Further on "Disgusting"
The main reason we've ridiculed the notion of a grand conspiracy against the Detroit Red Wings in the last few seasons is because it completely falls apart upon the application of elementary logic.
The Wings generate interest in the NHL. They generate ratings, which makes them a four-leaf clover in a League of weeds. They interest fans while two dozen teams cause apathy. Their gear sells. They're a flagship, original six franchise based in the U.S.
There is every reason to believe that the "conspiracy" or "bias" against Detroit is a series of painful coincidences connected, and amplified, by a minority of Red Wings fans who wear institutional scheming like a warm blanket to shelter them from Detroit's occasional failures as a team.
The officiating last night was atrocious. It was unforgivable. There have been a few instances in these playoffs in which the referees seemed as though they were getting paid by the ill-conceived penalty, and last night was one of them. Ten power plays for the San Jose Sharks in their win, and four for the Wings. It was an embarrassment.
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Coming up, a look at the many bad calls of Game 2 and the harsh, and expected, reaction from Wings writers and bloggers.
Read the whole thing. It AIN'T just me. What makes this situation so egregious is the fact the Wings are now down 2 - 0 in this series. Overcoming a series deficit like this isn't impossible, but it's damned hard. And it's worse when you believe the Wings could... and SHOULD... have come back to Dee-troit with the series tied. At the VERY least.
If round 1 Avs/Sharks was any indication, this is what I expect out of game 3:
ReplyDeleteStart to see some make-up calls in Detroit's favor, but blatant penalties against the Sharks (like high sticks that require stitches, happened to Avs ON A FRIGGING FACE OFF and didn't get called) will still go uncalled. And many of the calls in Detroit's favor will be at useless times, like when you are shorthanded, so all you get is a 4 on 4 with a brief power play after.
Things seem worse in officiating terms this year than I remember them being before.
Things seem worse in officiating terms this year than I remember them being before.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It ain't JUST the Wings, as you've so accurately illustrated. There will be bad calls in any series; that's a given. But there seems to be WAY too damned many this year. That sucks.
Damn tough to beat both the other team AND the refs. I can't comment specifically on your games, as I haven't been able to see them (prior commitments to playing ball during them, don't you know) but I know the feeling. I've seen Paul Pierce of the Celtics battered from pillar to post in some games and never get a call, while if someone just breathes on LeBron James...
ReplyDeleteWait. There's some serious inequity here. I've been watching YOUR games... ;-)
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