I didn’t like last night’s game. I didn’t like the missed calls or the non calls or the strange calls at all. I understand how difficult it is to make decisions at high speed but I do think when stars get cross checked into the boards and hit their head or get smashed in the face with a stick, the calls need to be more definitive.
I didn’t like the calls that didn’t protect our players when they took shots to the head or face. The Mike Green call should have been a tougher one against Carolina or the soft call on Alex Ovechkin at the end of the game looked dangerous to me. We must protect our players and the refs are the main representative of the NHL on the ice. There was a non call on the opening tripping call against Alex Ovechkin as well. And Tomas didn’t dive either on his tripping call. I usually don’t fret about officiating but last night was concerning to me. Make the right protective calls and send the message for all. Protect the players from shots to the face and head. See Japers’ for more information.
We played OK last night. The game was closer than the score.
Onward to Tuesday’s game in Toronto.
And I hope everyone enjoys the Frozen Four at Verizon. We worked hard to bring it to the city but it is also responsible for this odd scheduling where we played so many games at home in a cluster and then so many games on the road to end the season. We have 3 more home games. That is it. Here’s to a more balanced schedule next season.
RESPONSE TO JONAS
Please do not disrespect the team ever again especially on the owner’s site…i find that extremely rude…even though i can agree with a lot of what you said…
As far as the caps not having grit-We are not a nasty team like philly or carolina, thus we do not respond with disgusting play…the refs completely blew the game in carolina and after that they balled it up, spit on it, and maybe even set it on fire…THOSE REFS SHOULD BE CLEARLY BANNED FROM THE NHL AS THEY ARE A PURE DISGRACE TO HOCKEY…I think that something serious should have been done in regard to that game whether it gets reviewed in Toronto or wtvr needs to be done…
On the other hand the poor calls is not a sudden happening, it goes all the way back to game 7 in the playoffs before a few questionable games this season that could have well costed us the 1rst place in the East…
Game 7-Mo gets shoved into Huet after being pushed by a flyer??? THAT’s NOT a GOAL-maybe the fans should defend the team next time something that decisive happens…I guarantee you if the fans had flooded the ice(I certainly wanted too), that “cheating goal” would never have been counted, and our last year’s run would have been deeper. (I’ve even seen that same play happen this year for the flyers and the goal being disallowed and an ensuing penalty…I’ve also seen it called the “Wrong way”…The referees’ consistency in the NHL right now is SO TERRIBLE…
As far as our team not having grit…I agree that brindaides and shitkanen should have gotten their rear ends destroyed, but at that point in the game, after the horrendous calls, the caps still had a chance at tying, and retaliation would have worked in reverse for the caps…
The Caps are a SIC team and WE know it! Look at all the other current teams’ current records and you’ll see that the last 10 games are pretty similar for just about all 30 teams… We could really use someone like Pronger+offseason+ (especially for the cheap shots…u’ll get the pronger attack injury lol), but with the good comes the bad…We are still in 3rd and I believe in our team…I hope that Varly and Theo can provide us with some serious playoff goaltending, and the rest will take care of itself!!
Go Caps!!
and maybe just maybe ted you can look into some of the dirt cheap reffing and some consequences can be handed out
I have been watching hockey for fifty years and there is hypocrisy in the league when it comes to the codes of physical abuse. The (non)calls in the Carolina game were terrible – always makes me want to turn away from the game. All of our players are tough and capable. But until the rules change and/or the officials publicly recognize the need to protect players from head shots, we need a beast of an enforcer to protect ours from cheap shots. It is a shame to witness great demonstrations of hockey skill become stunted by the simple act of maiming. The HNIC people always talk about how it’s a rough game, deal with it. But is it rough or criminal?
Losing players for retribution is not a smart move. I’m glad they didn’t get into any unnecessary penalty woes or worse off, suspensions so close to the playoffs. I’m glad they kept their cool. To me, its class. Celebrate when you score and don’t cry when the officiating does not go your way. As a fan I always cringe when I see that bushy mustache of ref McCreary. I think he has made some horrible calls against the Caps in many of the past games.
Hi Ted,
Did you honestly expect anything different. The (bad calls , no calls etc.) have been happening all season and it certainly was no surprise to me. There’s way to much hypocrisy in the League.
I know Ovi can defend himself and I’ve seen him drop the gloves to help a teammate only to be held back. No one was willing to “lay down the law” which as I said before was no surprise. I’m use to it now, and that’s certainly not good as a fan.
Then again what should we expect when others are calling for people to cut Ovi in half, and the team does nothing about it. I agree with Jonas there was no retribution for none of our players. I guess the team can afford to lose Ovi or Greenie for a while, no worries.
I was very disappointed with the game and the actions of the team. NO RETRIBUTION. I guess I can take a little solace in that Ovi will not forget this.
Thanks and I hope we will do better in the playoffs.
Ted,
bitching about officiating isn’t going to get you to the Cup. You probably should have thought about this stuff when you sat on your hands at the trade deadline. Carolina is about as wimpy as our team, and they pushed us around.
When OV’s face went into the glass, nobody went after Brind’amour, and when Pitkanen cross checked Green in the neck/face, it was Pitkanen who laughed and took another run at Green! Once again, no retribution.
We need guys who can play hockey and defend themselves when necessary. Semin/OV/Backstrom/Nyles/Green. None can defend himself (maybe OV but we don’t want him fighting), so who’s it going to be? Bradley? I can’t remember the last fight he won, and Brashear just fights the other team’s goon – he doesn’t protect players.
Then on defense we have some toughness in Erskine, but after that – who? Jurcina – no, Pothier – no, Poti – no, Morisson – no…..
We miss guys like Chris Clark right now, and OV should be playing with someone who’s got some grit/talent to ensure no liberties are being taken.
Expect more of the same in the play-off’s and then you’ll be whining again when the ref’s fail to make the calls.
I imagine you don’t want to mention the ice since we have been known to have problems with it — but I have never seen bad ice seem to impact a game as much.
As a former basketball and football official and someone who is still doing baseball I can tell you that the closer you are to the contact the harder it is to call the play. That being said I hope that this is not the start of an occasional ignored call on Washington’s stars in retaliation for Ovechkin’s antics the other night. Word travels quickly around the league in this age of Youtube and I know for a fact by reading other cities papers that some players are very upset.
We certainly have not been helped by the officiating in either last night’s game or the game vs Tampa, for that matter.
Fleischmann’s “diving” penalty was bogus.
And then the penalty against Semin vs Tampa Bay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy shoot the puck in the net and then get a hooking call.
Hey Ted! I agree with your sentiments on last night’s game. Let’s just hope the officiating will improve (haha) as the playoffs begin.
Don’t know if you saw Mike Milbury’s rant against Ovie earlier during the NBC broadcast of the Pens/Flyers game, but he was way more overboard in his criticism of Ovie than Don Cherry was last night, saying Ovie was “disrespecting” the game. (For the record, I wish Ovie and other players would do more of that type of stuff. Sports is entertainment after all!)
However, I wish someone would shut Milbury up with all his Capitals hate. Did he not also disrespect the game when, as a member (#26) of the Boston Bruins, he climbed into the stands (with his teammates) at Madsion Square Gardens to fight the paying customers, and in the process, assaulted a fan with a shoe he ripped off said fan’s foot? (evidence here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAMfEAjlRKQ ). That guy needs to go!!!
Thanks and looking forward to the playoffs. Cheers!
sparky voyles