News Article: Controversy Over Missed McDavid Calls During Oilers vs Jets Series

[Sweetpotato]

The refs wouldn’t be punished because the ref to the rule book, instead of the corporate nhl druthers.

Who would implement the system you proposed? The NHL. So if the NHL wants the refing to change they'd just tell the refs to call it by the book, which eliminates the need for a system in the first place.

 

[AM]

Who would implement the system you proposed? The NHL. So if the NHL wants the refing to change they'd just tell the refs to call it by the book, which eliminates the need for a system in the first place.

The NHL will do what is in their best interests. Fans just have to make it so.

 

[PKSpecialist]

I’m sorry guys, but the original point here is right...there is no doubt that shooting the puck over the glass is a penalty. Call it. But there is(or at least should be) no doubt that tripping a guy is a penalty. And slashing a guy and so on. Anyone who says they don’t want the refs deciding the outcome of a game confuses the &@$! out of me. If I get tripped with no call, and 5 seconds later
I shoot the puck over the glass and get called, the refs are deciding the outcome of that game. Call the rule book...if you don’t like your own rulebook, change your damn rulebook.

 

[McShogun99]

I’m sorry guys, but the original point here is right...there is no doubt that shooting the puck over the glass is a penalty. Call it. But there is(or at least should be) no doubt that tripping a guy is a penalty. And slashing a guy and so on. Anyone who says they don’t want the refs deciding the outcome of a game confuses the &@$! out of me. If I get tripped with no call, and 5 seconds later
I shoot the puck over the glass and get called, the refs are deciding the outcome of that game. Call the rule book...if you don’t like your own rulebook, change your damn rulebook.

It’s amazing that every single time the puck gets shot over the glass the refs never miss it yet somehow they miss trips and high sticks that happen right in front of them.

 

[bellagiobob]

It’s amazing that every single time the puck gets shot over the glass the refs never miss it yet somehow they miss trips and high sticks that happen right in front of them.

I don’t think they miss it. These are the best refs in the world. They can see it. But they’ve been instructed from higher ups what to call, when to call it, and what teams to call it against.

 

[McJadeddog]

More ridiculous "reffing" in the Isles/Tampa game last night, resulting in an injury to one of the games biggest stars. Jeff Jackson sounded on on Twitter about it, and he is a big name agent. Hopefully the league is actually looking at what they need to change. These playoffs, and almost all playoffs if we are being honest with ourselves, have been an F-ing EMBARASSMENT to watch. Complete garbage through and through, and the league continues to not do a goddam thing about it. It is infuriating.

 

[Chabot84]

What a BOGUS league this is...

Its so obviously mandated by the league from the top.
In effect, this is making teams overpay for star players. If the game is to even out the player's skill, the money should also be evened out. If a player like McDavid is able to be horse-collared throughout the playoffs, $12M may as well be better spent on players - say like Montreal has.

https://thehockeywriters.com/oilers-mcdavid-non-penalty-calls-vs-jets/

How does it ever end? Do the owners need to step up?

Not sure how Edmonton getting swept by Winnipeg helped the NHL at all though?

 

[spot]

Now that it’s been several weeks since the Oilers got swept, I’m more calm and can speak more clearly about the NHL and their atrocious refereeing. I’m completely baffled how they missed the obvious cross check on Kucherov and how they preach that they Stanley cup is the most difficult trophy to win. Clearly, the NHL operates under agenda, and protecting star players is not one of their priorities. My hope is that all stars selected for the all star game this year, reject the offer, take the suspension and encourage the NHL to proceed with the players that they appear to advocate for.

 

[Satire]

Now that it’s been several weeks since the Oilers got swept, I’m more calm and can speak more clearly about the NHL and their atrocious refereeing. I’m completely baffled how they missed the obvious cross check on Kucherov and how they preach that they Stanley cup is the most difficult trophy to win. Clearly, the NHL operates under agenda, and protecting star players is not one of their priorities. My hope is that all stars selected for the all star game this year, reject the offer, take the suspension and encourage the NHL to proceed with the players that they appear to advocate for.

I doubt this will ever happen but this is a brilliant approach.

 

[Fourier]

More ridiculous "reffing" in the Isles/Tampa game last night, resulting in an injury to one of the games biggest stars. Jeff Jackson sounded on on Twitter about it, and he is a big name agent. Hopefully the league is actually looking at what they need to change. These playoffs, and almost all playoffs if we are being honest with ourselves, have been an F-ing EMBARASSMENT to watch. Complete garbage through and through, and the league continues to not do a goddam thing about it. It is infuriating.

I agree with you 100%. I use to love playoff hockey. But the recent years have been brutal. The League will probably be happy though. Lots of OT games which is I am quite sure the goal here. Keep every game close. Tackle the stars in the neutral and protect the house at all costs if the other team gains the zone.

 

[tabs]

Now that it’s been several weeks since the Oilers got swept, I’m more calm and can speak more clearly about the NHL and their atrocious refereeing. I’m completely baffled how they missed the obvious cross check on Kucherov and how they preach that they Stanley cup is the most difficult trophy to win. Clearly, the NHL operates under agenda, and protecting star players is not one of their priorities. My hope is that all stars selected for the all star game this year, reject the offer, take the suspension and encourage the NHL to proceed with the players that they appear to advocate for.

I’ve said this for a little while. The All Star game is big for the league and it needs the stars in order for it to happen. The day before they should all get together and announce they’re sitting out in protest. Have the stars take over the league similar to NBA.

 

[Juxta Position]

I've been watching hockey for 40+ years, and this is the absolute worst i've ever seen it. the Hockey Ops department is antiquated and completely out of touch with how the game is played now a days. I don't think anybody is advocating for special treatment for star players, but calling the rules the same as in the regular season isn't something that should be met with disdain from the league, it should be the expectation. Could you imagine the outcry in the US if the NFL just flat out stopped calling pass interferance in the playoffs for the sake of "good, hard playoff football"?

The playoffs, by their very nature, are more intense and competitive than the regular season, i have no idea why the league thinks it needs to try and artificially create more intensity or competetivness by letting the players get away with what they do. This doesn't create "good, hard playoff hockey" it creates a bogged down mess that if these game were played in the regular season, people would be complaining about how boring they are.

In the last 20 years, some of the absolute best hockey i've seen has been International hockey, where the rule book is called how it's supposed to be called. and the funny thing is, there's no complaining from the players, they just adjust to how the games are called and move on.

 

[redgrant]

I've been watching hockey for 40+ years, and this is the absolute worst i've ever seen it. the Hockey Ops department is antiquated and completely out of touch with how the game is played now a days. I don't think anybody is advocating for special treatment for star players, but calling the rules the same as in the regular season isn't something that should be met with disdain from the league, it should be the expectation. Could you imagine the outcry in the US if the NFL just flat out stopped calling pass interferance in the playoffs for the sake of "good, hard playoff football"?

The playoffs, by their very nature, are more intense and competitive than the regular season, i have no idea why the league thinks it needs to try and artificially create more intensity or competetivness by letting the players get away with what they do. This doesn't create "good, hard playoff hockey" it creates a bogged down mess that if these game were played in the regular season, people would be complaining about how boring they are.

In the last 20 years, some of the absolute best hockey i've seen has been International hockey, where the rule book is called how it's supposed to be called. and the funny thing is, there's no complaining from the players, they just adjust to how the games are called and move on.

I'm not saying this as an oilers fan. If it was Elias petterson and the oilers did the same thing to him I'd be happy it benefits my team but be confused at to what the hell is the league doing?

You don't want stars like petterson and mcdavid making deep runs? It's not good for the game? Is it because they are stars in Canada and not Arizona or Florida?

 

[McGoMcD]

I’m sorry guys, but the original point here is right...there is no doubt that shooting the puck over the glass is a penalty. Call it. But there is(or at least should be) no doubt that tripping a guy is a penalty. And slashing a guy and so on. Anyone who says they don’t want the refs deciding the outcome of a game confuses the &@$! out of me. If I get tripped with no call, and 5 seconds later
I shoot the puck over the glass and get called, the refs are deciding the outcome of that game. Call the rule book...if you don’t like your own rulebook, change your damn rulebook.

This is a great post. So much going on here. It is silly that some calls are automatic, and others are not.

The refs will decide the game one way or the other by deciding what type of hockey is being played. It's really insane.

 

[McJadeddog]

I've been watching hockey for 40+ years, and this is the absolute worst i've ever seen it. the Hockey Ops department is antiquated and completely out of touch with how the game is played now a days. I don't think anybody is advocating for special treatment for star players, but calling the rules the same as in the regular season isn't something that should be met with disdain from the league, it should be the expectation. Could you imagine the outcry in the US if the NFL just flat out stopped calling pass interferance in the playoffs for the sake of "good, hard playoff football"?

The playoffs, by their very nature, are more intense and competitive than the regular season, i have no idea why the league thinks it needs to try and artificially create more intensity or competetivness by letting the players get away with what they do. This doesn't create "good, hard playoff hockey" it creates a bogged down mess that if these game were played in the regular season, people would be complaining about how boring they are.

In the last 20 years, some of the absolute best hockey i've seen has been International hockey, where the rule book is called how it's supposed to be called. and the funny thing is, there's no complaining from the players, they just adjust to how the games are called and move on.

This is the example I give to people all the time. It is the very definition of "crazy" and "illogical". It is baffling to a point where you almost think that this cant be real life, lol. The NHL is beyond ridiculous and is finally, FINALLY, being called on their bullshit. They won't do anything, because they think they are smarter than everybody else. Could you imagine another corporation thumbing their nose like this at their hard-core fans? It is maddening.

The answer is that the NFL would never do this, because they are a serious league. Hell, the *CFL* doesn't do this, and they are about as "bush league" as pro-sports can get. (Hey, I love the CFL, been a fan for decades, but its the truth). When the CFL is doing laps around you, you know you have some issues to take care of.

 

[McJadeddog]

This is a great post. So much going on here. It is silly that some calls are automatic, and others are not.

The refs will decide the game one way or the other by deciding what type of hockey is being played. It's really insane.

Yup, the whole argument of "we don't want the refs deciding the game is 100% horse-shit". By not calling the rules as they exist in the rulebook, you are deciding the game. Except you are doing it in the dumbest way possible, where nobody knows what an actual penalty is or isn't, so its entirely depending on the ref you have that night. Call the game the same, every game, no matter the score, no matter the situation, no matter if its pre-season or playoffs, first period of the first pre-season game, or OT of game 7 of the cup final. The rules need to be enforced, or the rules need to be changed, and then enforced. I don't care which, but the rules need to be enforced the same all the time.

 

[AM]

Yup, the whole argument of "we don't want the refs deciding the game is 100% horse-shit". By not calling the rules as they exist in the rulebook, you are deciding the game. Except you are doing it in the dumbest way possible, where nobody knows what an actual penalty is or isn't, so its entirely depending on the ref you have that night. Call the game the same, every game, no matter the score, no matter the situation, no matter if its pre-season or playoffs, first period of the first pre-season game, or OT of game 7 of the cup final. The rules need to be enforced, or the rules need to be changed, and then enforced. I don't care which, but the rules need to be enforced the same all the time.

It’s the players that decide to do the deed, not the ref.

 

[BlackDogg]

The business has become much more important than the game. Plain and simple.

 

[McJadeddog]

It’s the players that decide to do the deed, not the ref.

I'm not following you

 

[AM]

I'm not following you

The player makes the infraction. The ref just calls it. So the ref doesn’t make the play. In fact, if he doesn’t call it that is when he is determining the result.

 

[Fourier]

Yup, the whole argument of "we don't want the refs deciding the game is 100% horse-shit". By not calling the rules as they exist in the rulebook, you are deciding the game. Except you are doing it in the dumbest way possible, where nobody knows what an actual penalty is or isn't, so its entirely depending on the ref you have that night. Call the game the same, every game, no matter the score, no matter the situation, no matter if its pre-season or playoffs, first period of the first pre-season game, or OT of game 7 of the cup final. The rules need to be enforced, or the rules need to be changed, and then enforced. I don't care which, but the rules need to be enforced the same all the time.

There is enough "luck" in hockey that if you use the rules to neutralize skill anybody can win on any given night. It seems to me that is what the NHL wants. Soccer is low scoring but it does not really work that way there because the best team tends to get all the legitimate scoring chances and it is very hard to score a fluky goal. But in hockey fluky goals happen a significant perentage of the time. What these playoffs are telling you is that if you want to win with these rules, trap, interfere and hold in the neutral zone and cllapse around your net in your own zone forcing the opposition to take Hail Mary's from the point in the hope that you might bounce one in off a 75 year old Corey Perry's knee while he is completely tied up with a defender.

The NBA succesfully eliminated all of these strategies. The first is going to get you into foul trouble early in the game. They eliminated zone defenses which is the equivalent of the clog the middle strategy. And they introduced the three point line which forced teams to defend against the outside shot. I am not sure how you do this last part in the NHL but you sure can manage the first strategy by calling the rules as they are written.

 

[McJadeddog]

The player makes the infraction. The ref just calls it. So the ref doesn’t make the play. In fact, if he doesn’t call it that is when he is determining the result.

That is the entire point though. The refs make the calls and they players adjust. But when the calls are so variable, the players can't adjust. After the 04 lockout, when they called the game as it is supposed to be called for the one year, players had almost completely adjusted by Xmas.

 

[Bring Back Bucky]

That is the entire point though. The refs make the calls and they players adjust. But when the calls are so variable, the players can't adjust. After the 04 lockout, when they called the game as it is supposed to be called for the one year, players had almost completely adjusted by Xmas.

yeah. What’s the point in having two entirely different sets of rules. ?

 

[McJadeddog]

yeah. What’s the point in having two entirely different sets of rules. ?

The NHL obviously *wants* playoff hockey to be like this. Look, the regular season isn't much better. It is better, but not much, so the problem is really with the "type" of game the NHL wants reffed. They WANT obstruction, hooking, and holding, as it levels out the playing field between skilled and non-skilled teams. This is how they get "exciting close games", that are NOT exciting at all, they are just artificially close.

But back to the playoffs. The NHL wants it like this because they get close games, I can't really think of another explanation, but I would love to hear any other opinion. Why does the NHL want to take all the skill out of playoff hockey and make it the equivalent of "rugby on ice"?

 

[Fourier]

The NHL obviously *wants* playoff hockey to be like this. Look, the regular season isn't much better. It is better, but not much, so the problem is really with the "type" of game the NHL wants reffed. They WANT obstruction, hooking, and holding, as it levels out the playing field between skilled and non-skilled teams. This is how they get "exciting close games", that are NOT exciting at all, they are just artificially close.

But back to the playoffs. The NHL wants it like this because they get close games, I can't really think of another explanation, but I would love to hear any other opinion. Why does the NHL want to take all the skill out of playoff hockey and make it the equivalent of "rugby on ice"?

I don't even find these games all that physical, at least not compared to the old days. What they are is cluttered. Clogged up neutral zones and packed near the crease.