“Nothing short of decapitation,” Drew? A bit heavy on the melodrama there.

Count me as a voice of support for the officials’ work in last night’s 3xOT marathon. I think they did a pretty good job under the circumstances, and ignored plenty of small things to let the players just play for the most part.

Posted by Alanah McGinley from British Columbia on 06/03/08 at 04:48 PM ET

I am with Alanah.  A high stick that draws blood is a call every time and they should call it.  The other penalties that were called were pretty meritless.  But the high stick has to be called.

Posted by Tim on 06/03/08 at 04:52 PM ET

the high sticking was a lazy pentaly that should of been called no matter what but fluery did a great job of putting himself in a great postion to sell those goaltender intrference.

Posted by FlyersFan on 06/03/08 at 04:53 PM ET

The rulebook doesn’t suddenly change in overtime.  A penalty in game 23 in the regular season should be a penalty in a stanley cup playoff overtime.

Posted by Guy Legend on 06/03/08 at 05:06 PM ET

All we hear is how “the players just want consistency” from the refs? When we get it, articles likes this pop up. Hockey.

Posted by underthechestnuttree from LaSalle, Ontario, Canada on 06/03/08 at 05:15 PM ET

I disagree.

The officiating, particularly in OT, was horrid. Talk about your pre-lockout, whistle in the pocket officiating. Add to that two missinturpations of the goalie interfierence rules adds up to a pathetic offical performance. And don’t talk to me about this whole “players should decide” arguement. They players DO have the option of not commiting a penalty. If they choose to hook, hold, crosscheck or otherwise commit a foul, they should run the risk of being called on it. If not, then whats the point of calling all those penalties during the regular season. The tried and true fact is that if you give a player an inch, he will take a mile. Thats what we saw last night.

All was need was for the officials to go to both teams, either on ice or in the locker room, to remind both teams that although they would prefer not to have the game decided on powerplays, they will not swallow their whistle. As long as they interpret the rules correctly and make sure that an actual foul was commited, I’d have no problem whatever the outcome would be.

Posted by Mike from Detroit, MI on 06/03/08 at 05:15 PM ET

I agree with Mike and Drew Sharp.  Both teams were getting away with murder throughout the entire game…except in the overtime when the Wings got the unfair end of two goaltender interference penalties that should not be penalties at any time of the year.

I would also like to point out the poor performance from the linesman in that game.  They did not have their eyes on the blue line and mis-called several offsides in both directions.  Additionally, they couldn’t even get their communication straight on an icing call halfway through the game…Icing!  Come on!

I hope Colin Campbell made some stern phone calls today and sent out some “what not to do” memos to all of his up and coming officials.

Posted by John from Pittsburgh, PA (Wings fan for life!) on 06/03/08 at 06:37 PM ET

Memos from Colin Campbell would get laughed at.

Memos from Stephen Walkom, on the other hand, might get looked at.

Posted by HockeyJoe from NY on 06/03/08 at 07:09 PM ET

The refs did not decide that game, great goaltending and missed opportunities (from both teams) decided the game.  I agree with Pierre McGuire that the league needs to change the interference call when the contact is clearly the result of a legitimate play, but thankfully, neither of those calls directly effected the outcome.  In a sport where goaltenders get way too much credit, blame and protection, that was a game in which Fleury truly deserves credit.
Anyone that comes away from that game focused on the refs needs find another sport to watch.

Posted by dip from philly on 06/03/08 at 09:51 PM ET

I actually just read the entire article by this idiot.

“They’re putting skirts on these guys for the myopic sake of promoting skill over will.”

How dare you cheapen a game of such effort, skill and significance! Sure, your hometown team (somehow) lost, but see the bigger picture! 

I pray that the days when a Derrian Hatcher completely negates a Pavel Datsyuk through hooking, holding and cheap sh*t head shots never returns.  Watching Datsyuk and Crosby beat defenders with incredible moves only to be stopped by either 1) a crossbar or 2) a great save, beats gap-toothed hooking by a mile.

This moron has no idea what he’s talking about. The irony is he’ll probably enjoy more watching free-throws and commercials in THE GREATEST SPORTS SERIES BETWEEN THE TWO GREATEST FRANCHISES IN SPORTS HISTORY (or whatever espn is referring to it as), where 30 seconds of non-stop, whistle free play is considered awesome.

All of the talk of ratings in hockey is such a double edged sword…I truly hate the thought that the game panders to jerks like this who just don’t get it.  Would Rocket Richard have been the Rocket if he was constantly hooked, tripped and held?  His skill, which built the game, was on constant display. His toughness was obvious when he was allowed to beat the snot out of a guy that cheap shotted him or a teammate without the linesmen stepping in.

Go hang out with Tiger and the guys from espn who also can’t appreciate the greatest sport with the greatest athletes.

Posted by dip from philly on 06/03/08 at 10:18 PM ET

This moron has no idea what he’s talking about.

Ding-ding-ding!  And we have a winner!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the writing of Drew Sharp.  There is a reason people who are familiar with his writing call him things like “Drew Not-So-Sharp” or “the Evil Drew Sharp.”  Don’t take his bleatings too seriously.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/03/08 at 11:36 PM ET

If the Penguins had scored on one of the “interference” calls or the Wings had scored on Sykora’s “hooking,” this article may have contained a grain of truth. As it is, it remains illogical and ahistorical. Consider this excerpt:

I know. I know. I’m an old, gap-toothed dinosaur trapped in a prehistoric pre-lockout world…An innocent high stick to the face? Play on…That’s the new NHL?...Blood was once a badge of honor. Now, it’s an excuse to gain an artificial edge.

I wonder if he knows that a blood-drawing high stick was an automatic four-minute penalty in the “prehistoric pre-lockout world?”

Before that (presumably back “when blood was a badge of honor”)?

Blood made for an automatic five-minute penalty.

Posted by Steve from Pittsburgh on 06/04/08 at 12:59 AM ET