Good night: I hate to have to do this
The Lead
It physically pains me a great deal to write what I’m about to write, so if this post just cuts off at some point, please call 9-1-1 and send them to my place because I have almost certainly gone into anaphylactic shock after having an allergic reaction to believing what I am about to say. Here goes anyway:
The Red Wings got SCREWED tonight and they and their fans have every reason to be OUTRAGED with the League and referees Stephane Auger and Dennis LaRue.
Owwwwwwwww.
Trailing Dallas 2-1 midway through the third period, Brad May scored a greasy little goal on a soft backhander from the slot that beat Alex Auld low on his left side. But nothing happened and Brad May was the only one celebrating.
The puck had very clearly crossed the line. It had very clearly done so a good two seconds before an official blew the whistle. It was very clearly a tie hockey game. So why were all the officials looking at May like he was a lunatic?
He protested vehemently enough that they sent the play upstairs, and, after much deliberation while FSN Detroit showed replay after replay showing, in gory detail, just how much of a perfectly legitimate goal it was. And then the referees got off the phone and said, and this is a direct quote, “There is no goal on the play, the whistle had blown to kill the play.”
Having watched the YouTube video just once, I have officially seen this goal at least 40 times and I absolutely cannot believe the audacity of this referee to say the whistle had blown to kill the play. Now, if he had said there was intent to blow the whistle, which in itself is just about the stupidest rule in hockey, that would be one thing. I would think everyone had the right to feel aggrieved over it, but what can you do? It’s the rule on the books and, stupid or not, that’s the end of it.
But that’s not what he said. He said the whistle had blown. And it very clearly had not. I am super-interested to see how the League addresses this problem, and personally I’m betting the farm on “deny, deny, deny.”
Detroit ended up losing 3-1, but May’s goal should have changed the complexion of the game. The Red Wings got dicked over, and that’s not even the worst of it. Now we have to listen to their crybaby fans bitch about a conspiracy against the team AND they’ll have evidence to back it up.
Christ, this really is the worst thing to happen to the NHL since the lockout.
Elsewhere…
Florida 6, Buffalo 2
When the hell did Florida become the best team in the NHL? They’re 3-0-1 in their last four and now have 13 goals in their last three games. They’re almost playing like they did for most of last year. I’m uncomfortable with this.
Phoenix 3, Minnesota 2
I have nothing interesting to say about this game (JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER GAMES I’VE EVER WRITTEN ABOUT HURF DURF) except to say that, this game being in Minnesota, the attendance tonight was almost double the attendance of the last game the Coyotes played which was, obviously, in Glendale. That doesn’t seem like it could possibly be right, but it is.
Edmonton 6, Colorado 4
By allowing 10 combined goals on 50 combined shots, it’s like Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers and Petr Budaj had a contest to see who could be worse. And if you had Budaj, who gave up five goals on 32 shots and took the loss, you’d be wrong because J Double-D gave up four on EIGHTEEN. How are either of these morons still in the NHL?
Philadelphia 2, Los Angeles 1
I’m writing about this right as the second period expires. I might come back and update the score later. But I probably won’t!
January 12th, 2010 at 3:17 am
[...] and Predators, was turned into a joke by Stephane Auger and Dennis LaRuse, who, you may remember, screwed the Red Wings earlier this [...]