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Abel to Yzerman

The Potential Effects Of One Mistake

by IwoCPO on 05/15/08 at 07:49 AM ET
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There are a few housekeeping details we should square away before I get into this.  First, there is no chance in Hell the Wings lose this series.  None.  Stress about it.  Ruminate and discuss.  But, sorry, ain’t gonna happen.

Second.  The disallowed goal wasn’t the only reason the Wings lost. Did it contribute?  Yes. Greatly.  But the Stars played well.  They were determined and, frankly, they played like they wanted that game a bit more than the Wings.

For the first time this series, they outhit the Wings 24-23 (according to the stat sheet, which typically favors the home team).  Their faceoffs were better, winning 43%.  They still didn’t muster any sort of shot total (22).  But the ones they put on Osgood were tough ones.  The first twelve minutes were theirs, and Osgood kept Detroit in it.

Dallas hustled, hit and played better on the worst ice in the NHL.

And there’s my objectivity for the day.  I guess that’s required of me from time to time, a little non-bias, some open-minded thinking.  Well, if you’re looking for more of that in this post, you’d better stop reading. 

Because the Wings were shafted last night.  Bent over by Kelly Sutherland and violated while Little Gary Bettman stood on four phone books and grinned like some sort of fiend who doesn’t even understand what he’s watching.  So much that is wrong with the NHL can be explained by that one call.

Coaches, media, players complain about Tomas Holmstrom.  In some cases, it’s justifiable. We’ve all seen legitimate interference calls take Red Wing goals away.  But more often, way more often, the calls are bogus and we see the scoreboard unjustly affected.  Last night’s was a travesty.

The Wings get that goal and the whole tone of the game is established.  They withstand the initial rush, pop one, demoralize an already fragile Dallas team.  I fully believe that had that counted, as it should have, the Wings win that game. 

Nope.  The whispers were in Bettman’s ears, Daly’s, Campbell’s.  And those whispers turned to strong suggestions when they reached the difference-making level: the refs.  I said it last night in the live blog.  That call was the result of a mindset.  Sutherland had it in his head that if the Wings scored with Homer anywhere near that crease, he was calling it off.  It was so blatantly wrong, there can be no other explanation.

And your commissioner endorses that kind of judgment.  It’s no better than pro wrestling.  Anyone who saw that play knows what a travesty it was, knows how wrong Sutherland was.  And we all know that replay, had it been used, would have overturned it.  But…replay’s not allowed in that situation.

Why not Gary?  How many goals are bogusly overturned?  How many more CONFERENCE FINAL games have to be affected? 

Wings get that goal, they win the series.  Over in four.  Over on a Wednesday.  Woops.  A Wednesday, and not a Saturday on NBC? Can’t have that, can we Gary…you little frigging troll of a league-wrecking piece of garbage. 

So the Peacock gets its game this Saturday, so it can pull in a 2.0 share while the few Americans who were riding the fence vow not to watch a sport so blatantly idiotically officiated. 

Am I pissed the Wings lost?  Yeah. I’m pissed that they didn’t play their best game and end this thing when they could have.  All the Wing haters out there can laugh like Little Gary eating cotton candy while he cranes his neck to see over the 5’5” fan in front of him.  But while you’re laughing, you’d better consider this:  that was an example of just how far this league has sunk.  Your NHL. Not just mine, or other Wing fans.

Game 5. Saturday. On NBC.  Just like Gary wants.

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Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977.  No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y.  Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation.  There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature.  Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that. Your suggestions and critiques are welcome: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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