(Courtesy SLAM Sports)
There's a reason for all the concern about the way games are officiated in the NHL, and it was reaffirmed on the play that turned the Stanley Cup final back in the Los Angeles Kings' favour.
Whether or not New Jersey Devils forward Steve Bernier deserved a major for his hit from behind on Kings defenceman Rob Scuderi in the first period of Monday’s Game 6 is not the point. Even the most ardent Devils fans would have a hard time arguing the call.
But, as the talking heads on Hockey Night in Canada pointed out, the incident would have never occurred had the refs called Kings veteran Jarret Stoll for similarly hitting Stephen Gionta from the rear just seconds earlier. By the rule in the book, there should have been a whistle right then and there.
Why is one play a five minute penalty and the other not even considered an infraction?
“A horrible night for the black and white -- and not the Kings,” CBC colour commentator Craig Simpson declared it, and he was right on.
Never before can yours truly remember a season full of so much controversy caused by the inconsistencies of referees.
Fittingly, the 2011-12 campaign ended with another.
11 comments:
the hit on Gionta was barely a bump, to have that in the argument is ridiculous. he let up on that significantly and did not warrant a call on that play. those types of hits occur multiple times without being called and is the only chance NJ has to make up for the stupid hit they made shortly after, thats the only reason its mentioned at all. i've watched it several times and i cant for the life of me see why its being made out to be such a significant issue. its almost like the media is searching for another way to gang up on officials, its out of control.
Agree with Anon#1-first hit isn't in same conversation..maybe refs need to have instant replay to determine "intent vs. accident" when player 1 makes an unexpected move and player 2 reacts" I may be wrong but i thought Cherry and PJ both said Scuderi made a foolish move to leave himself open for the hit.
Refs should have only gave 2 min penalty and maybe a disciplinary meeting afterwards if so determined. The stakes were too high to make that call. We all say let the players decide outcome. Jersey never was the same. but they had 40 mins to get back and the Kings did great job finishing.
...P.S. Can any TV interviews with Darryl Sutter please have English captions?
The Stoll hit was worth two minutes and so was the Bernier hit. Would the game have been any different had it been called that way. We'll never know, but the refs certainly made it easy for the Kings. We go from the Weber hit on Zetterberg in the first playoff game of the year to this. Perhaps the NHL should teach its officials how to call the game properly while missing the first couple of months of next season.
Scuderi knew the hit was coming and he turned into the boards knowing he was going to get smashed. Be a man and take the hit. I don't know why refs don't take this into account when makeing their call. It was a minor for sure, but not a major.
Say what you will, but here's the bottom line. If the hit from behind from Stoll would have been called, the hit from Bernier never would have occured, so once again, the ref's determined who won the cup. That one penalty made all the difference for the whole game. It's sad once again to have a tarnished Stanley Cup playoffs....hopefully in the near future it won't be a team that dove, cried and gooned their way to the victory, maybe we'll see some actual talent for once. And I'm not a Devils fan either, just a HOCKEY fan that would like to see some real hockey played for once.
Neil
Neil,
The Kings won the cup, not the Canucks.
A bad penalty and a missed call is not the way this should have ended. I switched it off after it was 2-0; the game's outcome was already decided by a referee who missed a previous call on Gionta, and then effectively ended the game and the Stanley Cup playoffs with that 5-minute major. If I were a Devil, I'd have been tempted to skate by that ref in the closing minutes and give him a Tie Domi Special right in the chops.
Al
It's debatable whether the Kings should have even been playing in the Cup final. The missed call in OT against Rosival in Phoenix should have warranted a major penalty + GM. Not only did the refs turn their heads on that one, the NHL failed to suspend Dustin Brown. How ironic that he gets to hoist the cup.
There is no debate. Nothing, it's over. No one cares anymore. Get over it, quit wasting your time.
Bottom line here is the Devils couldn't score. They had chances in this series and they couldn't score. L-A got one huge chance and they capitalized the way teams are supposed to. End of story.
It's all in the eye of the beholder. If I'm the ref I give Scolari a delay of game penalty. He was free and clear for that play if he'd have veared right which is the direction his momentum was taking him. Instead he turned left and faced the glass knowing he'd get creamed and draw a penalty. Somewhere 'survival' has to enter the picture and it's only a matter of time until a Scolari or some one else spends their remaining days in a wheel chair. Is it taking one for the team or stupidity? I say when the hittee sets up a big hit--no penalty--and they'll quit exposing themselves.
Veeseven
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