Pre-emptive refereeing- will this kill us in playoffs

[RonJeremy]

I have been watching hockey since the early 70's and never once have I seen referees call pre-emptive penalties in a game . There have been thousands of tough hard hitting and dirty games, that were a powderkeg that could explode into some serious brawls, but the refs never gave out misconducts and kicked people out for running their mouth and for borderline hits. Rinaldo got a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for a routine hit, that at best ,could have been 2 mins. I have seen far worse hits that were not even called. Shelley got kicked out for opening his mouth, was it a coincidence that the Flyer two toughest players were targeted by the refs. Penalties are supposed to be called on what you do, not what you might do.

This has Garry Buttman written all over it. This nebish little punk, is ruining the game.

You would think that a former tough guy NHL player like Shannahan would be a good influence on refs calling a fair game and discipline being handed out in a fair manner, but it looks like he is a mere puppet for the Buttman regime. I have seen Rinaldo throw textbook hard body checks to the chest and just because his target went flying they were called charging penalties, this happens constantly. Hartnell gets crosschecked into the goalie and 99% of the time he is the one penalized. Penalties are called on reputation , Cindy can break a stick over someones leg and no one sees it, Im tired of this . How are we gonna win a playoff series when we cant even throw a clean hit or complain without being penalized.

I dont see how the owners are tolerating Gary Buttman, he needs to be overthrown, everything is a gimmick to attract new fans...

The shootout should be abolished and replaced with a 10 minute OT and after 10 mins if its a tie ,then its a tie. Of course 20 mins would be better, but the networls would not go for it.

The draft lottery, is another farce, its purely to create a buzz before the draft. It should go by record,not by a dopey lottery. Columbus got stiffed just like the Flyers did a few years ago. If a team is resting regualrs and tanking late in the season to get a high pick, then there should be heavy fine, but the lottery is total BS.

The playoff format also needs to be changed, it should be based on total points 1-8 in each conference. FLA has no business being in the 3rd seed with home ice. The best matchup is now in the first round with Flyers vs Pens, and whover makes it to the second round is gonna be beaten down and bruised, aqnd not in good shape for the next round. You want to build excitement and anticipation, you cant do that when one of the top teams will automatically be out in the first round.

Referees should not have such an influence in the outcome of games and should be shown videos of their foul ups so they know not to make the same lame calls over and over. Like when someone isnt holding their stick tight and it gets chopped out of their hands and a penalty is called.

BUTTMAN MUST GO

[Dynamo 47]

Ron, as always, your word is gospel.

I have hated Bettman ever since they brought him over from the NBA. He has never understood the game nor respected it's history, traditions, and it's fan base.

When he came to the league in the 90's the league was at it's all time high in popularity. The scoring per game averages were high, there were plenty of fights in a game, rivalries were intense and hated. In those early years he kind of sat back and played a minor role. It wasn't until he started tinkering with the game that it went downhill.

Scoring was down primarily due to the trap. So someone who knew nothing of the game started tinkering with the rules. He started cracking down on refs to call the clutching and grabbing to where games became special teams snore fests. He implemented the shoot out which to me is an absolute disgrace. He modified OT to 4 on 4. So now there is much less clutching and grabbing. The result? Concussions at an all time high. Players are bigger and faster then ever and now with no impediments on their way to collisions, there is more head injuries then ever.

Physicality - used to be one of the games primary selling points where there was violent collisions, battles along the walls and in front of the net, fighting because there was no instigator rule and players could police the game. Now a smurf can stand in front of the net without fear. Battles along the wall and in the corner are all but extict. Fighting has become almost a joke as the majority are staged off a faceoff, Along with that the respect for other players has disappeared as there is not repercusions for a cheap shot.

And worst of all, to me the lockout in 2004 was the worst thing Bettman ever did. As a result we have a watered down product. We still have teams in markets where they shouldn't be. We have a salary cap that actually hurts the bigger market teams, revenue sharing, etc.

Now he has done some good such as the Winter Classics but overall to me he has out too much of his mark; an NBA mark on the product and because of that it is not the same game I loved to watch as kid and play well into my 40's.

I cannot wait until the *** clown is gone by natural means or otherwise.

[JUNGJAMS]

Beautiful guys, your words are dead on as far as im concerned. going on the playoff scenario, i think that the division winner should be guaranteed a playoff spot, and nothing more. the atlantic and central division have dominated the league for a while now, and yet here we see them in seeds 1,4,5,6, instead of 1,2,3,4 like they deserve. it should be the best 4 teams getting home ice. i still think if you win the division, you should be rewarded with a guaranteed spot. and when it comes down to it, i cant remember when a (the southeast) division winner didnt have at least enough points to get a playoff spot anyways.

thats really the only thing i wanted to add. everything else has been said.

[Lindbergh31]

I have been watching hockey since the early 70's and never once have I seen referees call pre-emptive penalties in a game . There have been thousands of tough hard hitting and dirty games, that were a powderkeg that could explode into some serious brawls, but the refs never gave out misconducts and kicked people out for running their mouth and for borderline hits. Rinaldo got a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for a routine hit, that at best ,could have been 2 mins. I have seen far worse hits that were not even called. Shelley got kicked out for opening his mouth, was it a coincidence that the Flyer two toughest players were targeted by the refs. Penalties are supposed to be called on what you do, not what you might do.

This has Garry Buttman written all over it. This nebish little punk, is ruining the game.

You would think that a former tough guy NHL player like Shannahan would be a good influence on refs calling a fair game and discipline being handed out in a fair manner, but it looks like he is a mere puppet for the Buttman regime. I have seen Rinaldo throw textbook hard body checks to the chest and just because his target went flying they were called charging penalties, this happens constantly. Hartnell gets crosschecked into the goalie and 99% of the time he is the one penalized. Penalties are called on reputation , Cindy can break a stick over someones leg and no one sees it, Im tired of this . How are we gonna win a playoff series when we cant even throw a clean hit or complain without being penalized.

I dont see how the owners are tolerating Gary Buttman, he needs to be overthrown, everything is a gimmick to attract new fans...

The shootout should be abolished and replaced with a 10 minute OT and after 10 mins if its a tie ,then its a tie. Of course 20 mins would be better, but the networls would not go for it.

The draft lottery, is another farce, its purely to create a buzz before the draft. It should go by record,not by a dopey lottery. Columbus got stiffed just like the Flyers did a few years ago. If a team is resting regualrs and tanking late in the season to get a high pick, then there should be heavy fine, but the lottery is total BS.

The playoff format also needs to be changed, it should be based on total points 1-8 in each conference. FLA has no business being in the 3rd seed with home ice. The best matchup is now in the first round with Flyers vs Pens, and whover makes it to the second round is gonna be beaten down and bruised, aqnd not in good shape for the next round. You want to build excitement and anticipation, you cant do that when one of the top teams will automatically be out in the first round.

Referees should not have such an influence in the outcome of games and should be shown videos of their foul ups so they know not to make the same lame calls over and over. Like when someone isnt holding their stick tight and it gets chopped out of their hands and a penalty is called.

BUTTMAN MUST GO

I miss the good old days where the Flyers would have a good old fashion bench brawl. Bettman (like Brian Burke in Toronto) has a hard time admitting when he screwed up with regards to expansion in the southern States. If the rumours are true then Phoenix will finally be relocated to a hockey city, Quebec City, which would bring back some old rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens. As for the seeding in the playoffs, hopefully the GMs sit down this summer and revamp it so a division winner is guaranteed a playoff spot but not one of the top 3 seeds if they don't have more points than the 4th or 5th or 6th seed.

Regarding the Pens/Flyers series, all I want to see is the games called fair which means if they're letting one team get away with stuff then they have to allow the other team the same thing. If it is called fair and the Pens beat the Flyers then so be it, but it will be ******** if it's one-sided on the calls and powerplays. As always when it comes to the Flyers and playoffs it comes down to goaltending, which Bryzgalov are we going to see, the one from earlier in the year or the one who has played really well in the last month and a half -- let's hope it's the latter. He will end up being the difference in the series one way or another.

[sarsippius]

I hope there's no refereeing BS, I'd rather focus on hockey not all this background noise.....LET THEM PLAY!!!

[OccamsRazor]

I promise you if one of the Flyers Dman lands a check like this on a Pengwen he will be ejected and maybe even suspended!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm_sxJ4Z--Y

BANK IT!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOnXZpPwkoU

Legal for these guys...not allowed for the Flyers......would love to see a check like these layed on Crysby!!!!!!!

Edited April 11, 2012 by OccamsRazor