Yep, I agree completely. - Game management needs to end, especially in the playoffs - Tampa, given their playoff experience and intelligent coach, understand how to get that game management to play in their favor better than anyone else - Toronto being the ones complaining is both ironic but also unfortunate, because people will 100% discredit the message given the messenger
They also know the type of penalties that don’t get called, cross checking, interference, and holding. So they continually do that knowing that it will get called 25% of the time at most.
Every team does what tampa does, they are just good at it and veteran players who have won always get special treatments in every professional league everywhere. It sucks but it is what it is. Pronger used to get away with murder since he was an established guy, same with Weber although Weber was not as dirty. He would cross check and slash at will and it was never called.
It’s so wild, between this and the mitchkov story I am starting to understand why Russian players are so scared.
Every team learns to do it in time, which is one of the reasons playoff experience matters so much. The problem with game management though is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Teams begin taking advantage of it, causing others to complain and tempers to flare, which necessitates more game management calls. The refs shouldn’t be trying to placate emotions, “calming the game down”, or “keep things even”. They should call the game by the rule book. And if the players can’t handle their emotions in response to that, they should be disciplined, not placated to. The whole culture of it needs to change. Hockey is still living in the 80s.
It’s so frustrating, brings me back some memories when I was playing minor hockey. We played Regina in the semi final of the air Canada cup (telus cup now) and these assholes had a great game plan. They treated their crease like a war zone, anything went. You get there and they will just try to take your head off. At first the refs called it and we got pps after pps, even a few 5 on 3 but they were still playing exactly the same way, the pp is not as great when they just protect their crease by any means necessary, especially at that level when our shots were not yet fully developed. We ended up losing in double overtime and of course nothing was called later in the game. officials not calling blatant penalties also result in them controlling the outcome of the game.
Reilly knows what he’s doing there. Point has the step and he has to do is ride him into the boards. With BP leaning forward Reilly has the leverage on him and gives him a push 4 feet from the boards. It’s dangerous and done on purpose. 2 minute penalty.
Dude has been living off the rep of being the fun ref for his penalty calls on the mic for a long time. He’s not good at all
It’s no shock that the guy who referee’d the game where each team finished with 10 men on the bench is refereeing another gong show in his very next game. Game management requires more game management. The linesmen with him refusing to drop the puck is also a fun twist.
I mean - if you’re looking for a CFB comparison, it’s Texas or Nebraska. haven’t won in almost a lifetime but still act as though they’re entitled to it.
that would have been good if it made sense texas and nebraska fans at least remember winning something. The majority of leafs fans weren’t even a drop in the sack the last time they won something. AKA the Aggies comparison
I do the same with teams in the west but when it’s teams that barely play the stars it’s a combo. I hate bunting and leafs fans so go tampa
While we are on the subject, bruins fans also deserve some serious hate. That franchise is the definition of mediocre. 6 cups in 2000 years.
You can’t possibly call this a goal if the ref behind the net is adamantly calling it no goal from the start. Because that would suggest intent to blow the play dead. Granted, I think it is a good goal and that ref was wrong from the start. But you can’t overturn his (wrong) call.