I like how the moron quotes Letang. In doing so he just negated the whole point of his article. Bylsma is doing a good job of ignoring the press and just saying his team hasn’t gotten it done, and he’s right. No excuses, no bitching, just the truth is coming from him. Bylsma is a helluva coach compared to Michelle Therrien…

Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 06/02/09 at 07:12 AM ET

**Sigh.  Dear Ray, S*ck it(exclamation point).  We went over all of this crap yesterday.  If you want to see obstruction just look at your lumbering land mass wearing the 2 on his back…you know, the one who’s so used to obstructing he parks his car at the drive through window at McD’s and then goes inside to eat?

Do a little research, actually look at that play with Hossa and DuPuis and stop wasting our time with stupid, whiney, inaccurate crap like this.  Either that, or go get a job at the OC Register…they’re always looking for a new hack.

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/02/09 at 07:20 AM ET

Wow so according to Pen(i)s fans everything is “interference” unless we just let their players walk up to Osgood and score. They ignore the fact that Malkin should have been called on a penalty on that breakaway of his. They ignore the blatant hooking on the Helm breakaway. How can this possibly be considered journalism when this so called reporter didn’t even check the replays of Hossa’s so called “slashing” non penalty to verify if what the NBC clowns was right or not?

Posted by grishj on 06/02/09 at 07:20 AM ET

You know, there’s been a lot of cheating going on, by both teams. Thru my Penguin-colored glasses, I remember far more obstruction by the Wings, as I’m sure my Wings-fan-counterparts would argue otherwise. But, at least I can admit that both teams are getting away with clutching, grabbing, hooking, slashing, and interference that would have been penalties during the regular season. I’m still debating whether I like this “no whistle” policy or not.

Posted by penguinsfan on 06/02/09 at 07:25 AM ET

Wow, so do Pens fans know hockey, or…

Guess what?  Subtle obstruction and interference?  THAT’S PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY.

SUBTLE obstruction and interference is the stuff that isn’t called.  The stuff that’s never called, becuase, again, THAT’S HOCKEY!

I’ll never tire of a team complaining about the subtle interference when they’ve spent two games blatantly tripping and hooking and cross-checking.

Subtle interference.

Yeah, THAT’s the problem, not Malkin trying to start a fight, punching Zetterberg in the face WHILE STILL HOLDING HIS STICK.

Yeah…subtle interference…

And “penguinsfan”, you should be rejoicing the no whistle policy, because you’d be spending a lot of time with Sid in the sin bin, and you’d only see Malkin in game three when the camera panned up to the press box.

Posted by Garth on 06/02/09 at 07:36 AM ET

But, at least I can admit that both teams are getting away with clutching, grabbing, hooking, slashing, and interference that would have been penalties during the regular season. I’m still debating whether I like this “no whistle” policy or not.

Ding ding ding!  This I think is what is being lost (by some, but not all) - BOTH teams have been getting away with a lot more than they would have in the regular season.  It’s as though the officials are so afraid of making themselves a factor that they figure the best way to not get yelled at by anyone or get in trouble with their bosses is to not call ANYTHING.

As long as it stays the same for both teams, and doesn’t change from oen game to the next - heck, one shift to the next - I think it is as close to fair as can be expected.  Consistently good would be better, but consistently bad at least can be adapted to.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/02/09 at 07:36 AM ET

Thru my Penguin-colored glasses, I remember far more obstruction by the Wings, as I’m sure my Wings-fan-counterparts would argue otherwise. But, at least I can admit that both teams are getting away with clutching, grabbing, hooking, slashing, and interference that would have been penalties during the regular season.

Where did all these fairly knowledgeable and humble Penguins fans come from?  I’m used to dealing with nothing but the bandwagoners who only remembered they had a team when Cindy came to town.  Either the true and (powder) blue Pen(i)s fans are finding their way to their internet machines, or the bandwagoners from last year are actually starting to learn about the game of hockey…

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/02/09 at 07:39 AM ET

penguinsfan, I think that is fair to say. There are lots of things they are letting go—Detroit’s got 2 PPs in the series, and the Pens have 3. Not many calls being made either way.

It’s obnoxious when guys that are supposed to be professional write articles like this, though.

Did this writer watch any western conference hockey? The defenses are worlds better in the west, the teams are more defensively aggressive, and the overall games are played tighter in the West.

I would say that Detroit, Anaheim, Nashville, Chicago, and San Jose all have deeper, more talented defense groups than the best defense in the East (probably Boston or New Jersey). I think that playing better competition all year and through the playoffs better conditioned Detroit for how to play tight checking hockey.

I don’t personally see a lot of holding and hooking going on, but it does seem that there refs are letting guys—on both teams—finish checks (even if they’re technically interference). Look at that shift with the battle between Crosby and Zetterberg. Zetterberg went out of his way early in the shift to get up ice and give Crosby a nudge, away from the puck. Then Crosby went out of his way to get across the neutral zone to shoulder Zetterberg. Neither was called, both could’ve been.

As for the “picks” that Detroit sets. Yeah, they do it the best of any team. Chicago has gotten really good at it. Pittsburgh is pretty good at it. A number of teams do it, Detroit is just the best. And people need to quit jumping to conclusions that it’s not legal, because any ice is just as much a Wings player’s ice as it is a Pens player’s ice. So it’s about who can get there first and look the most oblivious to the surroundings. Detroit’s just good at it.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 06/02/09 at 07:44 AM ET

Consistently good would be better, but consistently bad at least can be adapted to.

Exactly! I don’t want a game with 20 minors called, but I do think there have been missed calls (both ways). Either way, consistency is all we can hope for.

Where did all these fairly knowledgeable and humble Penguins fans come from?

Actually I’ve been here since it was called Breaking Sports during the lockout. You?

Posted by penguinsfan on 06/02/09 at 07:49 AM ET

Personally, and it’s a completely biased opinion, I think the “let them play” attitude of officiating is an advantage to Detroit. It’s more prevalent in their conference and they have the defensive corps and system to execute it. Someone will probably disagree and label it “superior defence of the West” or something similar. Fair enough, it’s subjective.

That doesn’t mean that the Penguins would be favourites in a properly officiated game. (Properly officiated game means using the current rulebook, not McCreary’s edited version from the nineties.) Detroit would still be the favourite. I’m just tired of watching the clutch and grab style in the finals.

That and Campbell’s magic eight-ball for suspensions is a contradiction to anything labeled “the new NHL”, which is sad for hockey regardless of the eventual winner.

Posted by Moq from Denmark on 06/02/09 at 07:53 AM ET

There’s a fundamental difference in what Penguins fans think constitutes interference and what actually does.  What they don’t get is that the Red Wings have been playing this style as a cohesive unit for three seasons now.  They know how to get body position.  Once you get that body position, the pick you set it legal.  You don’t have to move out of a defender’s way so he can get to the puck carrier if your spot on the ice is already established.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 06/02/09 at 08:02 AM ET

Personally, and it’s a completely biased opinion, I think the “let them play” attitude of officiating is an advantage to Detroit. It’s more prevalent in their conference and they have the defensive corps and system to execute it. Someone will probably disagree and label it “superior defence of the West” or something similar. Fair enough, it’s subjective.

Detroit has better PP numbers than the Pens, and better even-strength numbers, so I don’t know that “letting ‘em play” or “calling ‘em all” benefits one team more or less than the other. It just is what it is.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 06/02/09 at 08:07 AM ET

About the only voice of sanity coming out of the ‘Burgh anymore is Coach Bylsma. He is such a fresh change of pace from Therrien, who is really just Sidney Crosby in 2033.

The football columnists that write about hockey in the off-season so as to have full-time jobs are completely non-sensical at this point. The fan blogs have crossed the line of insanity long ago. The players are buying into the cult of victimhood.

Bylsma knows Babcock handles these situation right. You don’t find a scapegoat for your team to blame. You focus on the tasks at hand. As far as I can tell, the Pens are still focused on Game Two.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 06/02/09 at 08:08 AM ET

the Penguins are encountering the same type of obstruction and interference by the Red Wings, who, it seems, are being allowed by the officials to toe that fine line between good defense and committing a penalty.

Posted by Alan from Atlanta on 06/02/09 at 08:25 AM ET

I think the “let them play” attitude of officiating is an advantage to Detroit.

That tends to be the case when one team is better than the other team.

In any situation where things are done evenly and uniformly, the superior team ‘benefits’ from that, or will at least be more successful in that environment.

If the Pens start getting the 2 or 3 Powerplay a night advantage they’ve obviously gotten accustomed to over the first three rounds then sure, I’d expect the series will turn.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 06/02/09 at 08:27 AM ET

come on detroit fans, give the pens a break.  after the Pens/Caps series, they are just used to always getting the calls and especially any time a stick falls out of their hands getting a PP from it.  This even/loose officiating is not what they are used to and it is throwing them off.  Now they know how every team feels playing them, to some extent. 

Posted by passerby on 06/02/09 at 08:33 AM ET

Obviously, the Red Wings have earned a great deal of respect over the past 10+ years. Deservedly so.

That being said, I do feel that they get too much respect from the officials sometimes. They are smart in that they know exactly what they can and can’t get away with, and they don"t cross that line very often.

That’s just the way it is, though. When you play the Red Wings, you have to realize that calls that could go either way probably aren’t going to be called. At least Bylsma isn’t complaining about it like Therrien did last year.

Posted by BFN on 06/02/09 at 08:36 AM ET

Its amazing how Pens fans cry about non-calls, but that’s because most of them are new fans, and as someone posted earlier “They are used to having everything go their way”.  There are incidents between both teams in this series that could be considered “whistle worthy” but they haven’t been called, so put down your kleenex and get over it.  It will be OK, Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury will spend another evening telling the world how great Sid and the Pens are, and how the Wings are a fluke.

Posted by yzerman19 from Nashville on 06/02/09 at 08:42 AM ET

I do feel that they get too much respect from the officials sometimes. They are smart in that they know exactly what they can and can’t get away with, and they don"t cross that line very often.

That’s just the way it is, though. When you play the Red Wings, you have to realize that calls that could go either way probably aren’t going to be called.

Great summation. This is why I waiver on whether I’d rather see these (and Penguin infractions) being called so that “respect” isn’t an issue, or whether I’d like to see the Penguins engaged in the same stuff, which ultimately leads to a less exciting game.

Posted by penguinsfan on 06/02/09 at 08:44 AM ET

Yes, the Wings are getting away with obstruction, but so are the Pens….the difference is that the Wings capitalize on their chances, so perhaps it makes the non-calls more glaring, but its really been called pretty evenly so far.  So Pens fans, bitch all you want about the officiating, but maybe you should bitch more about your team’s lack of execution.

Posted by MisterT on 06/02/09 at 08:46 AM ET

So Pens fans, bitch all you want about the officiating, but maybe you should bitch more about your team’s lack of execution.

You haven’t seen the other threads? There’s been plenty of bitching about their play, and about Sid/Geno’s supporting cast needing to step up. They do! Doesn’t mean we can have an opinion about the calls.

Posted by penguinsfan on 06/02/09 at 08:53 AM ET

Obviously, the Red Wings have earned a great deal of respect over the past 10+ years. Deservedly so.
That being said, I do feel that they get too much respect from the officials sometimes. They are smart in that they know exactly what they can and can’t get away with, and they don"t cross that line very often

A young man knows the rules, a wise man knows the exceptions.
We’ve all seen the first 2 games, some are still grasping at non calls from 2 days ago. If the officiating stays the course, the exceptions are going to be what you have to live with-play through and around.  The experience of having been there a few times teaches what can be “gotten” away with, or what is tolerated on the ice.. that information (experience) isn’t given away in the draft.
None of us, regardless of fandom, want to see Cup Finals being whistled like game 3 of the regular season right as the memo to enforce any & every little “hook” or “interference” play is handed out.
That all said, I’d be slightly surprised if there aren’t a few more PP’s tonight. Emotions are going to be sky high, energy levels off the charts…

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 06/02/09 at 09:04 AM ET

That’s just the way it is, though. When you play the Red Wings, you have to realize that calls that could go either way probably aren’t going to be called. At least Bylsma isn’t complaining about it like Therrien did last year.

I have to admit, it’s awfully amusing watching the fans of a team that has gotten 6 straight powerplays in a game and a 3 to 0 advantage in powerplays in a game 7 on the road complaining about how the officiating is going against them.

In reality, the officiating has been pretty much dead even.  The fact that officiating isn’t obviously slanted towards trhough two games to the Pens is such a shock to their fans that they are reacting like they’re being discrimintated against rather than just reated equally for a change.

They shouldn’t get too worried about that, though.  Things will return to ‘normal’ for them in game 3.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 06/02/09 at 09:13 AM ET

BOTH teams have been getting away with a lot more than they would have in the regular season.  It’s as though the officials are so afraid of making themselves a factor that they figure the best way to not get yelled at by anyone or get in trouble with their bosses is to not call ANYTHING.

As long as it stays the same for both teams, and doesn’t change from oen game to the next - heck, one shift to the next - I think it is as close to fair as can be expected.  Consistently good would be better, but consistently bad at least can be adapted to.

I would have to agree with you on this one Baroque.  For as much whining as there is about the non-calls, I’ve seen plenty of infractions that aren’t being called on both sides.  Pittsburgh sets interference as much as the Wings do.  I just hate this garbage about how the Wings “cheat” all the time.  the Pens don’t?  I beg to differ.  The problem for the Pens is that they are facing a more defensively talented team than what they have faced in previous rounds and they are frustrated.

I would echo what everyone else is saying about Coach Bylsma, he’s a stand up guy and thank goodness he doesn’t whine like Therrien did last year.

Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 06/02/09 at 09:41 AM ET

Through 3 rounds of the playoffs,  Detroit and Pittsburgh were the too least penalized teams.  They were both averaging between 10-12 PIM per game. 

So, we may expect that there should be a total of 20 PIM per game in the finals.  Going into the final minute of game 2, there had been a total of 10 PIM combined for the entire series.  (Im going to ignore the scrum, since the On Ice officils and the league cant agree on how many penalty minutes should have been assessed

It doesnt take a genius to figure out that less penaltiesare being called on both teams. 

Any one that has ever watched a regular season game, an early round playoff game, and a stanley cup final game should know by now that this is the case.  I would be great if the rules were the same, but it has never been the case in the nhl. 

Statisitcally, the Pens may even have a slight advantage, as they averaged more penalty minutes through the first three rounds, but have been called for less so far in the finals (If we exclude Malkin extra instigator, and miconduct, which the League ruled did not realy happen)

Posted by jwad on 06/02/09 at 09:57 AM ET

Emotions are going to be sky high

I hear you.

My family has become acustomed to my playoff day demeanor. Nerves ratchet up slowly at first, but by 4 PM it’s game face time.

Pacing, short temper…animals automatically hide under beds when they hear me playing Youtube hilights of past Wings glories.

Ten minutes before puck drop it’s full-blown pacing. People know not to talk to me. They also know not to stand between me and the bathroom, should the opposing team score first.

I wonder if these playoffs are harder on us than the players.

Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 06/02/09 at 10:35 AM ET

I am Pens season ticket holder and will be there tonight for game three. I think the officiating has been fine because it has been consistent. I think it could be called tighter if they deemed so but it has been fair.

That being said I don’t understand the venom the the Wings have towards every other team in the NHL and the “we get no respect attitiude” they have. You have a great team and should enjoy that fact. From an opponent view you are mostly disiked becasue you are successful and very hard to play against. also it is at times not the most enjoyable hockey to watch unless you are a Wings fan. 

As far as the Pens go most of you have no idea of what you are talking about. This teams plays hard and deals with the good/bad breaks as the come. I get sick of all the “NHL favors the Pens and gives them Power Plays” talk. The Pens earned their PP in the first three rounds because of their speed and hard work. The other teams had trouble slowing them down without taking penalties. the Red Wings don’t have that issue.

So enjoy the series and I will not give up until/if the Red Wings get 4 wins.

Go PENS!!

Posted by Randy from Butler PA on 06/02/09 at 10:44 AM ET

That being said I don’t understand the venom the the Wings have towards every other team in the NHL and the “we get no respect attitiude” they have. You have a great team and should enjoy that fact. From an opponent view you are mostly disiked becasue you are successful and very hard to play against. also it is at times not the most enjoyable hockey to watch unless you are a Wings fan. 

The venom does not come from people like you.  Clearly your comment is well-reasoned and thought out, and that’s what most fans like.  There are ridiculous, venomous fans for all teams, but it’s annoying when that stereotypes the rest of us who consider ourselves more even-keeled, and critical of our team’s performance.

That said, most of the venom comes from the mainstream media (articles like this one).  I think I’ve seen at least a dozen articles (I don’t think I’m exaggerating here) regarding how the Wings are lucky and/or getting the benefit of penalty calls.  That is extremely irritating.  Also, the mainstream media has said for every single year since the lockout that Detroit is too old, too light, too small, not strong enough, not nasty enough, is boring, too European, has no “real superstars”, is in decline, etc.  It’s created this overall defensive attitude that a lot of us have, just from years of hearing about how our team is “horrible” in some way.  THAT is where we have issues with what we perceive as “not getting the respect” that this team deserves.

Posted by BuzzFledderjohn on 06/02/09 at 11:38 AM ET

@HockeyInHD,

Re-read my post, then read the reactions of the posts that responded to mine.

The other people got what I was trying to say.

You didn’t

Posted by BFN on 06/02/09 at 11:49 AM ET

Obviously you have not really examine the replay of the Hosa incident.  The stick was broken by Pascal Dupuis striking Hosa left skate.

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/more_fun_with_hockey_sticks/

Posted by Gary from Grand Blanc, MI on 06/02/09 at 12:22 PM ET

Hockey HD

I don’t have a problem with your posts about the officiating in this series. Your comments about the penalties in the previous round is misleading because you seem to say because the Pens had 6 in arrow or 3 in a game 7 that they weren’t justified. Leading to the Pens are treated special by the NHL

Posted by Randy from Butler, PA on 06/02/09 at 12:27 PM ET

This is getting old.

Posted by yreland from Van Dieman's Land on 06/02/09 at 03:37 PM ET