5 Min Major And A Game Misconduct=Different Game

[Tearloch7]

If the NHL wants to be taken seriously as a professional sports league they need to address the reffing system because it's only getting worse each season, league-wide. Call penalties for what they are and get rid of this game management BS.

[n00bxQb]

45.3 Major Penalty - A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player who uses his elbow to foul an opponent. A major penalty must be imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent (see 45.5).

45.5 Game Misconduct Penalty - When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct penalty shall also be imposed.

How this wasn't a major and a game is just baffling.

Was a an elbow thrown ? Yes

Did the referee witness it ? Yes

Was it to the opponent's face or head ? Yes

Was the opponent injured on the play ? Yes

[CHIPS]

Let me sum it up.

1) Daniel got hit be Keith. No major.

2) Canucks retaliated. (Whoa they actually fight back!!!)

3) Refs goes "OMG the Canucks are out for blood. Stop them!!!" and call everything against the Canucks.

Compared this with the way the Bruins got away with everything last year.

This league suck balls.

[Onions]

refs need to be held accountable for bad calls. Now i'm not saying they should be punished for every bad call.

[Iamacanuck18]

SO i made a tweet ( i was joking) " Duncan kieth = the next steve moore... you have been warned. " and i have never got so much hate mail, wow,

[Lychees]

I've said it before, I'll say it again

The NHL is the only "major" sport where referees dictate the game and are held unaccountable because of it. Do mistakes happen in other sports? Absolutely, but they openly state that it was their fault and parties move on. With the NHL its NONONON YOURE WRONG REFEREES ARE RIGHT BLAHBLAHBLAH.

frack Bettman, he's the cancer that's killing the NHL slowly

[burrows42010]

Last nights game was a microcosm of whats wrong with Hockey today

Lots of threads about the Keith hit but really this desrves a thread of its own. WE as fans always see the game the way we want and reffing is always in the eye of the beholder. But sometimes it doesnt make any sense.

The Sedins quite simply are not given the same respect by the NHL that other elite players in the present and past have gotten. When Boston last year showed this to be the case in a blatantly obvious fashion it paved the way to shut them down and proved that there are no 'rules' against cheap shots intentional injury and intimidation. Sure you can say that they need to 'toughen up' or learn to play through it or change but in reality because of their past play when they do try to fight back etc. they are targeted with penalties themselves because it is outside of their past character, simply the refs target them. There have been many examples of this this year, so they continue to try and play their normal game and, well you can see the result. The refs are just not going to go back to pre-Boston finals hockey reffing. It is clearly open season on them.

Back to the topic why wasn't a 5 min major and gane misconduct called on that elbow? It would have been a completely different game if Keith had been removed at that point. The Canucks rightly or wrongly would not have spent the game chasing revenge...Until managed hockey games...this new era of reffing...is rescinded teams like the Canucks are up against the wall. No one on the ice know what is allowed or when you have gone too far The Zebras need to go back to calling exactly what is in the rule book.

The NHL and referees have shown the league how to beat the Canucks and I fear Hockey is not the same as it used to be.

[Toni Zamboni]

is keith getting suspended or did we get screwed on that as well?

[Iamacanuck18]

The media hates the canucks.... some media outlets are calling for a burrows suspension for kneeing keith during a scrum. I cannot believe all the hate the canucks get from media.

[SukhKular]

Dan O'Halloran was the one that called Marchand on Salo I think. He's a vet, he's one of the better refs out there actually.

[{nhl}]

I agree 100% but my original point is still valid. After the ASB it seems that reffing has gone playoff style and this style in the last year is very suspect to me. I want the refs to let them play in most instances but things that are so blatantly obvious and are in the rulebook should be of concern. When it is not handled by the refs then the game spirals out of control no one knows how far you can go and it seems that teams like the Canucks when playing out of character are targeted more then others

...and quite honestly they were designed as an offensive team not a bruiser dirty team and when they go that way we suck. Does this mean that we need to trade to become ruffians? I loved the Canucks in the last few years simply because we were so skilled if they go this route I dont know if I would want to follow, I love skill Hockey, goon/gladiator hockey though sometimes entertaining to me is not what I want to see nightly. But maybe I am wrong maybe this is what the US masses want Rollerball style hockey...knifeblades on hockeysticks etc.

[cdubuya]

from the blackhawks board: Too many men on the ice penalty with 5 minutes left = different game