Alright so it's happened to every sports fan, your watching your favorite team and the whistle blows and a call is made that we feel is so bassackwards it's absolutely mind-blowing. Or the other scenario; there is blatant misconduct that goes uncalled and you're left wondering what the f@#*? I know some people feel this way almost every time their team plays, I mean it's all part of the game right? WRONG!
Let's take things back a little bit to the last Stanley Cup playoffs when the Anaheim Ducks walked away with the glory. Before the playoffs began the word came down from the NHL big guns assuring that officials were going to do everything they could to consistently and properly enforce the rulebook. All though accidents do happen (and they did) for the most part they upheld exactly what they promised. A blade on the body impeding progress was a hook, a player taken out of commission during a breakout to far from the puck was interference, a puck flipped out of play in the opposing teams zone was delay of game… there it was cut, dry and straight forward. So why… are these calls not consistently being called a season later… why is it not ok to "let 'em play" during the playoffs but during the season it's ok to take a lackadaisical approach to the whole gig? The last month of NHL play has absolutely made me sick, not just my own teams games but almost every game I've watched. I've seen a plain as day offside lead to goals scored, cross checking (that also could have been ruled interference) less then 10 feet from an onward looking official, pucks flipped out of play WITH NO DEFLECTION, high sticking that caused blood, goaltender interference ALL UNCALLED by onward looking officials and referees. I've watched hundreds make that thousands of minutes of hockey and seen all of this happen before but NEVER in such gross proportion and with suck negligence across the board. This is beginning to affect the integrity of the game; it's getting out of hand. I love the sport of hockey and will until the day I check out, all I'm looking for is the consistency that the NHL so diligently upholds during the playoffs and other key games. If it's a priority to uphold the rule book to a "T" during the post season then it must be during the regular season also, end of story.
Original Story:
http://www.myspace.com/911rider.
Let's take things back a little bit to the last Stanley Cup playoffs when the Anaheim Ducks walked away with the glory. Before the playoffs began the word came down from the NHL big guns assuring that officials were going to do everything they could to consistently and properly enforce the rulebook. All though accidents do happen (and they did) for the most part they upheld exactly what they promised. A blade on the body impeding progress was a hook, a player taken out of commission during a breakout to far from the puck was interference, a puck flipped out of play in the opposing teams zone was delay of game… there it was cut, dry and straight forward. So why… are these calls not consistently being called a season later… why is it not ok to "let 'em play" during the playoffs but during the season it's ok to take a lackadaisical approach to the whole gig? The last month of NHL play has absolutely made me sick, not just my own teams games but almost every game I've watched. I've seen a plain as day offside lead to goals scored, cross checking (that also could have been ruled interference) less then 10 feet from an onward looking official, pucks flipped out of play WITH NO DEFLECTION, high sticking that caused blood, goaltender interference ALL UNCALLED by onward looking officials and referees. I've watched hundreds make that thousands of minutes of hockey and seen all of this happen before but NEVER in such gross proportion and with suck negligence across the board. This is beginning to affect the integrity of the game; it's getting out of hand. I love the sport of hockey and will until the day I check out, all I'm looking for is the consistency that the NHL so diligently upholds during the playoffs and other key games. If it's a priority to uphold the rule book to a "T" during the post season then it must be during the regular season also, end of story.
Original Story:
http://www.myspace.com/911rider.
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