Attack of the Dreaded Gray Area (Again)

By Adam W Parks

Friday, November 27, 2009 Flames 3 @ Red Wings 0

I do not want to engage in any cliche metaphors, but you got to be kidding me with these NHL rules. The league desperately needs to get its rule book straight, black and white, cut and dry, whatever. The game is decided on goals being scored; events that do not occur that often in a 60 minute game. THEY HAVE TO GET THESE CALLS RIGHT! There is a replay/review system in place but it is not utilized properly. How league officials wittingly put referees into a position to make game-deciding calls based on judgement, assumption, and (gulp) subjectivity?

Avoiding another tired cliche, the Wings have been the victim of some very poor calls this season. These piss-poor calls have resulted from piss-poor decisions made by referees who deserve a golden shower. But they cannot be held entirely responsible for being the morons they are and missing the calls they do. Oh no, the idiots at the top are the ones who truly deserve to be micterated upon. Here is the official rule from the official rule book. Read it, then watch the play, and make a decision for yourself.

Rule 78: Protection of Goalkeeper

The revised crease rule is intended to implement a "no harm, no foul, no video review" standard. The rule is based on the premise that an attacking player's position, whether inside or outside the crease, should not, by itself, determine whether a goal should be allowed or disallowed - i.e., goals scored while attacking players are standing in the crease may, in appropriate circumstances be allowed. Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper's ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal; or (2) an attacking player initiates more than incidental contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his goal crease. Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact. The rule will be enforced exclusively in accordance with the on-ice judgement of the Referee(s), and not by means of video replay or review.

a) If an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

b) If an attacking player initiates any contact with a goalkeeper, other than incidental contact, while the goalkeeper is outside his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

c) In all cases in which an attacking player initiates other than incidental contact with a goalkeeper, whether or not the goalkeeper is inside or outside the goal crease, and whether or not a goal is scored, the offensive player will receive a penalty (minor or major, as the Referee deems appropriate).

Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Here is the clip of Dan Cleary's disallowed first period goal from Friday's game against Calgary:



You decide. Did the referee make the correct call? Did Cleary obstruct Mikka Kiprusoff from moving in the crease or making a save? Should this type of play, one when a puck goes in the net, be automatically reviewed? Should NHL referees be held responsible and be absolutely positive about plays that result in a goal? Did Detroit get ripped off again? My own answers go in the order of NO, NO, YES, YES, YES.

A Desert On Ice

The Wings could use an oasis, and Joe Louis Arena is not an option right now. (Okay, so I broke down and used one cliche metaphor. So what, I'm writing this on a Saturday afternoon during a holiday weekend.) They have scored just five goals in their last six games and are scoreless in the last 153 minutes and 22 seconds of playing time. They have been shutout in back-to-back games on home ice for the first time since March of 1977. How about some compare and contrast? The Wings are 11-9-4 through 24 games this season. The Wings were 7-13-4 through 24 games that season. The Wings finished dead last out of five teams in the Norris Division that season with 41 points. The Wings are currently fourth out of five teams in the Central Division this season with 26 points. That season featured the stellar goaltending of Jim Rutherford and a potent scoring attack from Walt McKechnie, Dennis Polonich, Dennis Hextall, Nick Libett, Michael Bergeron...alright, so these Wings do not resemble those Wings in any way. This is just another slump. Just another hill on the horizon before that break out game on the other side. Just one of those times when Mike Babcock says:

"Sometimes, things don't go your way for a while. Are you going to hang your head and feel bad, or are you just going to keep staying determined? I was very proud of our team. We had a lot of good players. We got to stay the course, and we'll break through and we'll be a better team for it.''

Just one of those occasions when Nicklas Lidstrom says:

"We've been going through struggles in the past, too, but now we're not able to get goals. We're getting the shots, getting chances, but the puck's not going in for us. We have to continue to shoot the puck. We still have the confidence. You can't get frustrated, you can't let that get to you, you have to continue to dig in and work hard. It's going to turn for us."

Just one of those cases when Henrik Zetterberg says:

"When it's not going as you want offensively, you just have to stick to the things you do right -- shooting the puck, crashing the net, be there for rebounds. You just have to keep going and be more efficient when you get the chances.''

Just one of those instances when I say:

"Sometimes you gotta make homemade Sprite from lemons and limes...like coming up with a cool Radiohead reference when trying to stay optimistic about the Red Wings."

"You can try the best you can.
If you try the best you can,
The best you can is good enough." ~ Thom Yorke

Check out this interview with Ken Holland from The HUGE Show radio network. Holland discusses the abundance of injuries, the lack of scoring, and what the Wings will need to do to "button down the hatches". Granted, his optimism came before the first of the back-to-back shutouts, but whatever, it is doubtful his opinions have changed too much after two games. Personally, I am reserving any apprehension for this season until the All-Star break. Sure the loss to Calgary made me want to vomit my Thanksgiving dinner all over my table at the Buffalo Wild Wings in my hometown of Coldwater, Michigan, but I caught the bile in the back of my throat and washed it down with a tall Sam Adams, and then turned my attention to the Michigan State v. Florida basketball game...

Singing the Blues Tonight?

The Wings play the Blues tonight in St. Louis. This is the first time the two teams will meet since the Blues took two games in a row from Detroit in Stockholm, Sweden. If the Wings cannot get their shots to find nets without referees waving their arms around like confused zebras, they could find themselves at the bottom of the Central on Sunday. With 26 points Detroit only has a two-point lead on St. Louis, while Chicago (34) leads the division. Nashville (29) and Columbus (26) rank second and third in the Central respectively.

Worst case scenario for tonight: the Wings lose in regulation to the Blues and the Blackhawks beat the Kings, putting Detroit at the bottom of the division and ten points away from the top. Best case scenario for tonight: Wings get a win, Hawks loose in LA, and Detroit is only six points from the top.

As bad as it seems, the Wings are still in striking distance of the summit of the Central. Detroit is not getting out-played--they have out-shot their opponents 217 to 137 in the past six games--but they are getting out-scored 15-5 during this 1-4-1 stretch.

Peace.