I Can't Believe I Have To Do This

If you pay attention to the labels I put on each post, you'll see I often include key team and player names from the entry. Why? I don't know. How often am I going to have to use Ahmad Bradshaw and John Kerry labels? Am I ever going to talk about John Kerry again? Probably not. The fact that I have to use a label for the same NHL official twice in one month is an embarrassment to hockey, but maybe that's what the game has become.

The officials were at it again last night. I'm not sure if it helps them remember the days when they played hockey or something, but they're convinced they need to be a part of the game. They're not policing it and making things run smoothly, they believe they need to have an influence on the game. Honestly, with efforts last night, the players might as well not be on the ice.

First of all, the game was called in favor of the Canadiens. Yes, I'm whining about the officiating again. It sucked. Every time the Flyers got some momentum, that arm went up and Hartnell was off to the box for breathing or Jones was off for farting. There were bad calls and no calls for both sides, and it was just inexcusable. How much of the game was played on special teams? Power plays and goals are exciting, but I want to see physical, 5 on 5 hockey. That's fun too. Why is an official from Montreal allowed to be in charge of a Montreal game? Who do you think he cheered for when he was growing up?

And then it happened again. Dave Jackson screwed everything up again. The dude might be the best goaltender in the league against the Flyers, and that's saying something, because there's a lot that shut them down. I don't know if he blew the whistle early or thought about blowing it early or pretended someone touched Carey Price, but he blew another call. I feel embarrassed for him. He consistently makes the same lousy mistake, and he consistently costs the Flyers goals and points. I feel embarrassed for the NHL. How can they seriously review his games, see how poorly he handles close calls and then pat him on the ass and then send him back on the ice for another game? He has a problem, and it needs to be corrected.

Basically, the Flyers were jamming at the puck and got it across the goal line. However, there was a lot of traffic around the net, so it's tough for Jackson to focus in on the puck. He might've been looking for more penalties to call, but either way, he missed the puck crossing the line. Just look at the players' body language. The Flyers were celebrating. Carey Price quickly fell on top of it in the net and carried it out to try and cover it up. One problem: the red light didn't go on. Another problem: they didn't even review it! How can you not review such a close play in such a critical moment? These are two playoff teams here! You already screwed up the call once, but I think every Flyers fan would appreciate it if you at least left the door open for someone else to screw it up in the "War Room".

I have to give credit to Carey Price though. The dude has a .50 GAA against the Flyers so far in his career, and he just stops everything that's thrown on net. He played great last night, and I wish he wasn't back in net tonight. This guy is going to be a thorn in the ass for who knows how long. He's so young.

As for the game tonight, the Flyers need to do some of the things they did last night. The bounces didn't go their way, but hopefully, there's a new officiating crew on the ice and the Flyers can catch some breaks. It's tough to lose another game where you play your best hockey and weeks and it's not good enough. Hatcher and Coburn might be back, and that could be huge. Put up the Foppa-Signal, Paul. This team needs a spark.

Inside Look At The NHL's War Room

I don't get it. I honestly don't. Call it sour grapes or whining or whatever, but I don't get how an offical or replay official can look at Hartnell's "goal" last night and determine it shouldn't count. The call cost the Flyers at least one point, and with how tight the Atlantic and the East in general are, games need to be called correctly. This isn't griping about a bad slashing call or penalty, this is black and white.

For those that didn't see the play, the Flyers were losing 4-1 in the 3rd period. A shot is taken, and as usual, Scott Hartnell is in front of the net trying to clean up. He jams the puck past Olaf Kolzig, the players celebrate, and the building erupts. However, Dave Jackson waves it off, claiming that he blew the whistle. If you saw the play live or any replays, it's clear that the puck was in the net long before the whistle is heard.

Understanding these facts, how can it then go to the NHL's replay room and still be determined to not be a goal? Incompetency and poorly worded rules, of course! The rule for blowing plays dead is not when the whistle is blown, but when the official has intent to blow the whistle. What? How can you determine that? Is it when it's in his mouth? When he blinks? How can an important rule be so vague?

As for this specific play, why would Dave Jackson have intent to blow the whistle in the first place? Why would it take him the two seconds to think about blowing the whistle and bringing it up to his lips to do it? The puck was not frozen. It was clearly still in play, and Kolzig had not yet covered it up.

The league needs to get consistency. In the last Flyers/Penguins meeting, Evgeni Malkin scored a goal on a similar play. This one, however, was not overturned. There was no review. It counted. If one counts, so should the other. If one gets waved off, so should the other. It's black and white.

The Flyers played poorly for much of the game last night, yes. If they wanted points, they should've played 60 minutes of hockey, not 50. However, that doesn't excuse officials from not calling a good game.