I hate seeing an exacerbated Ryan Miller.

you might see more corrupt officiating. i'm sure bettman wants what is best for the NHL
THN.com Playoff Blog: Why a Wings comeback would benefit the NHL
Ryan Kennedy

2010-05-05 13:35:00
With one of the strongest franchises in the NHL on the ropes in just the second round of the playoffs, there is obviously a lot of fear and loathing going on in Detroit right now.

The Red Wings managed to overcome some devastating injury woes during the regular season, then outlast a very game Phoenix Coyotes team in the first round. But the San Jose Sharks, once Detroit’s plaything, have proved to be a formidable foe this year and are now threatening to sweep the defending Western Conference champs off the board entirely.

Needless to say, some Detroit fans aren’t taking it well.

A group of enthusiasts calling themselves the ‘Tin Foil Hat Club’ has formed, with a mandate that espouses the conspiracy theory that the refs – and, by extension, the NHL – are out to get the Red Wings this post-season.

While the group maintains a certain level of tongue-in-cheekiness, the members are still adamant that the fix is in.

“We get some crazy bad calls against us, so these are our tin hats to ward off the bad mojo,” member Sara Schropp told the Detroit Free Press.

“I believe the NHL has its own interests besides individual markets,” added fellow Tin Hatter Robert Masters. “They're trying to look out for the big picture. They want parity.

“What's the best way to get parity in the league than taking out the biggest dynasty? It makes sense a little bit.”

Except it doesn’t make sense.

From a marketing perspective, the NHL loves the Red Wings and why shouldn’t they? Detroit is an Original Six franchise that birthed one of the best players ever in Gordie Howe and still boasts stars such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. In fact, Zetterberg and Datsyuk’s jerseys are both still top-20 sellers on NHL.com, despite the fact they’ve played in the city for most of the decade (meaning many Detroit fans probably already have one of the sweaters from a previous year, whereas all Philly fans had to wait until Chris Pronger was acquired this year before buying his Orange and Black sweater).

And when NBC televises regular season games, it seems like nearly half are Wings contests (Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston, Philly, Chicago and the Rangers the only others considered).

As for the riff on parity, I don’t see the logic. Dynasties are what draw people to a sport, not parity. The NFL is the exception because gambling plays a big role in its popularity, but what would baseball be without the Yankees and Red Sox? Can you imagine the NBA ever giving the cold shoulder to the Lakers or Celtics? Even most European soccer leagues revolve around two or three teams each (Chelsea, Barcelona, etc.).

And think about your hockey history: There’s a treasure trove of memories built up around the early-1980s Islanders, the mid-’80s Oilers and the Canadiens of the 1970s. No one ever waxes rhapsodic about ‘that amazing stretch when Detroit, Dallas, New Jersey, then Colorado won Cups.’ No disrespect to any of those teams, but it’s tough to build much mythology out of that. And it won’t bring in the casual fan.

But the Red Wings do. Everyone knows the Winged Wheel, even if it’s just because of Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It actually would behoove the NHL to have Detroit back in the final for a third consecutive year, or at least meet Patrick Kane’s Blackhawks in the conference final.

But it doesn’t look too promising now. Are the officials to blame? Or are the Sharks just a really good team whose size and speed make them tough to contain? If Wings fans really want a conspiracy theory, maybe one of my own would suffice – The Curse of Bertuzzi may have struck again, after all.
http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/3 ... e-NHL.html

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"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Crappy Officiating: What to Do?

Bad officiating is a fact of sports. It happens, and it happens a lot. Far more than officials or league officials for a given sport are willing to admit. Now granted, I never ascended the professional ranks as either a player or an official, but I have done both in my lifetime. (For reference umpiring baseball and softball and playing Baseball, Hockey, Football, Basketball, and Soccer).

I think this at least gives me a perspective that most don’t have. I have dealt with the calls on both sides of the coin. I know it’s easy for us fans to say that there should be a certain level of accountability among officials for calls that may have been made in error. Certainly some of the exemplary examples of officials, such as Ed Hocculi in the NFL, have been able to do that. However, I think that by and large this is not the path to take in assessing poor calls. Speaking from personal experience, if you give coaches or fans an inch, they will take a mile…and those are just Little League coaches. Professionals are an entire different ballgame (no pun intended).

As a fan it’s frustrating because it is usually obvious and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t even tell the guy face to face how bad you think he is at his job. Adding to this is the fact that no one likes a fanbase that whines about bad calls costing them the game, even when it is completely accurate. Is there ever a justification, can there be clear thoughts without bias in the matter? I think we need to define a set of “Bitching About Reffing Rules.”

Let’s Consider the Team:

Are you one of the top five markets in the league?
(i.e. New York, Long Island, Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Chicago in the NHL)

* -1 point for top 5 markets
* +1 point for bottom 5 markets


Is it in the league’s best interests for you to succeed?
(Any team constantly in the media spotlight or a good national ratings draw such as the Yankees, Red Sox, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, or any Original 6 NHL franchise)

* -1 point for teams that achieve good national ratings or lots of media coverage
* +1 point for teams that achieve poor national ratings or no media coverage


Are you on the east coast?

* -1 point for yes
* +1 point for no


Are you the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, or generally from the Boston or NYC areas?

* -5 points unless also playing one of those teams
* 0 points otherwise


Are you any sports team from Buffalo, Cleveland, Seattle, Philadelphia, or the L.A. Clippers?

* + 2 points unless also playing one of those teams
* 0 points otherwise


Has the team won a championship in your rememberable (alcohol doesn’t count) lifetime?

* -(10 - the number of years since) for a maximum of -1 point if yes
* +(The number of years divided by 5) rounded down if no



Is there a possibility of moving within the next 5 years?

* +2 points if yes
* 0 points if no




Time to Consider the Circumstances:

Is it an NHL or NBA playoff game?

* +1 point if yes
* 0 points if no


Is it the last minute of a close NHL or NBA playoff game?

* +1 point if yes
* 0 points if no


Is your team facing a larger market/better national draw?

* +1 point if yes
* 0 points if no


Is your team favored?

* +1 point if yes
* 0 points if no


Where are you playing?

* -1 point for home
* +1 point for the road
* +3 points if it’s on the road in Canada



Now the Infraction itself:
(If it’s your player, then use the values as shown. If it’s an opposing player, all values shall be opposite).

Does the player in question commit a lot of penalties?

* -2 points if he’s known for it
* +2 points if he’s a saint
* 0 points for players that are in the middle


Does the player have a “watch that guy for this infraction” reputation?

* +2 points if yes
* 0 points if no


What is the nature of the call?

* +2 points for “screwed it up according to the rules black and white”
* +1 point for “called something completely contrary to how it’s been called in the regular season/past)
* 0 points for judgment calls


Is the number of penalties even for both teams?

* +1 point for no, skewered in their favor
* -1 point for no, skewered in your favor


Could it have been a dive?

* -2 points if yes and it's a marquee player
* -1 point if yes and it's an average player
* 0 points if no


Are you watching soccer?

* -1,000 points if yes. Please stop.


Is it historically bad? (i.e. Hocculi’s early whistle, no goal, the goal through the side of the mesh)

* +5 points if yes
* 0 points if no


Did the other player commit a penalty only to have your guy penalized (does not apply in cases retaliatory violence)?

* +2 points if yes
* 0 points if no



The formula is simple. Add it up and if the value is positive, complain away! If not, shut up.

(Note: This is not a real formula)

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual