Bettman is going to lose die hard fans

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

Nobody but Buttman and his "Lackeys" know for sure whats been told to the refs...but I will tell you this. I used to enjoy watching any hockey games that were televised for me to watch, including non wings games. Since the start of the season, It's gotten so bad that I've been watching only wings games...and Pretty soon, those will become unwatchable for me as well. What ever happened to letting teams win based on their own merit and skill alone? That my friends is REAL competition. But now we have a game where losing teams are getting breaks from the refs and it's affecting the outcome. Thats not a real sport...thats almost like being rigged just so bettman can get ratings up on games for the newbie fans who think the scoring is too slow, while at the same time...the 20 year plus die hard fans (like me) are being turned off to the sport. What's bettman gonna do when these newb fans become tired and move onto something else, and all the die hards have called it quits? The guy is a joke and is running the best league in the world straight into the ground.

.

I don't wanna see more scoring per-say. I wanna see the team who plays the best win. Not the team who got the most breaks from the refs because they got behind. By that time, the team in the lead spent so much of their energy GETTING that said lead, that when the refs start handing the game to the other team...The leading team doesn't have the damn energy to keep up with all the 5 on 4's, and 5 on 3's, and can very easily lose that lead. Look at the tampa bay game. Wings down 2-0 at the beginning of the 2nd...and i think right at the end of the 2nd the wings had a 5 on 3 and another 2 minute pp waiting for one of the first guys to get out of the box. I would have rather seen the wings lose that game because they were just beaten...not handed PP goals on a silver platter. I'm a long time fan, and to me....This game is becoming a joke.

Am i being too petty? Or picky? Or is anyone else with me on this?

[uk_redwing 495]

Bettman is a huge swear word beginning with C.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

What if major league sports operated like a little mini government?

There are 30 teams in the NHL, and their owners should each get to vote on what goes on. Such as the comissioner needs to be elected every few years. And the votes could be weighted like the electoral college, where the owners who have been around longer or whose team brings the nhl the most profit (from jersey sales, tickets, etc.) should have their votes worth a little more. The refs should be certified and also elected by the owners. This way, the comissioner and referees need to be on their best behavior constantly and not be assholes and actually know what they're doing or else they risk not being reelected.

Just a thought.

[Reilly 24]

I actually like how there are more 5-on-3's.

Perviously, teams on the PK could do whatever they wanted except murder a player before going down 3-on-5.

Keep your feet moving, keep your stick down, and you'll be ok.

[tony 3]

BETTMAN IS A GIANT ***** AND TO MAKE HIM FEEL BETTER ABOUT HIMSELF HE HAS TO TAKE A ROUGH GAME AND TRY AND SOFTEN IT UP SO HED BE ABLE TO PLAY (never will happen)

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I have been surprised at how many one goal games there've been, and how many have gone to a shootout this early in the season. I'd be curious to see the number of shootouts so far this year compared to previous seasons. Because the other night, something like 4 out of 10 games were decided by shootout.

If that continues, honestly it will affect my interest in the game. Why bother watching when the biggest determining factors in a game are the refs and an arbitrary spectacle like the shootout.

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

lovin jiri, i love your ideas actually and that would keep it fair all around cuz if things were goin sour the owners would be the ones to blame for electing them.

Reilly, While i do like the fact that they're calling the extra penalty during the PK, its the first penalty that shouldn't be called in the first place, or called more consistently. But i do agree...if on a PK, you shouldn't be able to get away with murder. Its just WHEN these are being called and i've seen more than one PHANTOM penalty resulting in a 5 on 3...thats all.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

It is a little alarming to me to see officiating so inconsistent, regardless of who the teams are that are playing. No, I'm not expecting perfection from referees, they are human and are prone to mistakes just like you and me, lord knows I made plenty of bad calls when I was a basketball and soccer ref for a few years back in college, but the inconsistency is undeniable to me. That being said, it is still hockey, which is a sport I love to watch, and nothing is going to change that anytime soon.

[tiff_luvs_homer 5]

I have to agree, I want to see consistency in calls regardless of the team...

I hate Bettass. he sucks and I wish they would replace him immediately!

[BlueMonk 102]

"The NHL is a garage league" -Mario Lemieux

[CanadaBoy 151]

"The NHL is a garage league" -Mario Lemieux

"The NHL is a garbage league" -Mario Lemieux

Fixed.

Edited November 17, 2008 by CanadaBoy

[Echolalia 2,961]

"The NHL is a garbage league" -Mario Lemieux

Fixed.

"Take the trash out on garbage day" -dad

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

The announcers in the ANA/LA game were talking about how many 3rd period comebacks, have come off the power of PP goals, and only PP goals. Something like 87% of comebacks in the 3rd are the direct result of some kind of powerplay. So it's obviously not Red Wing bias, it's league wide. And it's ridiculous. Half of the calls are marginal at best, some are as phantom as I've ever seen in my life. If I was playing in the NHL, I'd be fed up with the bulls*** the NHL is pulling.

[Guest Shoreline]

One part if me says it's better to enforce rules strictly. Another part of me says, as corrections and new rules are implemented, this will only make the NHL a long boring rulebook game of uniformity like the NFL has become.

We allow people to recklessly fly around and crash into things but we suddenly decide we don't like hits to the head. Hello?! It's a ******* physical game. People get hit. Sometimes to the head. Injuries are part of the game. We need to stop trying to perfect the game, ensure that no player ever gets injured, and simply deal with the fact that it isn't a perfect system and has it's flaws, while understanding that improvements only need be the most vital and subtle in changes to the game of hockey in the NHL.

I've had plenty of outbursts against refs, likely because they call chincy s*** now, both against Wings opponents and against the Wings themselves. I'm all for ending obstruction, and allowing players to freely move without the puck, but christ, it's clear the calls for it caused an overboard reaction by the league and refs. Don't turn the battle against obstruction into the "he touched me in the armpit with my stick therefore it's a hooking call" touch fouls that plagues the NBA, as well.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Shoreline

[j.hoop 64]

how does one become the commissioner??

[Nev 1,085]

I actually like how there are more 5-on-3's.

Perviously, teams on the PK could do whatever they wanted except murder a player before going down 3-on-5.

I agree, I'm a firm believer that a penalty is a penalty no matter what the situation - but if its to make a 5 on 3 you damn well better make sure its a penalty

Keep your feet moving, keep your stick down, and you'll be ok.

Not any more That's the problem this season - complete non-infractions are being called, especially to make 5 on 3s. It doesn't matter how disciplined you are, all you have to do is go near an opponent, and if your team is ahead, up goes the arm.

Thing is, since the lockout NHL players have become incredibly disciplined over things like hooking, to the point where if someone commits a bona fide hook it stands out like a sore thumb. But it seems the Refs and the NHL can't take that, and have to still keep calling chintzy calls. Hooking has now become "if you tap the outside of an opponents elbow with your stick and in no way impede their progress"

[martyrme19 73]

I dont know why anyone would have a problem with calling penalties in favor of the losing team so they can get back in it. I mean....we just elected a president with the same policies.....

The better teams scoring all the goals should be taxed with more penalties to help those teams who aren't good enough and have poor management skills, get more goals.

sorry sorry, im sure i just completely derailed this post with that comment. I'm only kidding. but not really.

[j.hoop 64]

I dont know why anyone would have a problem with calling penalties in favor of the losing team so they can get back in it. I mean....we just elected a president with the same policies.....

The better teams scoring all the goals should be taxed with more penalties to help those teams who aren't good enough and have poor management skills, get more goals.

sorry sorry, im sure i just completely derailed this post with that comment. I'm only kidding. but not really.

ha that pic of ovechkin with his reflector is sickk

[soultrain 43]

Bettman is a huge swear word beginning with C.

the "C" stands for co*ksucker. but what are hard core nhl fans going to turn to...the khl?

[wingedone 0]

Thing is, since the lockout NHL players have become incredibly disciplined over things like hooking, to the point where if someone commits a bona fide hook it stands out like a sore thumb. But it seems the Refs and the NHL can't take that, and have to still keep calling chintzy calls. Hooking has now become "if you tap the outside of an opponents elbow with your stick and in no way impede their progress"

This is my biggest pet peave right now. I was watching other games and it's just as bad. If he is not impeding his progress, then stop calling these rediculous hookings. Let em play!

[Reilly 24]

The biggest and worst non-calls that slow the game down and make it boring are when players dump the puck in the offensive zone and are interfered with when they go to chase it. Oh, and slew-footing. There is way too much of that going on in the league right now.

Edited November 17, 2008 by Reilly

[55fan 5,133]

the "C" stands for co*ksucker. but what are hard core nhl fans going to turn to...the khl?

I was thinking of another C word, but maybe that's because Bettman is a little runt, so the word was 3/4 in my head already.

Where do we turn? European teams? AHL? Minor leagues?

Maybe it's better that we revolt now when there's something worth saving. I wonder if Bettman's getting letters about this. Someone posted his e-mail address during the Great Octopus Predicament last spring. Does anyone still have it?

[Nick137 0]

I think the Statistic that amazed me the most, and I believe it was a Red Wings game I saw it on, was the number of penalty minutes called against a team that's ahead versus a team that's behind. I hadn't realized it was that bad. I noticed it a fair amount in Wings games this year, but I remember how penalties were called against the Wings after their last cup in the 2002-2003 season. That coupled with the fact that I don't believe the Wings have played a complete 60 mins at their level yet this season made me think I was being a "Fan" instead of fair. After seeing that though, I realize that this is a big issue.

It's always easy to think your team is getting the "shaft" if the refs don't call everything you think should be called for your team. But now we have stats to back-up how blatant it is. It's a concerted effort to help the team that's behind; and while I will admit it has added excitement in the form of me having a heart attack a few times, it's wrong to do this!

I refuse to watch the NBA because I dislike the referee-ing so much. I suppose considering where Bettman came from it's a wonder it took this long for referees to start controlling outcomes. The difference, I believe is, unlike the NBA whose refs can be bought; the NHL has quality people that put on the stripes. I wonder how they sleep at night knowing that what they are doing isn't only unfair, but wrong.

[eva unit zero 271]

What if major league sports operated like a little mini government?

There are 30 teams in the NHL, and their owners should each get to vote on what goes on.

This is how it actually works. Food for thought, for all you Bettman-bashers.

[thedisappearer 291]

This is how it actually works. Food for thought, for all you Bettman-bashers.

Sadly, eva is right, and this is why we are where we are.

As long as the owners make money, why change the product, unless it will bring in more fans?

Guess what close games and 3 point games do?