STEAMING

[Jake Ryan 1]

I have to say that I'm starting to calm down now, even though I was at about an 8 on the Rage Scale earlier. I wanted to hear some stories about other fans' levels of anger and what they've done in the past when they reach certain levels. The worst thing I've done happened in 1995 after the game where Paul Coffey got hit with a puck against the Devils, didn't get up like he should have had he not been the biggest sissy on the planet, then the Devils scored. My mom made pasta after that game and asked me why I wasn't adding to the dinner table conversation. I told her that I was upset that the Red Wings lost and she told me to calm down and that it was just a game. I walked my plate over to the garbage and threw the whole thing in the garbage can. Said "Thanks for Dinner" and went straight to my room. That was about the most upset I've been after a Wings loss. Tonight was pretty bad though. I think having the game taken from them by the referee is the worst part of it. They played like crap and didn't really deserve the game anyways, but you have to win some of the games you don't really deserve to make a good stanley cup run, and the ref took one of those away from us tonight. That's frustrating. So what are your experiences?

[skacore 2]

aahahahahahahahahaha

[EastLansingNative 1]

When we got swept by the ducks a few years back, as the final buzzer sounded, I shattered a beer bottle against a wall, and threw a chair out a window...

No kidding,

Not one of my proudest moments.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

This game put things into perspective for me.

It seems pointless to cheer for a team all season when something like this can end everything you hope for.

I'm not saying I'm going to stop watching, but still it really does make everything seem somehow less important.

I'd be taking this a lot worse in the past, although I'm still fuming after the loss this minute.

[Jake Ryan 1]

When we got swept by the ducks a few years back, as the final buzzer sounded, I shattered a beer bottle against a wall, and threw a chair out a window...

No kidding,

Not one of my proudest moments.

Nice! I've roof tested a few remote controls after losses, but haven't thrown and chairs out of windows! That's some passion!

[Dabura 12,232]

This game put things into perspective for me.

It seems pointless to cheer for a team all season when something like this can end everything you hope for.

I'm not saying I'm going to stop watching, but still it really does make everything seem somehow less important.

I'd be taking this a lot worse in the past, although I'm still fuming after the loss this minute.

Yeah, I learned a few seasons ago not to get overly invested in the regular season.

As for this kind of thing...I just kinda drink and ramble on LGW.

[Yak19 303]

I had a nice buzz going the whole time, still do, i was mad but it was more like i was laughing in a hysterical sense because this has come to be expected from the league towards us.

[sureWhyNot 19]

I am not going to be able to sleep for a while. I am a mix of both pissed, and sad. It is disgusting - absolutely ******* disgusting.

Keep it classy Brad Watson:

[TheOwl 77]

If the Wings can't pull it together and beat Hiller, what chance would they have against Luongo. I'd much rather see the Wings lose this game, have some damn adversity, pull together and win the freaking series, then cruise in 4 games and lose in the finals to Vancouver.

This is the first test Detroit has gotten in the last 2 years in the play-offs. Last year was more or less a cake walk. At no point did it look like Detroit would lose. Now their in a hole. And now it's time to see what this team is made of.

Edited May 6, 2009 by TheOwl

[Anaheim Lucks 0]

still not over it. it doesn't matter if we played like s*** or not. a goal is a goal. just because they played like s*** means we didn't deserve that goal? we had the momentum and chances were pretty good that we would of won in OT. i hope he's working at mcdonald's tomorrow.

[Dabura 12,232]

If the Wings can't pull it together and beat Hiller, what chance would they have against Luongo.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this Ducks team is much tougher than the 'nucks.

[Guest Shoreline]

In my early and late teen years I'd get pissed when I lost a video game match, but as for real hockey? Um, what's the point? I've been around to witness my team lose 1 cup finals, win 4 cups, and choke at least a half dozen times. I've seen refereeing totally screw the Wings, like a few hours ago, and help the Wings, even though the Wings lack of execution can't really be faulted on the refereeing. If there's something extraordinarily unnerving about the Wings potentially losing a series to a team that beat them in 2003 and 2007 that would cause a person to break something, I'd say they need anger management. As for now, it's just a 2-1 series lead. No reason yet to panic, no need to call for certain players' heads, no reason to go ******* apes*** like a chicken with it's head cut off, just because of this.

[pavyaz19 1]

It's kind of funny in a way... how can a ref of a professional sport be so clueless and incompetent. Is he Bettman's nephew; is this how he landed the job?

How can this guy sleep at night, he fcked up, he fcked up HUGE! You can't even *** up at McDonalds that big and expect to keep your job...

So yeah, I feel a bit hollow and, this entire situation is a bit funny. I really hope the media eats this up and exposes it. This needs to be addressed.

I think it was Andy Van Hellemond back in the mid-90s that screwed up a play really bad and then was removed as a ref for the remainder of the playoffs. This guy needs the same. I just don't get why an official would get a free pass for not doing his job. Yes it's all judgement calls and not black and white... but the playoffs is a different story, you need to perform and not cost a team the game.

[sureWhyNot 19]

In my early and late teen years I'd get pissed when I lost a video game match, but as for real hockey? Um, what's the point? I've been around to witness my team lose 1 cup finals, win 4 cups, and choke at least a half dozen times. I've seen refereeing totally screw the Wings, like a few hours ago, and help the Wings, even though the Wings lack of execution can't really be faulted on the refereeing. If there's something extraordinarily unnerving about the Wings potentially losing a series to a team that beat them in 2003 and 2007 that would cause a person to break something, I'd say they need anger management. As for now, it's just a 2-1 series lead. No reason yet to panic, no need to call for certain players' heads, no reason to go ******* apes*** like a chicken with it's head cut off, just because of this.

AWESOME... I am glad you are content... I (and it sounds like a lot of other people) am not... We had a undeniable goal taken from us in the last minute of a Stanley Cup playoff game... All your kumbaya wish-wash won't change the anger a situation like this evokes (and and rightfully so) from passionate fans.

[Guest Shoreline]

AWESOME... I am glad you are content... I (and it sounds like a lot of other people) am not... We had a undeniable goal taken from us in the last minute of a Stanley Cup playoff game... All your kumbaya wish-wash won't change the anger a situation like this evokes (and and rightfully so) from passionate fans.

I'm absolutely thrilled you've proclaimed me an passionless fan who is content with a goal being "stolen", and is all lets-hold-hands-kumbaya s***, when in fact if you read the GDT you'd clearly see I was pissed as anyone else. However, if staying pissed off and throwing a fit like a kid is how a person deals with it, rather than realizing that we've been here before, and that the Wings can't solely (or even mostly) attribute this loss to the refs, then by all means let's hold hands and sing, because this embellishment of anger over a single situation as a determining factor over just about an entire game played like s*** by the Wings is far more ridiculous than holding hands and singing would ever be.

Edited May 6, 2009 by Shoreline

[MississippiWing 14]

I'm starting to calm down. All these last few games proved to me is that in today's BettmanHL the best team seldom wins. This league would rather see one team that plays classless goon hockey beat a good team. One 3 seperate times, I watched an Anaheim player come into a scrum and punch the Red Wing player in the scrum in the back of the head when he was not part of the fight. Then Pronger's sorry ass went after Datsyuk after the game. Pronger is a ***** and will always be treated as such. It's ******* embarrassing that his name is on the same trophy as Lidstrom's. The NHL NEEDS this series to go to 7 games. This series couldn't possibly be a sweep because they know the Pens/Caps series is only going to draw fans on those days. The point is Anaheim is actually smart. They win because they know the way the NHL calls penalties now. They cheap shot the s*** out of our players and then when our players retaliate they are the only ones seen and get the penalty. If Anaheim wins, I'm rooting for everyone but them. The fact that the league has essentially handed the last 2 games to Anaheim is pathetic.

[zenway9 1]

This game put things into perspective for me.

It seems pointless to cheer for a team all season when something like this can end everything you hope for.

I'm not saying I'm going to stop watching, but still it really does make everything seem somehow less important.

I'd be taking this a lot worse in the past, although I'm still fuming after the loss this minute.

When we raise the Cup this year, it's all going to be an afterthought.

[Holmstrom96 347]

I feel the frustration too. After Game 2 I was fine. We were just beat by a better team that night. But game 3.... Game 3 was just plain a zebra night. They allow the other team to SLASH Osgood (keep in mind Holmstrom has had goals called off due to PROXIMITY alone without contact). Then we get a call for Interference for checking a guy THAT HAD THE PUCK. And who made the call? The far ref of course. Then we have a whistle blown AFTER a puck gets poked into the net, and the goal STILL gets called off because it was the refs intention to screw the wings.

It does put things into perspective. The game isn't fair. No game is fair, but NHL hockey is a lot less fair than it could be. Rules are inconsistently enforced. The league itself actually comes out and favors certain teams.

All in all it makes me a lot less likely to watch hockey. I was pissed off after the lockout and didn't watch that entire regular season, so it's not like an empty threat from fans. If we get pissed off enough we'll just find something less frustrating to do.

[KrazyGangsta 79]

It's a piss off ... here's the only thing I'm thinking about: Ducks suck they could beat us 4-1 and I wouldn't care cause yesterday proved me that it's not ducks vs wings it's the anaheim nhl reffing ducks vs the wings.

[xtrememachine1 795]

I didn't stay up to watch it (Thank God) and I saw the highlights on ESPN this morning. I saw it about an hour ago and I'm seething! First the call on Stuart. Funny how Anaheim is allowed to play physical but as soon as a Red Wing makes a big hit, its a penalty. Then Niedermayer crashes into the net backwards to score the eventual GW. I'm going to go through the roof next time we have a goal disallowed because Homer is "too close" to the goalie.

Speaking of disallowed goals... what was that?? Lost sight of the puck?? Seriously, was that a joke?! Its laying in the crease!! Its a black puck on bright blue ice! None of the players lost sight of the puck. Maybe he should be in the right position before making that call. Weird, I remember back in 2007 in one of the first two home games against the Ducks, Hasek was laying on the puck, Perry or McDonald (can't remember which) poked at it and pushed Hasek into the goal and it counted. I guess refs had x-ray vision back then.

I'm actually okay if the Wings lose by being beaten by the other team. I can think about what they need to do to get better, what they need to do differently, etc. But when you drastically out play the other team and the referees control the outcome, it drives me crazy!

Thanks for letting me vent, but I doubt it'll be the only time today.

[Johnny Law 15]

I was fuming last night about the calls but mostly about the way Detroit played. The owned the Ducks in the second half of the game but played like s*** until they went down 2-0.

To top it off 30 seconds after the game ended I was changing my daughter's diaper and she took a hot steamy dump right on my pants. Kinda summed up my entire evening.

[Firehawk 305]

This game put things into perspective for me.

It seems pointless to cheer for a team all season when something like this can end everything you hope for.

I'm not saying I'm going to stop watching, but still it really does make everything seem somehow less important.

I'd be taking this a lot worse in the past, although I'm still fuming after the loss this minute.

I have to echo this comment. Great post. There are just more important things in the world. Honestly, the NHL is destroying the game with the way they're calling things. It makes me not really want to watch anymore. I have been thinking about this all season.

And I agree, it's pointless to follow a team for every single game all year, then have a ref cheat you out of a title, or even just a bad, stupid break cheat you. Just more important things...