Vancouver's Burrows blasts Ref for make up calls

[Tommy_Like_Wingy 25]

I'm torn over this whole thing.

On one hand I hate Burrows. I think he's a whiney, diving, snaggle-toothed ***** and I can't stand the team he plays for or their fans either (laser pointer anyone?). With that said, the officiating in the NHL is bad enough as it is. The last thing we need are refs with personal vendettas against certain players.

I'd be fine with Auger and Burrows both being kicked out of the league.

[mmamolo 287]

It's clear everyone in this thread agrees that the interference was ridiculous. I'd even say that the dive was a realyl s***ty call. Even if you want to say Burrows went down easily dives usually are to make a show, to draw attention, and to incite a penalty call. When Burrows went down he didn't do any of that.

Auger is a s***ty ref and this bulls*** that the NHL says about all of their refs as a collective group is s***. Obviously, there are some good refs in this league but with the good come the bad - and Auger is one of the worst.

[tommingthepuck96 1]

Why is the NHL the only league in sports thats so unclear about its own rules? Why can players get away with stuff in the regular season but not in game 7 of the SC playoffs? Inconsistency and make-up calls kill the game especially come playoff time. Burrows is 100% right about the refs but i doubt the ref was that blatant when he said that he was going to "get him back"

[Carman 387]

Why is the NHL the only league in sports thats so unclear about its own rules? Why can players get away with stuff in the regular season but not in game 7 of the SC playoffs? Inconsistency and make-up calls kill the game especially come playoff time. Burrows is 100% right about the refs but i doubt the ref was that blatant when he said that he was going to "get him back"

If you think the NHL is the only league battling bad officiating you are sorely mistaken.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Why is the NHL the only league in sports thats so unclear about its own rules? Why can players get away with stuff in the regular season but not in game 7 of the SC playoffs? Inconsistency and make-up calls kill the game especially come playoff time. Burrows is 100% right about the refs but i doubt the ref was that blatant when he said that he was going to "get him back"

All regular season long the NFL emphasized any contact to a QB's head is going to get called, and yet on the deciding play in the GB/ARI game on Sunday they swallowed their whistles. The NHL isn't alone in refs "letting the guys play" once the post-season rolls around.

[tommingthepuck96 1]

If you think the NHL is the only league battling bad officiating you are sorely mistaken.

Why is the NHL the only league in sports thats so unclear about its own rules

Football/basketball have written legitimate rules for most of their penalties..

In the NHL theres a common term used alot "Letting them play" Meaning some nights they'll call everything and some nights they won't call anything. Theres no other sport thats so unclear from night to night about whats going to be called and whats not.

All regular season long the NFL emphasized any contact to a QB's head is going to get called, and yet on the deciding play in the GB/ARI game on Sunday they swallowed their whistles. The NHL isn't alone in refs "letting the guys play" once the post-season rolls around.

Good point i know basketball also had its fair of ref conspiracys. Maybe i just dont watch enough of other sports but i still think the NHL is the most unclear about its rules. I also remember a charger game where a ref openly admitted that he blew the call and literally apologized for it in the middle of the game.

Edited January 12, 2010 by tommingthepuck96

[beepbeep 3]

Ya know, in looking at that vid it's hard to believe that it was an "I'm gonna get even" conversation going on. The Ref's hand is resting in the middle of Burrows' back real friendly like.......I don't know anything at all about Burrows but in reading comments on other boards he seems to have a reputation for diving so maybe he deserved the dive call but the interference call in front of the net was bulls*** and typical of the incompetence of the of the officals and the league for not having higher standards......

[Tommy_Like_Wingy 25]

If you think the NHL is the only league battling bad officiating you are sorely mistaken.

This.

Every fan of every sport will say they have the worst officiating. When you give humans the the power to make decisions that directly affect the game there will be plenty of mistakes made.

[beepbeep 3]

This.

Every fan of every sport will say they have the worst officiating. When you give humans the the power to make decisions that directly affect the game there will be plenty of mistakes made.

Especially a human with an axe to grind, or one that just flat out wants a particular team to lose.

[akustyk 84]

I can't believe would even admit that, though I'm not surprised it happens. Even if you get burned by a guy for diving, giving some bulls*** call when the score is 5-1 is still no way to deal with it. That ref just validated what a lot of fans have thought about officials.

I tend to disagree with you on this one.

the way players try to bend game rules is some kind of game they play against the refs.

and those refs' work is supervised and judged so they have every right to be sore when

a player plays foul against them.

I mean - you sure try to bend the rules to gain some advantage in the game. but play it safe

and have respect to the ref. don't do something that makes idiot of him.

I don't know background of Burrows-Auger affair but I can imagine it's not the first time

an NHL ref felt screwed by a player and wanted to give back the favor. we only know Burrows

story and we mostly agree the calls were BS. then, we don't know why Auger did what he did.

I'm all for NHL making hearing in this case and solving this matter somehow. but for the sake

of the media image the only solution is to fine Burrows (even some stupid $1000, only to show

the league is not OK with criticizing its officials) but then internally, hidden from cameras,

execute a bigger fine on Auger and make it known to other officials.

[esteef 2,679]

....to everything said.

Not only that, I get so sick of people crying and whining about biased officiating in favor of any team/player other than the Wings and its players. The fact of the matter is that when the Wings lose, its because they either didn't play well enough, were too injured or weren't talented enough to beat their opponents on that given night. The sad part is, far too many people want to use the refs as their excuse so they can feel better about a loss.

The truth is the Wings aren't always the best team in NHL. Not every single year and most certainly not every single night. Apparently, its just easier for people to blame the refs then to accept the aforementioned fact.

And I can't stand when people immediately throw out the "excuse" card to discredit any complaints about s***ty officiating costing a team a game. Refs can absolutely decide the outcome of a game, a critical call here and there, "make up" or not, can go a long way towards victory.

esteef

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I tend to disagree with you on this one.

the way players try to bend game rules is some kind of game they play against the refs.

and those refs' work is supervised and judged so they have every right to be sore when

a player plays foul against them.

I mean - you sure try to bend the rules to gain some advantage in the game. but play it safe

and have respect to the ref. don't do something that makes idiot of him.

I don't know background of Burrows-Auger affair but I can imagine it's not the first time

an NHL ref felt screwed by a player and wanted to give back the favor. we only know Burrows

story and we mostly agree the calls were BS. then, we don't know why Auger did what he did.

I'm all for NHL making hearing in this case and solving this matter somehow. but for the sake

of the media image the only solution is to fine Burrows (even some stupid $1000, only to show

the league is not OK with criticizing its officials) but then internally, hidden from cameras,

execute a bigger fine on Auger and make it known to other officials.

I don't really disagree with what you're saying. Honestly I just thought it would influence refs in more subtle ways.

Like Homer tends to fall down and dive when he's stationed in front of the net. I think with some refs that keeps them from calling some of the more legitimate times he gets crosschecked. Same for a guy like Avery. That he wouldn't get the benefit of the doubt if he got taken down, whereas someone like Datsyuk would.

I'm just surprised a ref would admit that he'd give a guy a bulls*** call at anytime during the game. Even if it's 5-1, in this days NHL sometimes these games turn on a dime.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

And I can't stand when people immediately throw out the "excuse" card to discredit any complaints about s***ty officiating costing a team a game. Refs can absolutely decide the outcome of a game, a critical call here and there, "make up" or not, can go a long way towards victory.

esteef

Nor can I, but you know exactly what I'm referring to esteef. Fans with the blinders on claiming the league is out to get Detroit and only favor Crosby and the Pens. Every team has fans that do exactly this. They think their team is being unfairly targeted while other teams (including Detroit) never get called for anything.

Don't misunderstand me, a s***ty call is a s***ty call and it can most certainly cost a team a game, its two points and ultimately a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean every single missed infraction means a ref is being biased. It could just as well mean they flat out didn't see what we saw. It's pretty easy "officiating" a game when you're watching it from the angle we get.

Never once have I thrown out the "excuse" card to discredit complaints that were actually legitimate. Hell, my first post in here was ripping Auger for what he had done.

Bottom line, I think you're taking what I said out of context.

[esteef 2,679]

Nor can I, but you know exactly what I'm referring to esteef. Fans with the blinders on claiming the league is out to get Detroit and only favor Crosby and the Pens. Every team has fans that do exactly this. They think their team is being unfairly targeted while other teams (including Detroit) never get called for anything.

Don't misunderstand me, a s***ty call is a s***ty call and it can most certainly cost a team a game, its two points and ultimately a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean every single missed infraction means a ref is being biased. It could just as well mean they flat out didn't see what we saw. It's pretty easy "officiating" a game when you're watching it from the angle we get.

Never once have I thrown out the "excuse" card to discredit complaints that were actually legitimate. Hell, my first post in here was ripping Auger for what he had done.

Bottom line, I think you're taking what I said out of context.

I know what you meant MAC, it's just that sometimes legitimate complaints are not even looked at at all because of the barrage of "excuses!" or "sour grapes!". It's not always sour grapes! That's what gets me, and helps perpetuate the officiating problems. Sometimes there IS something there, but it never really gets looked at because everyone's too busy calling everyone complaining about it tin foil hat heads.

BTW, I do think the league favors the Pens, but that's another story.

esteef

[Chairman Maouth 97]

My take on this....

There is the video of the ref talking to Burrows before the game. Proof? No, but it does nothing to discredit Burrows allegations. It actually gives them a degree of support.

There is that absolutely ridiculous interference call on Burrows near the end of the game and which got Nashville the winning goal. A total phantom call. That also supports Burrows allegations.

There is Burrows animated reactions to his penalties - like he had a feeling something like that was coming, and to his shock, the referee actually made good on his threat before the game.

There is Burrow's account of the pre-game conversation with Auger where he is quite specific about why Auger said he would target him during the game. This, in my opinion gives more credence to Burrow's accusations.

Burrows post-game comments. He knows what he's doing and that he's facing NHL disciplinary action for what he's saying. Also, being known for embellishing calls in the NHL (as Burrows has done in the past) does not automatically make someone a liar. He would have to be extremely stupid to lie about a referee under those circumstances because assuming he was lying, if he wasn't already a target for the referees, he certainly would be now.

There is also the matter of the hot-streak that Burrows has been on (another 2 goals last night). If you have a referee who despises Burrows, he may want to bring him down a peg.

Burrows allegations, in my opinion, have the ring of truth. I hope the NHL investigates this adequately.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

i can just see this board go crazy if this ref officiates a wings game sometime soon ...

OH THE TRAVESTY!

Wasn't he the same referee that called off Brad May's goal against Dallas?

[T.Low 1,011]

How is that he "didn't think" it was diving? He was the one who did it. Either he dove or he didn't. Looks to me like he grabbed the stick and took a flop backward. From his statement it sounds like he dove, just didn't think it was a big enough dive to get called. If you got called for diving I would think you would take some offense and say "I didn't dive". The interference call was definitely weak though.

I saw the clip 3 times on the local news last night, (I live near Vancouver). In Burroughs defense, he was riding a bike during the post game interview and he was quite emotional about the situation and kinda got nervous during the interview, maybe knowing he had to watch what he said...I think he sort of mispoke when he said "I think". He is a Frenchy, so English is more a 2nd language than primary maybe. It kinda looked like he all the sudden got choked up by all the cameras and mics in his face.

I burned a goalie in a beer leauge pretty badly, only to find out that he reffed in one of my other leagues. Sure enough he was reffing when I tied the game up with a one timer with less than a minute left and he skated right in front of me, looked me in the eye and yelled "NO GOAL!" as he waived it off with that ******* arm wave off move right in my face. Said my winger was in the crease. We lost the game. In the post game handshake the oppossing goalie told me he didn't know what the hell the ref was talking about, there was no one even close to crease when I scored.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I know what you meant MAC, it's just that sometimes legitimate complaints are not even looked at at all because of the barrage of "excuses!" or "sour grapes!". It's not always sour grapes! That's what gets me, and helps perpetuate the officiating problems. Sometimes there IS something there, but it never really gets looked at because everyone's too busy calling everyone complaining about it tin foil hat heads.

BTW, I do think the league favors the Pens, but that's another story.

esteef

And that's a legitimate point. While I realize the officiating isn't as stellar as some hope it would be, I also recognize the fact that its human and susceptible to error. My point is that it doesn't always necessarily mean a ref is out to get one's team.

Now, given this situation....the sad part is perhaps this is what it'll take for the league to look a little closer into its officials and the consistency of strictness or leniency on any given night.

[Chairman Maouth 97]

Wasn't he the same referee that called off Brad May's goal against Dallas?

And it's the same referee who accused Shane Doan of making anti-French Canadian comments. Doan was cleared of those allegations.

[esteef 2,679]

Now, given this situation....the sad part is perhaps this is what it'll take for the league to look a little closer into its officials and the strictness/leniency of officiating on any given night.

Exactly, now that Crosby has his Cup, they'll "look into it".

esteef

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Exactly, now that Crosby has his Cup, they'll "look into it".

esteef

Oh esteef.................

[dicksmack 33]

I'm sure SWF will be here soon to set us straight that an NHL ref would never, ever be anything but impartial and that this must all be some kind of misunderstanding. He'll then use the loaded term "conspiracy" forgetting that by its definition it involves more than one person.

[VM1138 1,921]

I hope this punk never refs an NHL game again. But, of course, he probably will.

He'll probably get to ref the FInals.

[cjm502 165]

Burrows is now one of my favorite Canucks. I wish more NHL players would be more outspoken. If I was unhappy with something I sure as hell wouldn't keep my mouth shut.

[Guest zackmorris]

Like I've always said, I don't trust this league one damn bit. And this is just evidence that this type of s*** goes on. I've said it for years and I've always been made out to be a Mulder type and mocked. But look at this, someone finally had the balls to speak out on it. I seriously doubt he's making it up.

This s*** happens. It happened to us against Pittsburgh. It was proven to have happened in other leagues, not just with evidence but with someone admitting guilt. It's all over the ice...the field...etc. Some people just refuse to believe their favorite sport might be tainted, some just enjoy taunting what they perceive to be concpiracy theorists, and some just are blind and think they'll look like whiners. I see it all the time, it's in every game. And just look at the refs against us the last few years, all the signs are there.

Just think about it-teams who switch cities or relocate or go through some drastic rebranding win titles pretty quickly don't they? Crosby needed his Cup so the league busted their ass to get him one. Go look at game 6 of 08 and almost anything after game 2 in 09 and you can't tell me with a straight face something wasn't up. You'd be a liar.

We're not on the Wings payroll, we're fans. So it's not our duty to remain classy about it, it's our right to speak out about it. Some of the most blind fans are the ones who refuse to change the "it's always the players fault" line of thinking. Sorry, but that's utter and complete bulls***. There are times when it's on the players, and times when the refs f*** us. That's all there is to it.

Edited January 12, 2010 by zackmorris