Don't Blame the Refs - NHL Stupid Enough

[Wing Whiner 0]

Don't blame the refs. Just makes the NHL look stupid.

Plus, the NHL doesn’t need any help looking stupid.

Hire a commissioner who knows nothing about the sport: Check.

Add more teams to the league including towns with no interest in the sport: Check.

Lose TV coverage from Entertainment Sports Programming Network: Check.

Allow a lockout followed by salary-cap: Check.

Change rulebook and officiate inconsistently on a consistent basis: Check.

Market the league to resemble the NBA on ice: Check.

Market and over-saturate viewers with a young player who hasn’t won anything: Check.

Hire a former Scout and Assistant Coach for biased commentary while no secret he favors his old team: Check.

Insist Canadian players are the only players on the ice and ignore all others born outside of North America: Check.

Allow former prejudiced coach who calls European players “soft†to give intermission thoughts wearing flowered suits and Mickey Mouse ties: Check.

Speak only of one team on the brink of bankruptcy during the playoffs and ignore other on verge of a dynasty: Check.

Game 7: Check.

[Cougar to Falcons to Wings 1]

I seriously tried to think of something to add, but you've just NAILED IT!

Well said.

[Guest Shoreline]

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

Don't blame the refs. Just makes the NHL look stupid.

Plus, the NHL doesn’t need any help looking stupid.

Hire a commissioner who knows nothing about the sport: Check.

Add more teams to the league including towns with no interest in the sport: Check.

Lose TV coverage from Entertainment Sports Programming Network: Check.

Allow a lockout followed by salary-cap: Check.

Change rulebook and officiate inconsistently on a consistent basis: Check.

Market the league to resemble the NBA on ice: Check.

Market and over-saturate viewers with a young player who hasn’t won anything: Check.

Hire a former Scout and Assistant Coach for biased commentary while no secret he favors his old team: Check.

Insist Canadian players are the only players on the ice and ignore all others born outside of North America: Check.

Allow former prejudiced coach who calls European players “soft†to give intermission thoughts wearing flowered suits and Mickey Mouse ties: Check.

Speak only of one team on the brink of bankruptcy during the playoffs and ignore other on verge of a dynasty: Check.

Game 7: Check.

i agree with everything except for:

"Insist Canadian players are the only players on the ice and ignore all others born outside of North America: Check."

there's lots of talk of european players and such others...

most of the wings, gonchar, malkin...i could keep going.

other than that, great post. but you also blamed the refs i a way:

"Change rulebook and officiate inconsistently on a consistent basis: Check."

so this post actually shows how stupid the refs are, and how poorly run the nhl is.

i enjoyed it none the less.

[Lovin Jiri Fischer 147]

Force players to go to the All Star Game against their will and then publicly bash them when they still say no: Check

[XxGoWingsxX 0]

The OP's post sums it up. Well done sir, well done.

[FedorovMan91 1]

We cannot blame the ref unless it is Dan O'Halloran

[ManLuv4Clears 7]

Spot on. The whole rule interpretation is starting to kill me, what is a penalty in one game is not the next. One of the many reasons that the NHL will be ranked in popularity behind the NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR, CFB, and CBB in the US.

Edit: Add WWE to that list: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_professio...k_in_popularity

Edited June 10, 2009 by ManLuv4Clears

[pavyaz19 1]

Nice list... I still blame the refs, they should have stood up to Bettman when he threatened their jobs if they didn't create a 7 game series.

[Dr Rosenrosen 0]

werd

[RedWingsFan13 0]

i agree with everything except for:

"Insist Canadian players are the only players on the ice and ignore all others born outside of North America: Check."

there's lots of talk of european players and such others...

most of the wings, gonchar, malkin...i could keep going.

Who do you hear about the most? Crosby. Who is better then Crosby? On his team alone Malkin.

Yet they insist Crosby is the best.

Hogwash

[Dr Rosenrosen 0]

Who do you hear about the most? Crosby. Who is better then Crosby? On his team alone Malkin.

Yet they insist Crosby is the best.

Hogwash

Please. This series should be rated X with Pierre MacGuire sucking so much Wings' wee wee on air.

Edited June 10, 2009 by Dr Rosenrosen

[zaxx 0]

Hey now don't knock on Don Cherry too much. He picked the Wings to win on Friday. He also said he wants Osgood to get the Con Smythe following the victory. He has been praising Osgood throughout the playoffs and I agree with him, Ozzie rules!

[z3tt3rb3rg 4]

Force players to go to the All Star Game against their will and then publicly bash them when they still say no: Check

hold me back!!!! I was so upset about this. dumb rules.

[CenterIce 83]

hold me back!!!! I was so upset about this. dumb rules.

The worst rule is that once an NHL official makes a call, it cannot be rescinded. Take the Zetterberg "interference" call last night. The near ref was looking straight at it and called nothing. The back ref called it, when Zetterberg, and the player who pushed him, were blocking his view. If they didn't have this rule, the near official could have waived off the penalty.

[Greetings from Blueland 0]

For all the people blaming the refs to have it "in" for the Red Wings, I ask you this:

Do you honestly think that the NHL is bribing the referees to make calls against the Wings and for the Penguins, just so one player/team that they decided to market looks good?

Do you honestly believe the NHL is that corrupt?

I doubt it.

[OsGOD 3]

The worst rule is that once an NHL official makes a call, it cannot be rescinded. Take the Zetterberg "interference" call last night. The near ref was looking straight at it and called nothing. The back ref called it, when Zetterberg, and the player who pushed him, were blocking his view. If they didn't have this rule, the near official could have waived off the penalty.

unless they review it after and decide the wrong call was made and Mandatory 1gamer for instigating within the last 5min was really not needed for the final round

[pavyaz19 1]

For all the people blaming the refs to have it "in" for the Red Wings, I ask you this:

Do you honestly think that the NHL is bribing the referees to make calls against the Wings and for the Penguins, just so one player/team that they decided to market looks good?

Do you honestly believe the NHL is that corrupt?

I doubt it.

I definitely hope not... but Bettman will do whatever it takes. I don't understand why else they decided not to call any interference penalties last night after they've called them all year. Maybe a game 7 is good for ratings, maybe that's what the NHL brass cares about. It's not a game, it's a business.

[hooon 1,089]

allowing NBC to dictate the awful schedule of the FINALS, the most prestigious event in all of hockey.

[Wing Whiner 0]

Bottom line, we love hockey becuase Detroit has a team that has been better than good for 10+ years. Apart from a few, other markets have not experienced the excitement year-after-year of playing for and celebrating the Stanley Cup. The NHL is not doing themselves any favors by trying to expand and mold it's product after other successful sports.

Bettman should have left things alone, but no, he thinks he knows better, but the majority of the country could care less and it is Hockeytown that is left frustrated.

Here's hoping the Red Wings take advantage of what the NHL, NBC, TSN, VS and CBC hope doesn't happen...

Go Wings!!

[Guest Shoreline]

Here's hoping the Red Wings take advantage of what the NHL, NBC, TSN, VS and CBC hope doesn't happen...

Whatever helps you sleep at night..

[esteef 2,679]

For all the people blaming the refs to have it "in" for the Red Wings, I ask you this:

Do you honestly think that the NHL is bribing the referees to make calls against the Wings and for the Penguins, just so one player/team that they decided to market looks good?

Do you honestly believe the NHL is that corrupt?

I doubt it.

"During the NBA finals, Donaghy said in a court filing that the league routinely encouraged refs to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results, while discouraging them from calling technical fouls on star players. "

NBA ref gets 15 months in prison

I'm sure the NHL is above all of that right?