That’s why I miss Shanny.

He would fight Auld for the rubber, be penalized, argue with LaRue, fight LaRue, not be penalized, get the goal and sign LaRue’s dismissal.

Posted by Guilherme

Nice.

Posted by Osrt on 11/18/09 at 11:17 PM ET

Just got this off TSN website. A direct quote from Auld.

“They’ve got enough cameras in the building. If they say it’s not a goal, it’s not a goal,” he said. “I think the biggest thing was the intent of the official to blow the whistle.”

Just keep repeating that to yourself you journeyman ,washed up, outta the league in a year , BUM.

Posted by Down River Dan on 11/18/09 at 11:17 PM ET

Damn, it’s 2 a.m.

Robbery sure make us lose track of time, huh?

Maybe when I wake up (not really wake up, more like get up) LaRue is floating down Lake Michigan.

(those things will get me arrested someday)

Posted by Guilherme from Brasil on 11/18/09 at 11:22 PM ET

Wait. I figured it out. The Joe is so old that the speed of sound is a good 4 seconds slower than it ought to be in reality.

Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 11/18/09 at 11:24 PM ET

LaRue, of course, is one of Gary’s best.  A ref in last year’s Stanley Cup Final, so you know he has to be good, right?

Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 11/18/09 at 11:32 PM ET

The one thing I consistantly see with NHL officiating is the flat out refusal to admit they made a mistake. Their refusal to deal with it freakin frustrates me to the nth degree. MLB is the same damn way, but at least they are slowly trying to change the culture within their officials.

Posted by UMFan from Colorado on 11/18/09 at 11:32 PM ET

What are the odds LaRue was on the ice for the Pitt 6-5 that lasted for three or four eternities?

Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 11/18/09 at 11:33 PM ET

Ok, I am watching this game, and there are a few things that need to be cleared up. My thoughts will be at the end of the clarifications.

1. The referee’s position in the corner is the correct place for him to be when the play is moving around the net. LaRue is not to be behind the net or at the side of the net unless there is a goal-mouth scramble. At the time of the play, the puck was moving around the back of the net from left to right, so the referee would be in the corner as the play developed.

2. From his position in the corner, LaRue would not have seen the puck in the net. At the time of the whistle, it is clear that he is under the impression that the puck is under Auld’s pad. This is a fair assessment, and there is no evidence in his eyes that the puck was in the net due to his view being obscured by the Dallas defenseman at the side of the net, and by the white padding around the base of the goal.

3. The linesmen who are coming in from the blueline would have no clear view of the puck being in the net either. The referee at the blueline would also have no clear view, so they cannot conclusively say that the puck crossed the line. Because of this, it is a decision that falls back on LaRue.

4. LaRue’s explanation of “the whistle had blown to kill the play” means that he had every intention of blowing the play dead due to losing sight of the puck. Again, the Dallas defenseman and the white padding hid the puck from his sight, and Auld pulled it out of the net before LaRue was over there. Therefore, the play was dead when LaRue lost sight of the puck, and the whistle was blown to call the play dead.

Now… here’s where things get murky.

My personal opinion is that this is 100% a valid goal for Brad May.

Toronto’s War Room, in which Gary Bettman has no authority and most likely has never step foot, needed to overrule this call. They didn’t, and that’s fine. They can rationalize the no-change however they like. If LaRue told them that he had every intention of blowing the whistle because the play was dead, then the War Room screwed up as well, and Mike Murphy will have some explaining to do for his boys.

Dennis LaRue, however, will be punished for his lack of a concise, concrete explanation, and will most likely be removed from the short list of candidates for playoff games for this indiscretion.

Was LaRue wrong? It is obvious he made an error.
Will he ever admit it? Probably not. In his view, the play was dead when he lost sight of the puck.
Is it a screw job by the NHL? Not even close.
Did Gary Bettman have a hand in it? This really needs to end.
Can the NHL fix this? Yes. Simply admit they got it wrong, and tell LaRue that he has some extra time off this spring.

This is now a PR issue, not a goal/no-goal issue. And it will be one that both Terry Gregson and Colin Campbell will have to respond to when the Red Wings file an official complaint.

Posted by Teebz from Canada on 11/18/09 at 11:44 PM ET

This is now a PR issue, not a goal/no-goal issue. And it will be one that both Terry Gregson and Colin Campbell will have to respond to when the Red Wings file an official complaint.

Posted by Teebz from Canada on 11/18/09 at 11:44 PM ET

First off, good write-up, Teebz.  While I disagree on the point of needing to stop complaining about Bettman and blaming him for everything, I understand your reasoning as well as I think you understand ours.

My worry, and a worry I’m sure is mirrored by a lot of hockey fans (not just Wings fans), is that the response from the league will get basically no coverage.  The fans are the ones who deserve explanation, them being the reason the guys play the game.  We’re so used to getting short answers from the league that translate to little more than “screw you”, that the frustration continues to boil over.  I’m almost positive the only response that fans get will be something along the lines of “Referee Dennis LaRue intended to blow the play dead when he lost sight of the puck, which was before the goal was called”.  The Wings organization might get a secret “sorry, we screwed up”, but that doesn’t help the fans who feel like the league is doing nothing to keep these things from happening in the future.  If any member of the media were to come out with a report from Colin Campbell’s office that were to say something along the lines of “This will count against Dennis LaRue when it comes time to choose which refs are called upon for postseason duty”, then I would be exceedingly happy with that statement and might even be able to let something like this go.  Unfortunately, all we will get is a vague statement that doesn’t even address the concept of a problem, let alone hint at anything resembling a solution.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/18/09 at 11:56 PM ET

Can the NHL fix this? Yes. Simply admit they got it wrong, and tell LaRue that he has some extra time off this spring.

I’m very skeptical that this will happen. Too many egos at stake.

Posted by Osrt on 11/18/09 at 11:56 PM ET

This has got to be a situation in which the play being blown dead HAS to be reviewable, since the play was blown dead AFTER the puck was in the net.  Intent to blow the whistle can’t even be an option since the puck went straight in on the shot.  In any legit sport that has instant replay, that goal has to count. 

In every goal ever reviewed that was initially called no goal, a whistle had to be blown at some point to stop the play, that doesn’t mean the call can’t be reversed.  There is no excuse for what happened tonight.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 11/18/09 at 11:59 PM ET

Unfortunately, all we will get is a vague statement that doesn’t even address the concept of a problem, let alone hint at anything resembling a solution.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas

Precisely.

Posted by Osrt on 11/19/09 at 12:00 AM ET

I agree, JJ. I read all of the back-and-forth that went on for the last couple of years on this blog between Wings fans and Penguins fans, so I know where the Bettman venom comes from. I think the rhetoric he spews is utterly vile since he never answers a question, but to lay this on him is entirely unfair.

However, your comment regarding how the fans deserve an explanation is entirely bang-on. And that’s why it will be a PR issue. LaRue totally screwed everything up with his explanation, and, if the theory holds true, the War Room will have a lot of explaining to do if they (a) allowed LaRue to call his own shot; or (b) simply agreed with him.

As I said, Gregson and Campbell will now face the fire for LaRue’s decision, and they should be thrown into the fire so that the level of officiating starts trending upward. While I’m not saying that the referees shouldn’t be able to make decisions in real time, I am saying that if there is a dispute over a call, there needs to be a be-all, end-all decision-maker on the other end of that line to Toronto.

Being that I do know one of the NHL linesmen very well, he has told me that the league looks at every official’s record over the course of the season when handing out playoff assignments. And, based upon their work, they are given an assignment or are told they have a long summer vacation. This is why Mick McGeough didn’t get playoff work in his last season despite his seniority in the NHLOA: brutal regular season work.

My guess is that LaRue will have lots of time to watch the playoffs from home this summer. And I’m guaranteeing that if he makes it into the playoffs, he works the Eastern Conference only.

Posted by Teebz from Canada on 11/19/09 at 12:05 AM ET

You know it’s bad when Pens/Fanhouse homer/blogger Adam Gretz writes this story:

http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/18/red-wings-get-robbed-on-what-might-be-worst-call-of-the-season/

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 11/19/09 at 12:07 AM ET

Yes, the main thing the fans want at this point is some accountability. Not even necessarily from LaRue himself—just a statement from Colin Campbell or Stephen Walkom’s successor to the effect that yes, this was a bad call, and the goal should have counted.

There’s not much else to be done about this particular incident now, but the league needs to realize that officials have a role to play in maintaining the quality of the NHL product, and that the quality of officiating has been piss poor for the past few seasons. Something needs to change.

Posted by Bio on 11/19/09 at 12:08 AM ET

I e-mailed them from that addressed posted by mrfluffy:

Re:Wings/Stars

Why does the league have instant replay?

Seriously.  Why?  It’s not like you’re using it.

LaRue and Auger were an absolute joke tonight.  One of, (if not the worst) reffed games I’ve ever had the misfortune of watching. 

“There is no goal. The whistle was blown to kill the play.”  The whistle was blown 3 seconds AFTER THE PUCK WAS CLEARLY IN THE NET.  The only reason to kill the play was because MAY SCORED.

Will these two be fined, or better yet, fired?”

Posted by ludger on 11/19/09 at 12:09 AM ET

I absolutely agree with the concept of a be-all end-all callmaker in Toronto for situations like this.  I think it would serve to take a lot of pressure off the refs.  I’m not sure if they’re worried about being undermined by this Wizard of Oz figure sitting miles away in his cave pulling the strings, but I think pride has been too big a factor in too many bad calls over the past seasons (McGeough being a prime example).

I would add that this would mean the job of the callmaker in Toronto would need a layer of anonymity stripped.  I know that Gary doesn’t work in the War Room, but who really does know who works there?  If a guy’s going to be the ultimate one person responsible for saying something is a goal or not, I want to know his name.  More than that, I want that one guy to be the most iron-clad background-checked official in the whole NHL.  If there’s anything that even looks like it might be a bad ding on his credit report, I want the league swarming over him making sure it’s not going to come back to give anybody a means of gaining leverage over him for any reason. 

Ultimately, I’ll be happy if LaRue isn’t given any Red Wings playoff games, but I’d feel infinitely more satisfied if I didn’t have to infer myself that the crap that happened tonight was part of the reason why.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 11/19/09 at 12:22 AM ET

If the league wanted to resolve this issue of allowing video replay do its job , they could solve it tomorrow and the goal would have counted.

However, by continuing to allow the “I intended to blow the whistle”  excuse to exist, it provides the league ‘cover’ when situations like we have seen before arise, and because of it nobody has to accept responsibility.

Posted by Down River Dan on 11/19/09 at 12:32 AM ET

These comments are already wild, so this will do no good, but…

Keep in mind that the refs never see the replay, and the replay never shows the refs’ intent to blow the whistle.  Stupid as it is, the rule is that the play ends on the intent.  So Toronto can call to say the puck was in before the whistle, but they can’t say it was in before the intent.  LaRue can’t watch a replay to see _when_ the puck went in, so he has to guess.

As a result, you get an embarrassingly bad call.  Why even have video review if a goal like that doesn’t count?  It really can’t be any clearer.  Any rule that prevents a goal like that from counting is a really dumb rule.

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 11/19/09 at 12:40 AM ET

I’m a die hard Ducks fan who detests the Red Wings, but I’m your guy’s side on this one. An absolutely ludicrous call by a ref who should have retired a long time ago.

Posted by Shea from Covina on 11/19/09 at 12:41 AM ET

Posted by WingsSuck on 11/19/09 at 12:47 AM ET

Toronto cannot overturn a goal if the ref claims he was reaching for his whistle. Thats the fact, so stop asking why they didnt overrule. It comes down to the ref’s call, its final.

the puck went instantly into the net on the shot.  at the moment he lost sight of it and would have thought “blow the whistle” it was already in the net.  this could not be more obvious.  the only way he could have thought to blow the whistle before it went into the net was if he thought to blow it while the puck was still in play, on its way to the net.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/19/09 at 12:52 AM ET

WOW! I don’t agree with the whole conspiracy theory and everything with that, but that is an AWFUL call and if it happened to my team, I’d be just as pissed. WTF?

Posted by SteelPens111 on 11/19/09 at 12:55 AM ET

Totally agree with Paul there, it obviously went in RIGHT from the shot! even when the the whistle would have been blown, the puck was already in the net. This is a pens fan here and i’m upset about that call! ludacris, man.

Posted by SteelPens111 on 11/19/09 at 12:58 AM ET

In his view, the play was dead when he lost sight of the puck.

and it’s obvious to anyone with at least 60/60 vision that the instant he lost sight of the puck it was ALREADY IN THE NET.  there was no delay.  the puck didn’t trickle across the goal line.

could this incident finally be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and forces the league to modify its video replay overturn authority?

what’s so wrong with “sure, I lost sight of it and intended to blow the whistle, but now I see that by then it was already in the net, it’s obviously a ‘good hockey goal’ and we’re going to let it stand”?!

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 11/19/09 at 12:59 AM ET

I am a huge Pens fan who used to laugh at your whiny columns during the Finals. Having said that, you have every right to be furious. Detroit got robbed. The whole intent thing is stupid. How can there be intent to blow the whistle on a SHOT ON GOAL???? The intent begins only when the refs cant locate the puck anymore. By the time the ref couldnt locate the puck, the puck was already in instantly.

And even if one is too stupid to understand the simple point that a ref cant have intent to blow the whistle on a shot on goal until at least a moment after he cant see the puck, how is there a two second delay between intent and the actual whistle? This is why the whistle alone should be the deciding factor, not any vague notion of intent.

NHL should suspend the ref.

Posted by Praveen from Atlanta on 11/19/09 at 01:02 AM ET

@IwoCPO I just saw it. It was obviously a goal. You guys got screwed tonight, no doubt. Don’t blame you for being pissed off. The thing is though, this sort of thing happens to every team every now and then. The refs are not out to get the Red Wings, same for the war room, and same for Bettman. All leagues have embarrassing moments like this. Did you watch the World Series? Do you follow the NFL and the NBA? Yes, the refs in the NHL need to get a lot better, but to say that the whole thing is a joke is simply your melodramatic reaction to getting screwed over tonight.

This is a game the Wings could have won if that goal is ruled what it was, a good clean goal. So I’d be pretty outraged if this happened to the Pens (and things like this, believe it or not, have happened to the Pens in recent years. Maybe not as bad, but we do get screwed over from time to time). However, to blame Gary Bettman, YET AGAIN, proves you’re pretty much a lunatic when it comes to the Red Wings. I like the passion for your team, it shows you’re a real fan, but you’re delusional with your whole conspiracy when it comes to Bettman, the NHL and the Wings.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/19/09 at 01:03 AM ET

Well ****...I didn’t think of it that way. It’s fine if he blew the whistle because he could see the puck. But the replays show the puck was in. Play is stopped, it’s a goal. It’s that simple. Just because a ref didn’t signal a goal shouldn’t mean there was no goal.

It’s so damn simple. Jesus.

Posted by Tyler from Arizona on 11/19/09 at 01:27 AM ET

i actually think that Ryan from Toronto hit the nail on the head up above.

it was a procedural thing. i’m sure they have a protocol of how to handle the situation. i don’t think it was so much toronto saying it was “absolutely a goal” and LaRue just overruling them. i think maybe all toronto can say by rule is that it went in before the whistle went and it crossed the line. LaRue meanwhile actually doesn’t get to see the replay… which is totally retarded by the way. like they couldn’t have a monitor down there. the fact is he had “intent” in his head and there’s no communication channel that can convince him of otherwise… BY RULE. How stupid.

My guess is when LaRue saw the reply with sound after the game he realized what a mistake it was. but he won’t be punished and toronto won’t be punished because they both “did their jobs”. but, a flaw in the system was exposed tonight so the result could be a rule change, perhaps a monitor at ice level. in every other major sport the on-field/court officials get to review the replay. but not in hockey. seems kind of silly to weave something as subjective as “intent” into the rules yet not give that person any part of the review process.

Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/19/09 at 01:33 AM ET

]I think most of us here are not saying anything seriously of a conspiracy, and if we are it is a reflex statement made in anger.  It is simply incompetence, no, RAGING incompetence.  I think you can see most of the comments say this.  Since I watch mainly Red Wings games, I can say that it happens to the wings all the time.  However, I don’t know how often it happens to other teams.  I have seen countless instances of wings screw jobs that get no mention in the game recaps, so fans of other teams may have no idea any controversy existed.  I’m sure that same thing happens to other teams. 

Just got this off TSN website. A direct quote from Auld.

“They’ve got enough cameras in the building. If they say it’s not a goal, it’s not a goal,” he said. “I think the biggest thing was the intent of the official to blow the whistle.”
Posted by Down River Dan on 11/18/09 at 11:17 PM ET

I saw that myself.  It sounds like he is taking lessons from Turco, remember all his ridiculous statements made after all those O’Halleran disallowed goals in the 2008 playoffs?  He made it sound like O’Halleran was a genius who was the only one who had the guts to make the right call.

Posted by Bent from The U.P. on 11/19/09 at 01:33 AM ET

Hey LGP8771   -  while i agree that the conspiracy theories can get a little far fetched and much of the “blame” put toward Bettman isn’t so much about the specific incidences but are motivated by the hatred for him because he has been a huge detriment to the game by just about any scale. it’s a macro thing. he didn’t personally order that the goal not count tonight, but it is one more drop in the bucket and a nice reminder of who the enemy is.

with that said, the league and Bettman have stated quite clearly that parity is the ultimate motivation for much of their decision making. it’s all about business. this isn’t a conspiracy, it’s their explicit goal! involves making a league where the blue jacket fans and panther fans have as high of expectations as wings fans and penguin fans. the salary cap was supposed to be the grand equalizer along with the equalizer that’s always been there - the draft. and yet, for reasons often gloated about here, the wings have remained the cream of the crop. the team every team has looked up to. it’s clear that this is not to the leagues liking.

it is also a fact that the league has a heavy hand inside how games go. are they fixing games? of course not, but do they have the power to tilt the ice a bit night in and night out, of course they do! and what’s more, if a player or coach dare say anything, they get monstrously fined. so what are fans supposed to think when a really soft penalty gets called against the team when they’re one up with a couple of minutes left in the third? does it happen to every team? yeah probably, but don’t forget, a lot of it isn’t random. the league does instruct refs very specifically what they should and shouldn’t call. and all of their decisions are about parity, even in the micro sense on the ice. do they not want the wings to win the cup? probably not every year, but it’s a big market, i’m sure they’re ecstatic when the wings go deep. but is it really an absurd notion to not put it past the suits in the league office to tilt the ice here and there to try and at least stretch series’? i sure don’t think so… in fact, i think it’s almost obvious that this happens. after all, the “makeup call” is a long standing tradition in the NHL.

Posted by perfection from LaLaLand on 11/19/09 at 01:47 AM ET

LaRue meanwhile actually doesn’t get to see the replay… which is totally retarded by the way. like they couldn’t have a monitor down there.

Hell, even The Canoe has a monitor between the benches (as I’m sure most of those guys do), so putting one in the scorer’s booth can’t be that hard, right?

I think this is the end of the Internet—Pens fans and Wings fans agreeing (for the most part) about something.

Posted by RedMenace from the darkest recesses on 11/19/09 at 02:46 AM ET

Yeah…that was pretty bad.  Maybe it was “Intent to make a save”.  I can see it not being a goal in the case of a crease jam with intent to whistle but in this case…he gaffed the save in the first place.

Posted by stoneman from vegas on 11/19/09 at 03:01 AM ET

You know, we Wings fans know that this was not an indication of some sort of conspiracy.  Similar bad calls have even gone our way in the past, so maybe it all evens out in the end.  But what angers us as fans is that there shouldn’t be anything to even out in the first place.  There shouldn’t be bad calls going for, or against, us or any other team.  If the standard of officiating was uniform, fair, and competent, then the right calls would be made, egos would be swallowed, and bad calls would be overturned.  Goals would count, goals would be called back (though I do find it ironic that a league who had increasing goals scored as one of its aims coming out of the lockout has now called back more goals than I can remember) and the right plays would be made.  Instead we get a joke of officiating that cuts both ways for all fans, and a league too cowardly to do anything about potentially lethal headshots.  And you and I both know that nothing will get done because this will all cool off within a week and we’ll all tune in again.  Welcome to the new NHL, kid.  Swallow that screwjob along with our advertising and hey, have you seen our ladies’ pink sweatshirts?  You’ll just have to excuse us now, we’ve got money to count.

Did Gary Bettman have a hand in it? This really needs to end.

I don’t think he had a direct hand in it, but as the commissioner, ultimately the League and all of its ineptitudes are his responsibility.  It’s obvious something is very wrong with the officiating, and it has been obvious for a very long time, yet he doens’t take responsibility and fix it.  So yes, he did have his hand in it by not having the guts to fix what it broken.  If I did my job like Gary did his, I’d be gone in five minutes.

That being said, if this results in his dismissal, I’m sure FIFA would love to have him:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/republicofireland/6599687/Thierry-Henry-admits-to-handball-that-defeated-Ireland-in-World-Cup-play-off.html

Ineptitude is welcome there too, it appears.  At least the no-goal wasn’t the only awful call in sports last night.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 11/19/09 at 03:12 AM ET

Teebz, LGP: this is not a claim at a conspiracy.  Even in my seething rage at this absolute screw job, I tried to make that point clear in this specific post.  This game, this specific call, is not a result of Gary Bettman’s anti-Wing agenda.  Do I believe that exists? Yes.  But in this case it is a reflection of just how much of a farce he’s allowed this league to become, not of his personal dislike of the Ilitch family and Detroit.

Perfection put it best: “while i agree that the conspiracy theories can get a little far fetched and much of the “blame” put toward Bettman isn’t so much about the specific incidences but are motivated by the hatred for him because he has been a huge detriment to the game by just about any scale. it’s a macro thing. he didn’t personally order that the goal not count tonight, but it is one more drop in the bucket and a nice reminder of who the enemy is.”

Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 11/19/09 at 03:15 AM ET

I say we form a strategic alliance and fuch shite up. Get some problems fixed.

Posted by Osrt on 11/19/09 at 03:16 AM ET

If this is the level of “competence” of officiating the league is going to permit, I would almost RATHER they initiate a conspiracy and start scripting the results of games for maximum economic benefits.  At least the league would be profitable and the storylines would be interesting.

No wonder I will watch college hockey between two random teams and enjoy it if it is a good game, but I refuse to waste my time on a parade of incompetence unless a team I care about is playing - and sometimes even then I have other priorities.

Failing improving the officiating, issue some guidelines for fans regarding goal celebrations:

1. Make sure puck is in net.
2. Make sure net was not off pegs.
3. Make sure no opposing player was within a metre of the goalie, thus causing “interference” (although distance from goaltender required varies based on teams involved and on the specific player).
4. Double-check that there was no interference, because the league has problems with that.
5. Make sure whistle didn’t blow.
6. Make sure referee didn’t intend to blow the whistle at some point, assuming he could go back in time and change history.
7. Double-check the whistle thing, because the league has problems with that.
8. Check “on the phone with Toronto,” which I’m starting to think is code for “we’re ordering Chinese, what do you want?” since they don’t actually seem to use the video to GET ANYTHING RIGHT, for which I think it would be useful.
9. Celebrate the goal.

If someone sucks at his job, he should be working elsewhere.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/19/09 at 03:34 AM ET

@IwoCPO I just saw it. It was obviously a goal. You guys got screwed tonight, no doubt. Don’t blame you for being pissed off. The thing is though, this sort of thing happens to every team every now and then. The refs are not out to get the Red Wings, same for the war room, and same for Bettman. All leagues have embarrassing moments like this. Did you watch the World Series? Do you follow the NFL and the NBA? Yes, the refs in the NHL need to get a lot better, but to say that the whole thing is a joke is simply your melodramatic reaction to getting screwed over tonight.

This is a game the Wings could have won if that goal is ruled what it was, a good clean goal. So I’d be pretty outraged if this happened to the Pens (and things like this, believe it or not, have happened to the Pens in recent years. Maybe not as bad, but we do get screwed over from time to time). However, to blame Gary Bettman, YET AGAIN, proves you’re pretty much a lunatic when it comes to the Red Wings. I like the passion for your team, it shows you’re a real fan, but you’re delusional with your whole conspiracy when it comes to Bettman, the NHL and the Wings.

Posted by LGP8771 on 11/19/09 at 01:03 AM ET

I would like you to show me one concrete example of the Pens getting screwed over in any way.  Please.  Give me a video example like the numerous ones we can provide of the Wings getting screwed.  And guess what?  I would bet every dollar to my name that if this was the Penguins tonight waiting to hear if their goal counted?  It would have counted.  Don’t for a single second think that if Crosby put that backhand on net and it went in like that and the same situation happened, that the ref coming out on the ice at the end after talking to the War Room wouldn’t have said it was a good goal.  He would have motioned to the goal and the goal would have counted.  Motherfucking guaranteed.

Now what is your point about bringing up the NFL?  They have actually made huge strides in the past couple of years to utilize all of their on field and side refs coupled with video replay to get calls right, and they pretty much always do now. 

What the *#$%@& is wrong with the idea of being able to quickly review something and have someone, the reviewer, after looking at clear video evidence, decide that the call that was made wasn’t correct, whether it be a penalty call or a goal?  The only possible reason that could exist for why that isn’t the way it works now is to save face for the refs for making an incorrect call.  What is ONE SINGLE logical reason to have this system function this way?  It is so clearly, undeniably, and consistently flawed.  I’m still unbelievably enraged even now, hours and hours after the game.

Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/19/09 at 03:35 AM ET

I don’t know why the quotes didn’t work in my above post, sorry.

Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/19/09 at 03:36 AM ET

on the bright side….Howard looked really good. i don’t think he could of done anything on any of the goals…itll be interesting to him make his hnic debut in le belle province.

Posted by Itrusteddrrahmani from Nyc by way of A2 on 11/19/09 at 03:39 AM ET

Also, lovely Greg Wyshynski wrote about it tonight and specifically linked to A2Y, calling us “tin foil hat society”.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Blown-call-of-season-candidate-on-Red-Win;_ylt=AtuY3hdH6hEQhcwze_MHg6l7vLYF?urn=nhl,203543

Posted by stayouttamalibu from Temporarily in Tempe, AZ on 11/19/09 at 03:51 AM ET

Also, lovely Greg Wyshynski wrote about it tonight and specifically linked to A2Y, calling us “tin foil hat society”.

Either he is illiterate and doesn’t bother reading A2Y (because then he would know that the only people who consistently complain about “the Wings fan call it a conspiracy!” are fans from other teams who also can’t be bothered to read, and should probably just go jump off a cliff and preserve the oxygen for better uses) or he is just too busy to bother.

Either way, it’s an unprofessional cheap shot.  The worst thing about the call is that it perpetuates the NHL’s EXISTING AND WELL-DESERVED reputation as a third-rate sports league that permits criminals as team owners, cares not at all for the welfare of its own players, has no apparent standards for officiating other than the ability to skate without falling over, markets its designated golden boy to the exclusion of all other talented players, puts more emphasis on appearance than substance in terms of winning (even my father thinks a shootout is one of the dumbest ways to decide a game that he has ever seen, and he doesn’t even really follow hockey), and gives every appearance of being unable to organize a one-car parade.

The NHL is a laughingstock among sports fans - even (maybe especially) hockey fans, and every time they have an opportunity to improve their reputation, they f*** it up royally.  THAT is the worst thing about the call.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/19/09 at 04:06 AM ET

F*ck Wyshynski.  I’d like to see his headgear should that have happened to his beloved Devils.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 11/19/09 at 04:07 AM ET

Total incompetence

Posted by Bean on 11/19/09 at 04:07 AM ET

I say we just put air horns in the hands of the officials so that they can call off plays at the flick of a finger as opposed to having to “lift the whistle to their mouth” and blow, thus eliminating the whole “intent to blow” garbage (not that it would have helped us tonight since it obviously wasn’t an ‘intent to blow’ issue). Just plain stupidity and corruption at it’s finest.

Posted by Ron on 11/19/09 at 04:16 AM ET

The “intent to blow” rule definitely makes officiating less objective and less accountable, not to mention disallowing some good goals. (I thought the NHL wanted to encourage scoring!) What is the problem with using the instant replay with audio, and the moment you hear the sound of the whistle, the play is considered dead?! Simple. Black and white. Easily measurable evidence. No guesswork, interpretation, or Vulcan mind-meld required. You don’t award a touchdown when the player is just about to cross the goal line. You don’t award a home run when the ball is almost into the cheap seats. The SOUND of the whistle should end the play. Period.

Look, I get that there is going to be human error in any situation involving, well, human officials. That’s fine. It’s part of any sport, sometimes it works in your favor, and sometimes it bites you in the ass. I’m cool with that. But I would think the league would want to minimize the human error aspect, as it compromises the quality of the sport. How lame it must be for new/potential hockey fans to see an obvious goal disallowed, and then see the “official” explanation be that the ref said he was thinking about blowing his whistle! You think the newbies have a hard time figuring out icing and offisdes, how about “the ref ended the play in his mind.” And we’re supposed to attract new fans from the Versus market? Really??

I don’t know or care if Gary.Ass has a specifically anti-Wing agenda, but to me it looks like he is just plain incompetent. Ya know? When he took over, hockey was on the upswing in popularity, and it was at least on the major networks. It was considered a major sport, not a hobby. Now we’re sandwiched between thumbwrestling and competitive vomiting on Versus, and many of us can’t even watch THAT because Versus is in the middle of a girl fight with DirecTV.

Posted by CircusBoner on 11/19/09 at 06:22 AM ET

Watch the goal and tell me I’m wrong.

Can’t do it. When you’re right Chief you’re right. That will probably go down as maybe the worst call of the season.

Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 11/19/09 at 07:38 AM ET

Bettman
He’s the same as the slimy politicians we get these days. Politics is such a filthy, shifty sort of business, it’s a good thing there are people still willing to partake in it. It makes me grin when Buttman says, “OUR wonderful sport”. He couldn’t have been a hockey fan before this job of his, and I bet he’s hardly a “fan” now. I also get weary of hearing what a “tough job the zebras have out there”. THEN GET THEM SOME MORE HELP!!!!!!That’s what alll the other sports have done. At the Joe last Thursday, they got a massive bboing to begin the third. Weak calls, etc. Another note on Gary; It is a nearly unanimous consesus that the Ilitch’s are one the best owners in professional sports, and the Red Wings is one the “best managed teams” of all professional sports. And you, Gary B., do not have their respect. In fact, commissioner, you seem to have garnerd the spite of possibly the best professional sports franchise going. Gary, you get booed everywhere by the FANS! of “our wonderful sport”. How do you live with yourself?

Posted by Gunnar from Ada, Mi on 11/19/09 at 07:40 AM ET

It’s Bettman’s league.  That’s all there is to it.  Someone has to take responsibility for the continued ineptitude, for the two lockouts, for the teams in cities that have no business hosting them, the tv contract with OLN, for the joke this league has become.

This is precisely the point. It’s never truly been that Bettman really sits in his office conspiring on what to do to screw team A, and then screw team B, all the ensure things go right for team C. What it’s about is the fact that whenever someone in the league makes a MISTAKE as BAD and OBVIOUS as this, Bettman defends them, and flat-out refuses to acknowledge a mistake was made and pledge to the fans and teams that they will do better going forward.

Bettman creates a culture that allows a call like this (or, let’s say, sweeping a by-the-book one-game suspension for instigating under the rug) happen with no consequences, no adjustments, no attempt to rectify what went wrong.

Look, if the Red Wings season comes down to two points they lost because of a travesty of a call against Dallas in November, they’ve got bigger issues than this call. It’s not about that. It’s about the pattern of ignorance, stubbornness, and stupidity that has plagued the NHL commissioner’s office and the way they handle tough situations. It hurts EVERY team and every fanbase, whether Detroit or Pittsburgh or one of the other 28 teams.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 11/19/09 at 08:28 AM ET

I really think it was the worst call of this season. What makes me even more angry, they can get such a call right.
Look at this Kings @ Rangers goal review

Here are the highlights from that game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4UuQiLjMp0
the particular play is at 2:40 of the video.

Posted by murphy from Slovakia on 11/19/09 at 09:21 AM ET