Officiating

[ClamRussel]

Never been a fan of Gallagher but I'm onboard w/ him 100% on this one. I might even break down the games and figure it out factually if I have insomnia one night. I know he's bang on here. Its like clockwork, so predictable.
http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hocke ... story.html

Nevertheless, the boys have to fight through this and it can be done.

[Madcombinepilot]

so long as we get through the 3 penalties (including that pesky 5 on 3) that we get in the first 15 minutes, we'll be fine.

[Joe Rockhead]

What can we do Clam?

The obvious is not called and bs is.

I never went to one playoff game but had a party during almost evry game.

I spent thousands on food , beer and clean up.

Only to feel f-ed.

If I repeat this next year with the same results that would make me insane!

Doing the same thing and expecting different results is a sighn of insanity.

Do I walk away from the NHL and buy a boat? time share or spend it on hookers and blow?

[ClamRussel]

The latter for sure.

[rats19]

I too was disgusted. Did i say disgusted...yet others found not much wrong with it..i travelled so far down the conspiracy road my gps has not returned me safley home..
I guess we need to construct a team that has skill and speed like we were told to do...but add a tooth remover or 3...who has sk8ll and speed. Gods speed gmmg...GOds speed..

[woodhog]

I guess we need to construct a team that has skill and speed like we were told to do...but add a tooth remover or 3...who has skill and speed

Funny how, prior to the playoffs, some posters decried the notion that we needed more grit and toughness. " Oh no, if the game goes that way we'll make them pay with our #1 rated PP " they said.

Well, we found out how well that works when -

a) the officials let most of the dirty stuff go.

and

b) when we did get a PP, we squandered most of our chances to "make them pay".

Believe it or not, some even had the opinion that the grit and toughness factor doesn't elevate in the playoffs!!!
It's now very clear that the officiating changes significantly in the playoffs (particularly the finals) as does the grit and intimidation of the opposition.
Meanwhile, we waited around for one of the Refs to make a call (that rarely came) and took all sorts of sh!t and abuse.

As a Canuck fan who was highly embarrassed by the Marchand / Daniel (punchingbag) Sedin incident and many others, I hope Rypien can make his way back to the Canucks.
If not, I hope GMMG was embarrassed too and will address the situation in the off season.

Grit and toughness can make a HUGE difference, especially in the playoffs, and we better be more prepared next time.

[Cornuck]

You know that you can bet the farm that next year's Final will be called totally different.

[woodhog]

You know that you can bet the farm that next year's Final will be called totally different.

Well, I for one would not be willing to take that chance.
A player of the Rippers talents wouldn't be detrimental to the team even if the Refs DID call it closer. To me, it was abundantly clear that we need more of a deterent than we had this year.

[Cornuck]

You know that you can bet the farm that next year's Final will be called totally different.

Well, I for one would not be willing to take that chance.
A player of the Rippers talents wouldn't be detrimental to the team even if the Refs DID call it closer. To me, it was abundantly clear that we need more of a deterent than we had this year.

I don't disagree with that at all. Rypper would have been great, just for the Boston games, but who knows if he would have gotten game misconducts instead of just 10?

I'll be interested to how Rypien comes back next year and if he still enjoys fighting like he seemed to.

[rats19]

Imho....we need not over react. We were one game away..we didnt go out first round.2 players who have some skill but are also a deterrent would do it. Might be easier said than and I say 2 so in case of a suspension or injury there is still one left.

[Tiger]

Woodhog said:

As a Canuck fan who was highly embarrassed by the Marchand / Daniel (punchingbag) Sedin incident and many others, I hope Rypien can make his way back to the Canucks.

Yeah it was tough to see a poor little ( 200 lb ) swede used as a punching bag by a 178 pound rookie.. ENOUGH TO MAKE ME PEWK .. Go for the guts .. thats what wins Stanley Cups.

[Strangelove]

Yeah it was tough to see a poor little ( 200 lb ) swede used as a punching bag by a 178 pound rookie.. ENOUGH TO MAKE ME PEWK .. Go for the guts .. thats what wins Stanley Cups.

AGREED

[Sticky]

I've been really pissed off with the way the Canucks games have been officiated over the last dozen games or so. I am always aware that my glasses are tinted green and blue... so I am loathe to get to much into the conspiracy theories regarding officiating... but lately, it seems as though the opposition have been getting away with a lot of stuff, while the Canucks are getting called for ticky-tack stuff regularly.

Something just doesn't sit right, when one of the elite teams in the league in terms of puck possession and control is somehow not drawing any penalties. It's pretty easy to see how teams like Colorado, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and Winnipeg are at the bottom of the list in terms of drawing penalties... but Vancouver has been drawing two or three LESS opportunities per game than even those teams!

Over the last four games, the Canucks have had a total of five power play opportunities, (averaging 1:56/game) while the league average is at 6:14/game. Their two PP goals during this time means they have been scoring on opportunities 40% of the time! Can you imagine their PP production if they were getting the average number of opportunities?

I wonder sometimes if all of the (media driven) bullshit about the Canucks being the most hated team and such... has actually affected the amount of calls they get. Anyone think there is anything to a theory that would suggest that the NHL officials are quietly mandated to facilitate parity in the league?

Maybe the League just recognizes that a team with a killer PP will be unstoppable, and just doesn't give it the chance to take over games on the merit of it's "special teams".

Because from what I've seen, that's exactly what the Canuck PP would do.

[Meds]

It's understandable that Tampa Bay is at the bottom of the list? Have you seen some of the forwards on that roster? Yes they are a run and gun team that generates of the rush more than off of possession, but still.....

As for the number of calls, well I think we saw the NHL for what it is last year in the playoffs when the Bruins were getting their asses handed them by Tampa's powerplay in the Eastern Conference Final. We saw the (first ever?) Stanley Cup finalist deciding game go 60 minutes with not a single penalty handed out. Huh? Everyone watched that game. Everyone watched the Bruin's play last year. It's nearly inconceivable that they could play an entire game without taking a penalty. On the other side of that particular coin, are you telling me that a team with Downie, Brewer, Malone, Moore, Kubina, and Ohlund (who was legendary at taking a bad penalty at a worse time in his last couple of seasons in Vancouver) on it didn't commit a single infraction in a high pressure game? Not a chance. Of course if they call it one way, they have to call it the other or be completely put on display as being unequal opportunists as a league. But that would tilt the ice in favor of the team that has put together the better PP (as it should).....the rest is not even worth getting into on this particular incident.

As for Vancouver, well we know they got their chances against Boston, we also know that every time they got that chance the refs put their whistles away except to call something against the Canucks. Boston's PK was alowed to run amok, and it did.

Looking at the PP opportunities this year, well, it's becoming pretty obvious that Vancouver has the best PP going, even more obvious is that the level of talent on the Canucks is something to be feared in the NHL. I haven't seen a team that can contain the Canucks when they put in 100% effort and are given a fair shake from the officials. If you give a team that can go 40% on the PP the same number of chances as everyone else, the playing surface is suddenly unbalanced so far as the outcome is concerned. What is ridiculous about this point of view is that it renders the efforts of said team to get those chances nigh on useless. Another thing to consider, however, is that Burrows did his team no favors when he called out a certain NHL referee (who shall remain nameless). Burrows did, and still does to some extent, have a penchant for embelishment and aggitation. He has curbed much of his extra curricular activity and focused on producing points and playing some great two-way hockey, he doesn't spout off to officials the way he used to, and he doesn't go out of his way to aggravate his opponents to nearly the same degree that he used to. This goes for Kesler as well. But the damage has been done, and it will take probably another season or so for time to do its job of healing all wounds, in the meantime the Canucks have to deal with it. The bias is clear, the disparity is evident. Those who say they don't see it are simply refusing to see it because it will mean a grudging admittance of the fact that Vancouver really is a great hockey team right now.

[ukcanuck]

The bias is clear, the disparity is evident. Those who say they don't see it are simply refusing to see it because it will mean a grudging admittance of the fact that Vancouver really is a great hockey team right now.

good post, I agree with you that it certainly seems like there was/is a bias towards Boston both last year and this year.
The change in officiating in the final is well noted however there is another reason why some would not admit the disparity and that is to avoid being labeled a whiner and a conspiracy nut.

if one admits that the cup was handed to the Bruins then one has to admit that the league is nothing more than another WWE...
Thats not going to make one very popular in hockey circles