NHL: Fake Rules

[TinyRivers]

I had to get up for work at 4 AM this morning. I stayed up until almost 11:30 PM and THAT ENDING made the whole thing not worth the lack of sleep. If the B's were a stronger team, or I thought they truly had it in them to go far, I might continue to lose sleep like this, but as it stands, I can't keep putting myself through that on a work night, when it can (and often tends to) be decided like it was last night.

I'll record Wednesday's game but I don't see me staying up to watch this **** live anymore.

 

[caz16]

The truth of it is that the NHL doesn't care if a few fans decide not to watch. They have the market sewn up with Leafs, Habs, Hawks, etc., fans. They don't care if several Bruins fans stop watching and buying stuff. It will never be noticeable enough.

During the lockout people constantly threaten not to watch anymore but hockey comes back and everyone flocks back.

They don't care.

 

[Braunbaer]

C) And speaking of which, this head-snap, knee-buckling, soccer style garbage has got to go.

Given the current development of how players dive to get their way ... hockey fans aren't in the position anymore to mock soccer in that regard.

I grew up in Germany and have been living there ever since and I did play soccer in my early years and have been watching it since I was a little kid.
I only discovered hockey when I was about 18 years old and I immediately fell in love with the sport. I liked the high tempo and the physicality of the game (I hate fighting though). There was a point in my life in which I preferred hockey over soccer.

But let me tell you one thing: All the flopping, the bad reffing ... all those games decided by refs. All that pushed me more and more away from hockey. It's even worse in Germany by the way.
A critical turning point was those b2b-games against the Rangers and Panthers last season in which 3 calls went against the Bruins even though they reviewed them and they should have decided differently.

At the moment, I can use some payoff-hockey for some distraction from the toughest time in my life. Hence I watched both the playoffs of my German team and I followed he Bruins more regularly towards the end of the season.
All I can say is: I'm sick and tired once again because of all the dives and shenanigans and the refs getting fooled by it.

I'm kinda aware I lost the thread while writing this post since I'm kinda rattled.
But my actual point is: Hockey becomes more and more like soccer with regard to flopping, diving and embelleshing. I give you that soccer players aren't as tough as hockey players ... I don't know if I would continue playing with a shredded face.
But their diving is just as bad if not even worse.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Big shocker that this is not a active conversation when the Bruins are on 5 game winning streak.

 

[Riverfront]

Tim Peel is one of the worst referee's in the Nhl. He also was a ref in the ohl, guess that is where he got his start, after watching him ref in the ohl I said to myself if this guy ever makes it as a ref in the nhl the nhl must be desperate to find ref's. Here is in the nhl and he seems to me that he wants to be part of the entertainment all the time. He does a lot of yapping on the ice to the players if you notice. Tries to play big man little man syndrome. Like he has all the power.
Last night he allows mark Methot to throw 2 punches at guys in regulation time without calling a penalty, then he goes and calls the one on Riley Nash. Not saying Nash didn't deserve it , but Methot deserved 2 penalties himself. One when he punched Marchand, he should have received an extra 2 minutes for that one and when he punched Shaller, and Shaller did not retaliate.

 

[NDiesel]

Big shocker that this is not a active conversation when the Bruins are on 5 game winning streak.

Wasn't a conversation in game 2 either for the most part because the reffing wasn't garbage, but it was **** both ways last night, hence the thread.

 

[Riverfront]

Tim Peel is one of the worst referee's in the Nhl. He also was a ref in the ohl, guess that is where he got his start, after watching him ref in the ohl I said to myself if this guy ever makes it as a ref in the nhl the nhl must be desperate to find ref's. Here he is in the nhl and he seems to me that he wants to be part of the entertainment all the time. He does a lot of yapping on the ice to the players if you notice. Tries to play big man little man syndrome. Like he has all the power.
Last night he allows mark Methot to throw 2 punches at guys in regulation time without calling a penalty, then he goes and calls the one on Riley Nash. Not saying Nash didn't deserve it , but Methot deserved 2 penalties himself. One when he punched Marchand, he should have received an extra 2 minutes for that one and when he punched Shaller, and Shaller did not retaliate.[/QUOTE]

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Wasn't a conversation in game 2 either for the most part because the reffing wasn't garbage, but it was **** both ways last night, hence the thread.

My post was more directed to the tinfoil hat crowd.

 

[BsEuphoria]

This is where I'm at. I think discussing conspiracy theories just takes away from the very valid arguments that we have regarding last night's ****-show, which are:

A) Sens fans keep trying to dismiss that colossally horrible call in OT by pointing out that other things were missed on the Bruins during the course of the game. "Ehh, calls were bad bad both ways, blah, blah blah, get over it." I can't describe how tone-deaf this is. A penalty call in OT is so, so much more important and influential than some hook Chara got away with at the 13:48 mark of the second period. I can't believe I have to even type this.

B) I've been watching NHL playoffs for over 4 decades, and rightly or wrongly, the standard for a call in OT has always been much, much higher than that during the game itself. Which is why I don't agree with those who think Ryan should have got an elbowing or hit to the head penalty on the play. Nash was going down, hit was awkward, play on. Now the corollary to this is of course, Nash reacts, love tap to Ryan's face, play the **** on. Or call matching penalties if you really have to, but Ryan's embellishment should have eliminated even that option.

C) And speaking of which, this head-snap, knee-buckling, soccer style garbage has got to go. Somehow, some way the league has to take care of this. Absolutely infuriating.

Plenty to be unbelievably bitter about, without ever using the word 'conspiracy' once, IMO.

I literally just turned off the hub because I actually heard them say that Nash should've flopped over instead of retaliate just like Ryan did. Come the **** on already, if the league continues to let this crap go, **** I just don't know.

But guess what, what they said on the hub is really what is happening in the league now. Embellishment is becoming a fluent thing and guys are getting really good at it. You want to fix it? Start with handing out fines after the first offense so everyone knows the league saw it, next one you miss a game. They watch every minute of every game. Do it after the game even if it's not called for all I care. I really don't give a **** at this point if it starts happening to the B's or anyone else.

Ryan looked just as pathetic on the flop to Marchy earlier in the game as well. And guess what, got the call on that one to.

 

[NDiesel]

My post was more directed to the tinfoil hat crowd.

Ah, that's fair. I think most are just angry (I hope), because I don't believe for one bit the league would make more money from the Sens advancing over the Bruins.

 

[Absurdity]

Tim Peel just sucks. No conspiracy about it. Every fan who has Tim Peel refereeing their team's game always gets the short-end of the stick with this guy. I'm surprised he still has a job.

 

[barstool]

May as well call up Tyler Randell and make some heads really snap

 

[Budddy]

Well said.

I had a few discussions after the game and heard the same line as the Sens fans you encountered. Like you, I have been watching playoff hockey since the 70's, and am deeply disturbed by the refs inability in recent years to call a game with "feel" and also in the flopping and flailing that players use to draw calls.

Ryan flopped at least twice and was successful in drawing a call twice. As you say, the flop should nullify the love tap.

Pathetic, and it determined the outcome, at least at that point.

Ken Daneyko said the same in XM radio this morning...said the call was lousy and the refs didn't have a feel for the game...simply common sense that if you call a game one way for 65 minutes; don't change your standard 5 minutes into OT...

 

[BruinsBtn]

The truth of it is that the NHL doesn't care if a few fans decide not to watch. They have the market sewn up with Leafs, Habs, Hawks, etc., fans. They don't care if several Bruins fans stop watching and buying stuff. It will never be noticeable enough.

During the lockout people constantly threaten not to watch anymore but hockey comes back and everyone flocks back.

They don't care.

Bruins ratings were down 19% last year. People are tuning out.

"Coverage on the NBC broadcast network averaged 1.2 million viewers over 15 games, down 20% from 11 windows last year (1.5M) and down 16% from 13 two years ago (1.5M). It was the least-watched NHL season on a broadcast network in at least seven years and probably further back."

Bruins-Sens Game 2 was the least watched NBC playoff game since at least 2011.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/201...atings-down-nbc-nbcsn-viewership/#prettyPhoto

In Boston, for Game 1, according to WEEI the Bruins finished behind the Sox (who were on NESNplus) and the Celtics (regular season finale) on Wednesday night

 

[Dreghorn2]

For those disparaging the 'tinfoil hat' crowd, Roger's 12 year TV contract with the league is worth 400+ million a year (Canadian), NBC's 10 year TV deal is worth 200 million a season.

With no Canadian teams last season Roger's took a hammering, so much so that they had to provide free advertising slots in some instances to advertisers due to the low NHL ratings and no playoffs.

 

[Fossy21]

Let me slow it down for you If he's making a call he takes them both. The last time during regulation they took both although Schaller did absolutely nothing except absorb a punch to the head.

Read my post. Properly.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Bruins ratings were down 19% last year. People are tuning out.

"Coverage on the NBC broadcast network averaged 1.2 million viewers over 15 games, down 20% from 11 windows last year (1.5M) and down 16% from 13 two years ago (1.5M). It was the least-watched NHL season on a broadcast network in at least seven years and probably further back."

Bruins-Sens Game 2 was the least watched NBC playoff game since at least 2011.

http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/201...atings-down-nbc-nbcsn-viewership/#prettyPhoto

In Boston, for Game 1, according to WEEI the Bruins finished behind the Sox (who were on NESNplus) and the Celtics (regular season finale) on Wednesday night

I don't buy that for a second, Bruins out drew the C's all year but finished behind them in the first playoff game And the red sox out drew them that night ? Good grief

 

[missingchicklet]

The league absolutely has to start reviewing every penalty and embellishment and start fining or suspending players for it. The league pulls in enough money to be able to hire some guys to look at film of each game and punish embellishers when it's obvious. I don't want the refs to start looking at replays when penalties are called or when players embellish since that would slow games down too much. The problem has to be addressed for the integrity of the sport. When players start missing games due to diving then it will greatly decrease. Every year the embellishing gets worse. I quit watching soccer religiously due to all the diving. I will do the same with the NHL if it reaches soccer levels of absurdity. 40+ years of watching this league and it has become a shell of what it once was. The NHL needs to take of this problem sooner rather than later. It is a blight on the league.

 

[Fopppa]

Regarding embellishment I no longer see a problem for refs to call that minor a lot more often during the game. The argument has always been that it's too difficult to spot the diving correctly in real time, but with the amount of phantom high sticks and other crap that gets called without an actual infringement I don't see why they shouldn't call more dives as they see them.

May have to adjust the fine-levels on embellishment calls (the players get a fine now after 3? 5? calls against them). Sure, there will be some calls wrongly made, but the crap has to stop. And you'd think refs would love to call it as well, they're the ones being embarrassed by the antics after all.

 

[Barnum]

eh it's getting a little tinfoily in here...

Big time. There's no conspiracy.


I'll say the unpopular thing. I was pissed when I saw the call, it was horrible. It was a bogus penality considering but we all know the retaliatory action is almost always called.

That said, you can't go down 3-0 and expect to win in the playoffs. The B's put themselves in catch up mode and that is never good. 4 unanswered goals in a playoff game against a trapping team is no easy task. The Bruins lost this game before that horrible call.

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

For those disparaging the 'tinfoil hat' crowd, Roger's 12 year TV contract with the league is worth 400+ million a year (Canadian), NBC's 10 year TV deal is worth 200 million a season.

With no Canadian teams last season Roger's took a hammering, so much so that they had to provide free advertising slots in some instances to advertisers due to the low NHL ratings and no playoffs.

But you're using that as some kind of PROOF. The Ottawa market, in Canada, is tiny. It's a speck, it arguably has less viewers than Boston when you consider Bruins fans coast to coast in both countries. Heck you can still walk up to the Sens playoff games and get box office tickets. Think about that! And in so many series vs American teams, the Sens got the bum end of a series in previous years. There may be sparks here, but there's no fire.

The stone cold truth is we blew game 2, bad. We had them down 0-2 coming home. There's no conspiracy to that, that HAPPENED.

 

[KrejciMVP]

Big time. There's no conspiracy.


I'll say the unpopular thing. I was pissed when I saw the call, it was horrible. It was a bogus penality considering but we all know the retaliatory action is almost always called.

That said, you can't go down 3-0 and expect to win in the playoffs. The B's put themselves in catch up mode and that is never good. 4 unanswered goals in a playoff game against a trapping team is no easy task. The Bruins lost this game before that horrible call.

Seen enough garbage out of this league these past years to know it ls not legit. I just can't bring myself to be a "useful idiot" (just an expresion) for Bettmans gangster regime

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

Guys there's no way the NHL has the Sharks beat the Oilers if what you all say is true, ditto Flames/Ducks. So keep an eye out west, and you'll know if you're on to something or not.

Because an eventual playoff battle of Alberta would PRINT money. The league would make it happen if they could.

 

[Barnum]

Seen enough garbage out of this league these past years to know it ls not legit. I just can't bring myself to be a "useful idiot" (just an expresion) for Bettmans gangster regime

Yes, its a conspiracy led by Bettman, the guy who does nothing unless the BOG approves it. I guess the NHL would rather have small market teams like Ottawa, Nashville and Edmonton over much larger TV revenue generating and fan bases like Boston, San Jose and Chicago.

Just wondering what happened in Calgary, I guess the evil Bettman forgot about them.

 

[ODAAT]

My post was more directed to the tinfoil hat crowd.

we don`t have any of those folks here do we?

wait, umm, hmm, wondering out loud if I`m one of them