The league just worships parity and so a superstar even existing goes against that. They want all teams to have elite players and for elite players to be roughly equal. It wrecks the formula to have a transcendental talentI still watch the oilers because they have always been my team. But if the oil are out in the playoffs I don't watch hockey because, especially playoff hockey is complete garbage. The obstruction of talent becomes insane. The holding of mcdavid is every shift in the playoffs and it keeps people from playing.
In the finals an Edmonton VS Toronto final would have more interest than playing a team like Florida. The NHL acts as the only way people pick a team is exclusively based on local geography. Not that if you make a better game more people will watch it
I'm sure I'm the only person on earth with the following opinion:We would have a cup already if they called the games like they did post lockout 2005
I agree. All players need to be protected, not just stars. You do that by having rules that are enforced and stop actions that put players at risk.This whole issue is garbage. All the convo is about suspension and protecting stars of the game. The problem is on ice officials managing the game. No one from the league is answering regarding the fact that Garland was not penalized nor was either ref intending to do so. “Referees discretion “ are the worst two words in hockey. If the rules are applied equally as written, regardless of player or situation, the game will adapt just like hooking over the past decades. Until the Stanley Cup is decided in double overtime on a power play this league will remain behind water polo in popularity.
Someone needs to start clipping non calls and make a database. I might actually start doing that someday, need a new PC though. Not really that much work to take a couple clips per game, then make a database and attach ref names to each clip.
High sticking calls can apparently be subjective too. Remember a couple of weeks ago when one drew blood against the Oilers but they refused to call it a 4 minute penalty?Needs to be non-calls combined with calls for the same thing later in the game. Outside of that, one of the biggest cancers on how the games are called is that only a few, mostly irrelevant penalties get the black and white treatment.
Puck over glass, high sticks, too many men, ripping players helmet off, not skating to the bench when your helmet is off, goalie playing the puck outside the trapezoid, etc. Those always, every single time get called no matter what. Game 7 of the SCF? Every single one of those is getting called because they're penalties so have to call it. Tripping, hooking, slashing, interference, etc? Well those might be penalties, but it depends.
The former crop of penalties, that actually get called every single time, are almost always irrelevant to the game and no more than a technical rules violation. The others actually impact the game, but nobody cares it seems.
Take last night for example. We're on the PP and get blatantly tripped in front of the ref. Can't call it though, because 5 on 3. Fast forward a few minutes and Emberson rubs a guy's helmet off. Irrelevant, but have to call that one! Then that more or less lead to their third goal. We should have been 5 on 3, but ignore that so that they can change the game on a helmet rub penalty. Insanity.
High sticking calls can apparently be subjective too. Remember a couple of weeks ago when one drew blood against the Oilers but they refused to call it a 4 minute penalty?