates the Wings is they get more tv games than any other teams. He said the same thing happened to the Atlanta Braves in the 90's. They were an okay team that always made the playoffs, but had the most fans of any team not named the Yankees. Said it was because every game they had was on at least 1 channel if not 2. With that my stop came. I calmly walked away told him Crosby is still a diving little ***** and has a trash stache and have fun losing your only shot at a Stanley Cup.

Umm, hello? I was broke this past season, couldn't afford cable, only had broadcast, couldn't afford to go to the pub to watch FSD (thank the hockey gods that CBC did come in, so at least I got to watch Canadian teams).

The only other team I was able to watch on broadcast was (yep, you guessed it) the Pittsburgh Penguins and whatever team they were playing that Saturday.

And we all know THAT wasn't the Wings....

Edited May 30, 2008 by RedRockit

[Hank 0]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

I think the obstruction Therien is complaining about is how the Wings will bump a player well after they release the puck or how they set 'picks' in the nuetral zone allowing the Wings to enter the offensive zone easier.

Saying that, I haven't see much of this at all. It does happen from time to time, but Pittsburgh has been doing it too. I mean, Holmstrom has a possible groin/hernia injury from Hall Gill using the can-opener on him despite being nowhere near the puck.

But most people who have no interest in either team are agreeing that there isn't an obstruction issue.

I was listening to XM home ice and all the commentators on there agreed that Therien is just trying to deflect two horrible losses away from his squad.

It worked though as Franzen's early 1st period penalty was an absolute joke.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I just want to know where the heck this obstruction is. Now I don't play hockey so maybe somebody else can define it accurately for me, but it's not like the Penguins haven't had any chances even though they've been outshot by a decent margin. I'm pretty confused over it all.

According to the folks on the Pens forum who are crying like babies, the Wings obstruction includes

1. Lidstrom and 3 other Wings converging on Malkin, Hossa and Crosby at the blueline. So because Nick refuses to give up the blueline and has the best poke check the world has ever seen, and because our forwards backcheck like their hair is on fire, we're obstructing the Pens from entering the attack zone.

2. Apparently, where Pens fans come from, only a forechecker has the right to any given space on the ice. If say, Rafalski gets body position and forces the attacker to either slow down, go around him or bump into him, that's most definitely obstruction in their book. Funny b/c where I come from if you get to that spot first, you don't have to step out of the way. And i'm not talking about just stepping up into a guy like in basketball and forcing a collision. I'm talking about loose races for the puck where our Dman already has position and simply makes sure he's in the lane of the forechecker who coming up ice.

3. Being really strong on your stick and hitting the puck carrier's stick, forcing them to lose the puck is also obstruction. Apparently you can only take the puck away from the Pens if you only touch the puck and don't make contact with their stick.

Now, let's be honest, we've gotten away with some blatant hook jobs. Sammy on Hossa in front of the net in game 3. Stuart behind the net in game 2, right in front of the ref, which led directly to Filpulla's goal. But we haven't gotten away with anything more than any other team has.

I got banned for basically arguing all of this on their site. Especially the crap about us being like the Devils. Do the Wings trap? Is that what we do? Last time I checked the "trap" was associated with teams fleeing the offensive zone as soon as they lose the puck, barely forechecking or sending in only 1, weak forecheck and collapsing 4 guys back and playing a dump and chase style of game.

The Wings don't do any of that. What we do do is we have a full team of forwards who back check their ass off and dmen who don't surrender the blueline. So what you see is Pitt's star players getting hemmed in the neutral zone because the D is right up in their face and the backcheckers are right on their ass. That's not a trap. That's players working hard at playing defense.

Pens fans are whining more about obstruction and officiating than I've ever seen from any team............EVER!

[Aeothe Kaear 0]

No team that employs Hal Gill gets to sanctimoniously whine about obstruction.