Posted by The Meatriarchy
What can you say about this excuse for a hockey game. Neither team looked particularly interested in winning until the third period when the Flyers bounced a few in off legs, arms, and butts and walked away with two points.
I missed most of the first period but if it was as bad as the second I am glad I wasn't subjected to it.
Leafs fans are used to seeing games like this every so often. They seemed to always happen in a situation where a cellar dweller (like Washington or Atlanta) were in town and the Leafs seemed to have no interest in playing the game.
So it was in this one the team looked unanimously uninterested and sluggish. This wasn't much different than the game on Thursday but they skated enough in that one to pull out a win in OT. There was precious little skating done in last nights match however Quinn will no doubt be secretly happy with the outcome.
Why? Because he was complaining last week that the team was too cocky and not sharp in practice. Well now he has something to beat them over the head with as Boston is on tap for a home and home this coming week.
Officiating in last nights game was inconsistent to say the least. The great thing about the new crackdown during exhibition was the absolute guarantee that interference away from the play would be called. Now they seem to be calling interference right on the puck. If you have the puck and pass it too someone and then get hit - interference. This is taking the hitting out of the game.
Don Cherry was complaining about the penalties as well but I don't agree with him that cross checking in front of the net should be allowed.
And let's not forget that brutal call that took a Leaf goal away early in period two. Based on the final score it would not have affected the outcome but it just might have created some momentum.
Ultimately though it wasn't the refs that decided this contest. If you allow a short handed goal when you have a two man advantage you should forfeit the game right then and there.
BTW did Wellwood play last night? I didn't hear his name once.
After the Leaf game I thought I would catch a little of the Canucks - Avalanche tilt what with the whole Bertuzzi thing and all. However much to my chagrin Jim Hughson is dong the play by play.
Boy I feel bad for you viewers in the west. After years of suffering through Chris Cuthbert's high pitched screech now you get a guy who calls hockey as if it was a baseball game: slow and ponderous.
Please don't tell me he will be the one tagged to replace Bob Cole. Cause I would seriously think about switching to basketball.
The first period was the worst of them all. It was a complete yawner and aside from the power play opportunities there was little offense at all.
ReplyDeleteFor the Leafs, I thought only a few players showed up. Lindros, Kaberle and McCabe played alright and Steen did some good things at both ends of the runk but most of the rest of the team was absent. There were a lot of half efforts that resulted in fizzled scoring opportunities.
And yes, the refereeing was horrible. In the first I saw a lot of hooking not being called, I have no clue why the Tucker goal was called back and the penalty on Khavanov was rediculous. He tapped the Flyer so softly with that so called cross check that the Flyer probably never felt it at all. Similarly, one of the Flyers penalties in the third period was just as bad a call.
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/SC020113.HTM
ReplyDeleteLooks to me like about 12 minutes of ice time for Wellwood. And I find it rather amusing that now you're complaining about uneven refereeing. Welcome to the club.
Ahh. Here we go:
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20052006/ES020113.HTM
Wellwood had 11:16 TOI (Time on Ice). Looks like he wasn't gettin' 'er done in the faceoffs, though.
"If you allow a short handed goal when you have a two man advantage you should forfeit the game right then and there."
ReplyDeleteI was stunned by this, as I don't recall ever seeing it done before. It wasn't just a short-handed goal, it was a two-on-one rush that resulted in a goal.
I noticed the pro-Leafs commentary essentially ignored the obvious humiliation for the Leafs. Harry Neale didn't pop up with any stats saying this was the first time its happened since 1934 or anything, and there was no analysis on what lead to such a terrible breakdown for the Leafs, or who screwed up by getting so far out of position.
Speaking of which, Dean Brown would be my pick to replace Cole for HNIC.
Anshu
Dean Brown seems to be all over the place. He did the last Sportsnet game involving the Senators, (and I think it was Garry Galley doing colour with him). I believe he'll be doing the game on Sportsnet tonight.
ReplyDeleteBrown also does games on A-Channel, and back in 03/04 I think he sometimes did regional games for the CBC. Don't know if he's going to be back with the CBC this year, but I hope so. Compared to the alternatives, I think Brown is a pretty solid choice.
Anshu