GDT - Canucks vs Hawks 5 PM PST TSN

[tantalum]

Is there an ignore button yet?

[KeyserSoze]

Other than suckering him with a punch or stick, or just pummelling an unwilling opponent, I don't know what they could have done. All of those things would have ended in a suspension given the setting.

For the most part I was happy with the Canucks response. They went after Keith pretty good and the message was sent. Would I have liked to see someone rearrange Keith's nose with a glove (sucker) punch in the midst of a scrum and take the penalty/minor suspension that comes along with it?...Yes. But I was satisfied with the team response none the less.

For a predatory hit like that to have a 2 minute penalty in a year where this league assured us it was serious about head shots is absurd. O'Halloran is a veteran ref for Crissakes. The thing of it is if Kassian hit Kane or Hossa like that it would have been 5 and a game.

Laughable if not so sad.

Your league is fucked when the Keith elbow to the head, and accidently flipping the puck over the glass result in the same amount of time in the box.

[Jovocop]

Your league is fucked when the Keith elbow to the head, and accidently flipping the puck over the glass result in the same amount of time in the box.

Or too many men on ice... or unsportsmanlike conduct... The league is a joke.

[Tiger]

No..and the Bolland line will own the Sedins:(.. Maybe we get lucky and the other lines score enough to offset that.. But I do think the team will play a stronger game... maybe going from their "D" game to a C+ ..and squeeking a win.

Ironically that is the only thing that gives me any hope regarding the Sedin's game tonight.

In the last meeting between these teams the Sedin's stepped it up and actually embarrassed Bolland's line with Daniel scoring the winner in OT while Bolland was right there on his back in front of the net. Bolland's comments earlier this year regarding "the sisters" seemed to spur the Twins a little, and as passive as they can be at times, I think they are the best two players on this team when it comes to "flipping the switch". If Bolland is on the ice against them, expect the Sedin's to come to play if the game is close. (Coach Q will probably have Bolland out there almost every shift that the Sedin's see).

I guess the Sedins have now "figured Bolland out?"

Apparently NOT.. Sedin line = -1 Bolland line = +1

And just maybe the league will hand out a suspension on Keith?? Not sure if I am more tired of poor reffing or board whining..

[rats19]

Is it just us??? Ffs. It might not be having a team not in the top ten..or bad coaching, that drives the ratman away..


EFFING ZEBRAS SLASH LEAGUE

[Larry Goodenough]

I'm lovin' the 'Flip the Switch' theory. "Gold Jerry, Gold!"

Alex Stojanov for Markus Naslund
Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian

I'm lovin' the Shut Down Hockey the last two games, only 3 goals against.

Henrik Sedin, two goals in his last 31 games is it? Shit, he's had the switch turned off for almost half a season. Two bad we don't have more 'skilled' centers with a great shot to fill in for Hank while Hank has the Switch Flipped Off.

I propose we trade RoyalDude for an angry, blustering, menopausal housewife. A clear steal for us.

[Jovocop]

I'm lovin' the 'Flip the Switch' theory. "Gold Jerry, Gold!"

Alex Stojanov for Markus Naslund
Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian

I'm lovin' the Shut Down Hockey the last two games, only 3 goals against.

Henrik Sedin, two goals in his last 31 games is it? Shit, he's had the switch turned off for almost half a season. Two bad we don't have more 'skilled' centers with a great shot to fill in for Hank while Hank has the Switch Flipped Off.

I propose we trade RoyalDude for an angry, blustering, menopausal housewife. A clear steal for us.

Why don't we just bury him in the minors??

[Larry Goodenough]

I guess the Sedins have now "figured Bolland out?"

Apparently NOT.. Sedin line = -1 Bolland line = +1

And just maybe the league will hand out a suspension on Keith?? Not sure if I am more tired of poor reffing or board whining..

You're kidding, right?

Uninformed fans use plus/minus.

I don't know how you use that game to judge anything as one guy was out of the game early and an entire period was lost to chasing Keith.

Between the 2 Sedins, there was one scoring chance against the whole game. It was the OT goal, the shot was actually going wide and hit a guys leg and goes in.

Bolland was minus 3 (1-4) in scoring chance differential, the one scoring chance being the lucky shot in OT.

I'd say nice try, but it wasn't.

[Larry Goodenough]

I'm lovin' the 'Flip the Switch' theory. "Gold Jerry, Gold!"

Alex Stojanov for Markus Naslund
Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian

I'm lovin' the Shut Down Hockey the last two games, only 3 goals against.

Henrik Sedin, two goals in his last 31 games is it? Shit, he's had the switch turned off for almost half a season. Two bad we don't have more 'skilled' centers with a great shot to fill in for Hank while Hank has the Switch Flipped Off.

I propose we trade RoyalDude for an angry, blustering, menopausal housewife. A clear steal for us.

Why don't we just bury him in the minors??

Trade him for Avery?

[coco_canuck]

Would I have liked to see someone rearrange Keith's nose with a glove (sucker) punch in the midst of a scrum and take the penalty/minor suspension that comes along with it?...Yes. But I was satisfied with the team response none the less.

My exact same feelings.

As much as you and I would be fine with someone getting a short-suspension, it's unfair to be critical of players for not doing something suspension worthy.

NHL officiating isn't just a little joke, it's a fucking farce.

Incompetence doesn't even begin to describe it, and it's not solely the fault of the black and white stripped clowns, the directive from the NHL head office is the real root cause of the abominable officiating.

You have a league that wants tight games with lots of teams in playoff races, they're afraid to "influence" the outcome of games, so NHL officials are either directed to put their whistles away in tight and big games, or they're influenced to do so by the unseen normative values of the NHL "power brokers."

So there are three different ways to look at the NHL officiating:

1) The on-ice officials are incompetent.
2) The NHL head office influences the officiating, which in turn has a clear impact on games.
3) The NHL culture and normative routine/values of those running the league is rotten to the core and permeates without explication.

None of them gives me peace of mind, nor do they offer any optimism that things will get better.

When will the NHL figure out that by NOT officiating the game the way it's supposed to be, you are IN FACT INFLUENCING THE OUTCOME of the game?

[Puck]

I really, really hope the Canucks win a Cup soon so I can stop watching this league because it is a joke. The refs are a joke and the power brokers are a joke. There is no rationality, sense of right and wrong nor is there much in the way of integrity.

This is precisely what's been going through my head this morning. I've been a fan for 38 years, and I'm absolutely dying for this team to win a Cup, but if this hit goes unpunished, I'll seriously consider walking away. The NFL continues to attempt to improve the head-shot situation and in particular protect its star players, but the NHL just resumes its incredulous course veering wildly away from respectability and integrity. Football fans love the NFL, does anybody love the NHL as a whole? We all just love our team.

[coco_canuck]

but if this hit goes unpunished...

It won't go unpunished, but it won't be in excess of 5 games.

Bob McKenzie tweets that Daniel is flying home to Vancouver to be evaluated and that Keith is likely to receive a phone hearing, so that means the suspension won't exceed 5 games.

Oh and apparently some media types in Chicago think the Canucks are "piling-on" by making Danny see a concussion specialist so soon...yeah, I'm sure that's right, it can't be that the Canucks are simply shutting down one of their stars and making sure he gets the best treatment possible right away...oh, that's right, they're in Chicago, head injuries there are considered better than shoulder injuries...

[Listercat]

Coco's comments re "Officiating" is right on. The biggest blame IMO is right at the top, the NHL front office. In some ways I have some sympathy for the on ice officials as they have to just as confused as the players when it comes to consistency. Either that or they are fucking blind!! What is the point of having a "Rule Book" when it is overtly ignored on the ice? The publicity given to the league attempting to reduce head shots and thus brain injuries which is what concussions are, is smoke and mirrors.

Some of the media stories this AM focused more on Burr and the knee in Keith's nether regions when he was getting up than it did on the shot on Daniel. What was the real issue here FFS. If Keith doesn't do what he did the so called knee doesn't happen.Everyone in the arena and all that watched the game on TV saw what happened and the Ref's didn't??? Come on what were they watching? This was no "incidental" contact to the head, it was targeted and deliberate. The Rome hit in the SCF was nothing compared to this and he got what? Keith should be gone for the season....

[Blob Mckenzie]

Bieksa got two solid shots in on Keith in the scrum in front of the net and Burrows had a solid shot to Kanes face bloodying his nose. Kassian was willing to take on anyone as was Weise. There was no Graham James bending over BS here. The Canucks answered and managed to do it without getting booted from the game or suspended.

i guess i was hoping for a little punchback instead of a little pushback Donnie.

I was really hoping someone was going to be spitting a few teeth on the ice- it's the asshole in me. How that is not a major penalty I will never know. NHL officiating is the worst of all four major sports and it isn't even close.

[coco_canuck]

Either that or they are fucking blind!! What is the point of having a "Rule Book" when it is overtly ignored on the ice? The publicity given to the league attempting to reduce head shots and thus brain injuries which is what concussions are, is smoke and mirrors.

It really doesn't make any sense unless you subscribe to an archaic form of thinking.

There are too many dinosaurs and jaded individuals involved in the NHL head office. They've never been held to account, and consistency is a foreign concept.

The problem isn't that they're trying to be overtly manipulative, but that they actually believe what they're doing is the right thing.

Bobby Mac had an interesting comment last year when there was a ton of outside pressure on the NHL in regards to the concussion problem and discipline. He said something to the effect of, the vets running the league have a certain outlook on the game, and feel like they understand the game and how the NHL should run better than anyone else, and any sort of outside pressure or criticism is largely ignored. The attitude is, this is how we do business, and if you don't like it, find something else to do with your time.

Mackenzie wasn't trying to indict the NHL head office one way or another, but it just gives glimpse into how these fat cats operate behind the scenes.

An old boys club that are stuck in an outmoded paradigm.