2015 NHL Season

I'm curious what that good reason is?

 

I prefer my hockey announcer to announce hockey instead of the endless steeeeeeeretch of a tale, or an anecdote, a story, a parable, a yarn, a saga, an account, a recital, a run down, an allegory, about where someone's grandmother studied physics, which was near an ice rink, which is perhaps why the curve of their stick has a slight open toe, which might explain that roof shot.

Just call the game. Don't try to write the next great greeting card.

"Hockey is a three-ring binder. You keep popping it open and putting new chapters in." - Doc Emrick

 

Keith - I noted John Forslund this evening and he did a real nice job.

Thoroughly entertaining evening toggling between the two games!

 

Ah, I see....that would be the colour-man who spews out too much nonsense, especially Gary Galley.

I was referring to Emrick's play-by-play calling, he adds a high level of excitement to the game.

 

Bob Cole of CBC is also very good.

 

I was disgusted with the slashing penalty they assessed Niskenen late in the game yesterday. The puck was still loose when Niskenen began his swing at it, and then Fleury covered the puck just as his stick got there. That should not have been a penalty.

Granted, that's not the reason the Caps lost, but it definitely was one of the worst calls I've seen so far in these playoffs.

 

His excitement is welcome, and I will concede he did a good job last night. Perhaps they reined him in for the playoffs, because during the regular season he regularly goes off the rails.

 

when I was in sports radio announcer school, we learned a first inning home run call is a lot different than a ninth inning call. A TD in a 21-21 tie late in the game is a bigger deal than a TD in a 41-7 game. My main problem with Emerich is he is calling like it's last minute of a tied game 7 in Stanley Cup finals EVERY MINUTE of EVERY game.

 

Lets go Predators!!!

 

Incredible game last night.

I've had my doubts due to their plague of injuries, but the Pens just keep on keepin' on. Tough loss after tying the game so late in the third.

I doubt Niskanen'***** was intentional, and hopefully Crosby doesn't have another concussion.

Anyone here care to opine regarding the hit?

 

Seems pretty clear that Ovi slashed Crosby and as he was going down he simply ran into Niskanen, who reacted as anyone would when someone comes flying into them. Simply bad luck on getting his head smashed. I'm no hockey ref but I think the major was harsh and even a minor would have been iffy, although Ovechkin probably deserved a minor.

Crazy game though with lots of amazing saves, dodgy calls (can't believe they missed the goaltender interference against Holtby in real time, then again in review), and once again leave it to the Caps to make what should be a done deal into a nail biter........

 

They are looking good...and Nashville looks to be the winner of the Subban/Weber trade (which I thought they were all along)

 

I have watched a lot of hockey, and I have referee'd even more....and:

There was no doubt in my mind that it was not deliberate intent to injure, or even a cross-check. I thought Niskenen was reacting and was simply defending himself. Remember, they show it in ultra slow motion and it looks horrible, but it happened so fast in real time. A cross check is when you have your hands spread out on your stick and move it forward; Niskenen had his hands together and raised them up to defend himself.

I disagreed with the penalty call of a cross-check (even when I saw it in real-time, I didn't need the replay to determine it was not a cross-check), and even worse the upgrade to the 5-minute major + game misconduct. I think the referees saw that it was Crosby and thought "We better do something about this"....that's the only logical explanation, because I guarantee you if it was a 4th line no-name player then there wouldn't have even been a penalty called. Even some of the ESPN writer's are on Crosby's jockstrap, but thankfully most of them are not and see it the same way I do.

 

Mike. I see this situation precisely the way you do. Thanks for your informed opinion. I hope Crosby can come back. I'd like to see both teams at full strength.
I remember Bob Wilson's call of a Flyers-Bruins playoff game in the mid 70's...about as nasty as it could get. In the third period of a tie game after a brutal hit was ignored as "just playoff hockey" by the ref, Wilson announces "It'll take manslaughter to get a two minute minor called in this game."

 

Thanks Mike.

Opinions seem to be all over the place. Local media seems convinced that Niskanen should have been suspended for at least a game. I heard that Tie Domi shares that sentiment.

I believe Ovechkin's slash was more malicious and worthy of a minor, but that kind of stuff seems to go on a lot this time of the season without necessarily drawing a penalty.

Given his concussion, I'll be pleasantly surprised if Crosby plays again this series.

 

Funny, I saw it exactly the opposite way. Ovechkin went for the hands, the stick bounced, he turned to avoid the goal post and hit Crosby on the head. Not malicious in that: that's the way the game is currently played. Slashes to the hands happen almost every drive to the net.

Niskanen is known to use his stick in front of the net. I think it was Patrick O'Sullivan who today talked about playing against him and how he's known in the league for cross checking. I saw Niskanen turn himself into Crosby and ready himself to bump him. He obviously didn't expect Crosby to fall, nor could he react appropriately when Crosby did, but he was going to hit Crosby rather than let him camp out in front of the net, or get a free pass after a scoring attempt.

You can see Niskanen clearly in the live broadcast (before any replays) where the angle is wide.

 

Thanks.

That Flyers-Bruins series was a dog-fight.

 

Domi??? LMAO. What a hypocrite - this is the same Domi that tried to behead Scott Niedermeyer, in one of the ugliest, dirtiest, plays a hockey player can make:

Tie Domi/Scott Niedermayer incident - 2001 playoffs - Video Dailymotion

 

I'm not sure if we are talking about the same play, because Ovie hacked him on the upper back (close to the side as well) and his stick rode up and hit Crosby's helmet in the back - nowhere near Crosby's hands.

 

May not be the same play:

Ovechkin hits hands near cuff, stick follows through to arm / shoulder, then head.
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If you look at the replay, especially in slow motion, you will see that it was a tap and not a slash/hack on the hand. The slash/hack with much more force was on the back, which then rode up to the back of Syd's helmet.

Sidney Crosby diagnosed with a concussion, will miss Game 4 - Sportsnet.ca


The Ovie tap was certainly not even as close to this one:

Marc Methot out for weeks with 'shattered finger' from Crosby slash - Sportsnet.ca

 

I see it the same way from every angle. Ovechkin goes for the hands, stick bounces while Crosby turns and shrugs Ovechkin's stick off with shoulder (you can see this in screen grab 1 and 2 - that's Crosby leaning into the stick to make sure his hands are free,) then stick hits Crosby in head when both turn in opposite directions.

Certainly.
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Wow do we ever agree. I was disappointed that this was a penalty (2 min) let alone a 5 minutes + suspension. It was a "hockey play" at the speed that it all occured. That is not what a cross check looks like his hands would have been further apart. He had no time to think "ok I'm going to cross check his head".

They follow it by a batch of missed calls on Washington.

 

You got that right. Pitt got away with murder on a few vicious hits, one especially on Backstrom.

I will go back to what I initially stated; There's one reason and one reason only that these referees called what they did, and that's because it was Sydney Crosby. This was a "business decision", and if anyone thinks otherwise then they haven't watched enough NHL.

Ed Olczyk said it best: "This was a hockey play that went bad, and there's no reason there should have been a penalty called let alone a major plus game ejection".

 

Why do you continue to base your thoughts on still pictures? You need to watch video and check the degree of force that Ovie applied to the hands, which was very minimal. The hack on the back was was very forceful. Did you see Crosby shake his hand in pain after that tap?

I can show you a picture of a stick on my hand, but how would you know whether it got there soft and light or fast and hard.