Hockey Stuff

Passing thoughts on the state of hockey today.

I previously posted on the "Let the players decide the game" whine of the losing team's fans. Today in the Sun, Bruce Garrioch made a comment to the effect that the result of the game was aided by the referees doing something a little different this time; their jobs, i.e. calling penalties. Why is it that we never hear the "Let the players decide the game" whine when the refs really are deciding the game by allowing an horrendously dirty team like the Wings get away with all but murder?

And why is it that the League noisily punishes coaches who criticize the referees, but never the referees for fucking up? Does the League think it to be good customer relations to punish the critic, but not the fuckup? Think the Maple Leaf whiners would still be snivelling about Frazier's non-call on Gretzky if the League had visibly sanctioned him for single handedly turning a series?

Who am I kidding. The League could have fired Frazier, tarred and feathered him, run him out of town on a rail, keelhauled him, and, worst of all, taken away his hair gel, and the Maplepucks would still be crying about it 16 years later.

I'm hardly the first to note this, but what the fuck is up with playoffs stretching well into June, and, if the League had had it's way (the original schedule was to start on the 6th), possibly well past the halfway point? I don't know about y'all, but I haven't watched a game since the second round. One; it's not exactly hockey weather out there, two; I've always found the quality of play drops off precipitously in the third round, and three; it's hard enough to stomach reading about the Dirty Wings victories in the paper. Actually watching them is too much for my blood pressure.

A couple of weeks ago, the 3% owner of the Coyotes started putting together a purchase bid, with the intent to move the team to Las Vegas. I think that one died, but, I've been reading for years that Gary Buttman wants the next two NHL cities to be Vegas and Kansas City. Balsillie offers to buy the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton. Buttman doesn't want a team in Hamilton, Buttman hates Balsillie with a burning passion, and out of absolutely nowhere, someone makes noises about scooping Balsillie and moving the team to the very place where Buttman wants it. Coincidence I'm sure.

I went to McMaster. Hamilton sucks. Seriously. Big, wet, dangly donkey balls. Having said that, it'd still be a much better place for hockey than Phoenix. You want to talk about not-hockey-weather? One March I saw the Coyotes play the Devils; it was 100 degrees. Seriously. Not. Hockey. Weather. And, after losing 300 million, I think we can say the Jets took a serious step down in terms of hockey locations.

Playoffs are almost done, so the dog days approach. I wonder who the Toronto media will have moving to the Leafs before all is said and done. And I wonder how many of the players reported to be on the move there will actually be moving there.