Loads of comments about the Refs being out to get the Nucks!

[BI3KSA-]

Are you forgetting the San Jose series last year? I don't blame you if you're trying to but...

San Jose PPs: 24

Vancouver PPs: 10

Again, you can't logically explain one team getting 24 powerplays in 4 GAMES without blaming the refs.

When you get outplayed and dominated as bad as we did you tend to take a ton more penalties like tripping, hooking and other lazy/tired penalties as well as frustration penalties too. Add to that the sharks diving all over the place and the refs being terrible at their job and it equates to what happened in that series.

[Ray_Cathode]

Please tell us how you really feel

Well here is one that any size D can do in our goal crease - with your stick in both hands, shove down hard on the top of his pants on the back. He will end up sitting on the ice in a heartbeat. In a scrum, very hard to detect and it puts him down on his tailbone. If you play, try it some time on somebody, or better yet, get a teammate to do it to you. It will give you the experience directly. I have not seen a ref call the spear in the back of the knee for years. For the most part, they call what they are told to look out for and ignore the rest. For a goalie, get a heavy wooden goal stick and give the boys in the crease a few taps on the ankles - only the brave and the stupid will hang around to get a few more. When you are following a particularly nasty opponent into the boards, slew-foot him. If you are jostling in front of the net in a crowd, slide your top hand down and give him the butt end. Glad to see Hamhuis is using the hip again - our forwards should learn how to use it against big, nasty defensemen - just like Hilliard Greaves used to do - big, nasty defensemen love to get forwards high (like Pronger used to and Chara does), come in hard, the defenseman expects to defend himself with a high cross-check, pivot and give him the hip. In a couple of games you will be the most hated guy in the league - just like Greaves was. Do what Boychuck did to Raymond (and Denis Potvin used to do), get your stick high between his legs so he can't fall and drive him into the boards - backwards, head first, doesn't matter. After you have done all that, keep your head up - the survivors will be coming for you. When you put a guy down, always ask if he's okay, like you are concerned for his health. If he says he's okay, you didn't hit him hard enough. Do better next time.

Never use your mouth to communicate to the opposition at hockey, but keep mental note of every damn thing your opponents do to the talent on your team - if it is a lost game, get even. Never threaten an opponent, just do. If it is a really nasty thing your opponent has done to your talent, unless it is the Stanley Cup final - then you will have to wait till next year, get even and then some - make sure everybody in the league knows that brutalizing your talented players will have a really nasty outcome. Gretzky survived in the league because of guys like Semenko and McSorley - when he got traded to LA, he made sure McSorley came too - it was his insurance policy. Trottier and Bossy had Gillies. In Vancouver, Gradin had Fraser and Smyl, Bure had Gino, etc. It is something we have gotten away from - which is why the Sedins and Luongo take the abuse they do.

[SamJamIam]

Not reviewable plays.

Non-reviewability is just the latest way for refs to shield their more ridiculous calls. Grabbing a puck and throwing it out of the zone on a PK never got ignored before because it's so ridiculously obvious. There was never a need previously for review.

When you get outplayed and dominated as bad as we did you tend to take a ton more penalties like tripping, hooking and other lazy/tired penalties as well as frustration penalties too. Add to that the sharks diving all over the place and the refs being terrible at their job and it equates to what happened in that series.

5 on 5 the Canucks dominated every game in that series and score effects had nothing to do with it. Sharks were only able to hold them off because of well-timed penalties and the refs turning a blind eye to offsides, icings, cheating in the circle, etc. when it favoured the Sharks.

It's more of the same this year for the Sharks They have 60 more PPs than PKs so far this season. 60! Some teams (including the Nucks who are almost dead last in PPs) have barely 120 while the Sharks have almost 180. That team is nothing without the refs.

[5Fivehole0]

Non-reviewability is just the latest way for refs to shield their more ridiculous calls. Grabbing a puck and throwing it out of the zone on a PK never got ignored before because it's so ridiculously obvious. There was never a need previously for review.

5 on 5 the Canucks dominated every game in that series and score effects had nothing to do with it. Sharks were only able to hold them off because of well-timed penalties and the refs turning a blind eye to offsides, icings, cheating in the circle, etc. when it favoured the Sharks.

It's more of the same this year for the Sharks They have 60 more PPs than PKs so far this season. 60! Some teams (including the Nucks who are almost dead last in PPs) have barely 120 while the Sharks have almost 180. That team is nothing without the refs.

Whoa whoa whoa, there is no room for logic and statistics on these forums.

All joking aside, it is absolutely ridiculous the PP's that the sharks get and still they can't be #1. They are a bad team, plain and simple.They get dominated 5 on 5, why do you think Joe Thornton, who is #5 with 50 points in the NHL and #1 with 54 Assists isn't making it to the Olympics? Plain and simple, Hockey Canada knows that Thornton is nothing without his refs.

[combover]

it sucks that this TEAM doesn't protect the goaltenders. run lack or louie and some one show take out the opposition net minder even if its a penalty. it would force the officials to make calls both ways and it would send a clear message to the league. the team is too much like its captain when it comes to emotional responses.....none.

[alt kilgore]

They might have been the better team, but the sole reason for the sweep was due to the absolutely horrible reffing. 2 of the games went to OT. If it was a fairly officiated series, it would've gone to 6 or more games.

- Garrison gets crosschecked in the face. He crosschecks back in the shoulder. Garrison goes to the box.

- Lappiere gets a soft crosschecking penalty. Same period, Kesler gets a hard crosscheck in the back. Again, only a Canucks penalty.

- Burrows gets pushed into the goalie. Burrows gets called for goalie interference.

- Couture grabs the puck and throws it out of the defensive zone. No penalty.

- Henrik plays the puck with the shaft of his stick. Gets called for closing his hand on the puck.

- One of the Sharks grabs the puck in the crease while it's about to go in the net and pulls it out. No penalty shot for Vancouver.

- Numerous other instances of Sharks diving all over the place and getting calls.

And don't forget the piece de le resistance; The final nail by our good friend Kelly Sutherland, the call on Daniel in OT for what Sutherland described as a "violent shove into the boards" from 80 feet away. Judge for yourselves if it was even a "shove".

Yes the same Kelly Sutherland that called a penalty on AV for a bench minor for standing up and yelling "that was an elbow!" during a regular season game. The same Kelly Sutherland that stood by and watched Marchand speed punch Daniel in the head in the Final against Boston and gave him a misconduct for simply asking him to do his job. Oh and just one other titbit, he was the same ref that was on the ice when Daniel was elbowed in the head by Duncan Keith causing a concussion that greatly affected our 2012 run. What did he give Keith? a 2 minute minor.

After a while you have to ask yourself if Sutherland has a problem with our team. (Maybe its just Danny!).

I suspect he was listening on the edge of his seat while Ron McLean eviscerated Burrows with his little one sided show-and-tell, and that very day swore an oath to the referee gods and his good buddy Auger that he would avenge this "insult" by Burrows and his team many times over.

IMO i think its a small group of refs who, like Sutherland, feel that they have a bone to pick with the Canucks because of Burrows calling out Auger, as well as just a lingering hatred that is based on some behavior from a few of our players from years ago. But it only takes a few petty zebras to derail the season and any playoff run we may have.

And it sucks because as a fan you have to resign yourself to the fact that the Canucks will have to always fight through soft or unwarranted calls just to win a game sometimes, depending who's reffing that night.

[whcanuck]

I understand what the Canucks are trying to do by turning the other cheek etc in those scrums. But that's not gonna work. Vancouver needs to play mean. Nasty, intimidation might be the way to go. If Dustin Brown wants to take liberties and run our goalie, Roberto or Eddie and a defenseman should beat the living daylights out of him. The thought process should be this. One time. You do that one time, you won't do it again. Make players afraid! Who cares if we get called, we'll probably get called anyway. Play rough, play mean, channel the Flyers of the 70s or any good playoff team from the 90s. Hockey's gone waaaay too soft in the last ten years anyway. Think, what would Trevor Linden or Wendel Clark do?

[CRUNK]

Refs be damned , who fracking cares whaT the refs call. Police ourselves. If they take liberties ,,,.......................................... PUNISH THE CRAP OUT OF THEM!!

REFS BE DAMNED.

YOU MAKE THEM RESPECT THIS TEAM BY doing one thing all game long......

PUNISH THE CRAP OUT OF THEM!!

[canucksnihilist]

Refs be damned , who fracking cares whaT the refs call. Police ourselves. If they take liberties ,,,.......................................... PUNISH THE CRAP OUT OF THEM!!

REFS BE DAMNED.

YOU MAKE THEM RESPECT THIS TEAM BY doing one thing all game long......

PUNISH THE CRAP OUT OF THEM!!

With that font u have to think of writing them a nice letter and putting on a skirt.... Not punishing them. You have a disconnect between function and meaning - u should be a ref!

But I do agree with u!

[viking mama]

And don't forget the piece de le resistance; The final nail by our good friend Kelly Sutherland, the call on Daniel in OT for what Sutherland described as a "violent shove into the boards" from 80 feet away. Judge for yourselves if it was even a "shove".

Yes the same Kelly Sutherland that called a penalty on AV for a bench minor for standing up and yelling "that was an elbow!" during a regular season game. The same Kelly Sutherland that stood by and watched Marchand speed punch Daniel in the head in the Final against Boston and gave him a misconduct for simply asking him to do his job. Oh and just one other titbit, he was the same ref that was on the ice when Daniel was elbowed in the head by Duncan Keith causing a concussion that greatly affected our 2012 run. What did he give Keith? a 2 minute minor.

After a while you have to ask yourself if Sutherland has a problem with our team. (Maybe its just Danny!).

I suspect he was listening on the edge of his seat while Ron McLean eviscerated Burrows with his little one sided show-and-tell, and that very day swore an oath to the referee gods and his good buddy Auger that he would avenge this "insult" by Burrows and his team many times over.

IMO i think its a small group of refs who, like Sutherland, feel that they have a bone to pick with the Canucks because of Burrows calling out Auger, as well as just a lingering hatred that is based on some behavior from a few of our players from years ago. But it only takes a few petty zebras to derail the season and any playoff run we may have.

And it sucks because as a fan you have to resign yourself to the fact that the Canucks will have to always fight through soft or unwarranted calls just to win a game sometimes, depending who's reffing that night.

You mean - who's assigned to ref each night?! Do these refs actually place themselves into these key situations by bidding to do regular season games in the pre-season...or are they ASSIGNED to do them by persons of power or influence? If this were the IIHF...the mere perception of a bias would cause the "exclusion" of such refs as Sutherland... from working a 'Nucks' game.

But - that's the smoking-gun in this scenario...with 45 other possible referees to choose from...Sutherland & O'Halloran get flown out from back east special to work the 'Nucks game vs the Hawks....after they botched & butchered, or mis-called the earlier match-up between 'em previously. You know - the one where Daniel Sedin was cold-cocked & concussed by Mr. Violent-Retribution, Duncan Keith! Hmmm. Or DID they really botch it up? Apparently NOT....in the eyes of King-pins back east! It was in THEIR best interests to get a complete re-peater ....with the SAME biased officials...NOT the 'Nucks...that's for sure. So, exactly WHO made that happen - eh? There are more accomplices & partners-in-crime out there... regarding all of this game management that favors teams.

Just go & check-out the crazy home-game winning records of certain Califiornian teams VS their winning records - on the road. Is the huge discrepancy in those stats - mere chance...OR by some design, one might ask? Well, after all of the things I've witnessed occuring in the Shark tank... & at the ANA pond, over the years (vs our 'Nucks and other NHL teams, as well)...I'd definitely have to say..it's the latter!

Yup - league machinations of the greediest kind are at work daily in this league....& the League Commissioner is completely failing to uphold his oath to protect the integrity of the game...by turning a blind-eye to it. This failing of his - also leaves me to believe that he is complicit with the NHLOA's master-plan to manage their officials in an un-toward way.

Staunch homerism by officials working in So-Cal.... has been 1 of the League's worst kept secrets for a long time now. But - what are you gonna do? You play the games anyway & hope that with time...maybe even this year with more eastern teams swinging on by out west...that the rest of the league will take notice & raise a few more pertinent questions - in our stead.

[canidiot]

waving white towels started here....rodger nielson was not cheering on his team....he was surrendering to the refs

[Geoff Peterson]

The year the Blackhacks won their first cup with the so called..."YOUNG GUNS" the darlings of CBC's Hockey Night In Canada is when the ref's became part of the plan to promote hockey down south.

A moment in time, where pushing Luongo and puck into the net was a goal...or jumping on him...much like the last few games he played this year, if you can't score jump on Roberto.

Then a year later, the Big bad Bruins or lets just say the Bru-Gooins the year where punch a Canuck or break a players back by jamming Mason Raymond into the boards was just a hockey play...hogwash.

Not much has changed, except pushing a goalie into the net, is now not a goal...I call it ..."the Luongo Rule"

Over the last 4 years I have noticed when the Canadian teams go down south...the calls always seem to go to the home team...if that does not work and the Canadian teams sore a few...they just let them play...until the third and a few more phantom calls seem to happen, giving the American based team a few more kicks at the can...

Remember this is "NOT SPORT" in the true sense...this is "CORPORATE SPORTS" a very different animal indeed.

[-DLC-]

Those arguing against the idea that the refs have been at the very least imbalanced in their overseeing of games need to remember this: it's an opinion, just like yours (is). So the tinfoil pictures and things like that really do not help or support your stance, it actually looks like you don't have valid responses when that's all you've got.

And, in having an opinion like the rest of us, yours is no more proven right than it is wrong as a result (like the rest of us).

As a matter of fact, people usually resort to name calling and deflection when they don't have a valid rebuttal.

Here's part of mine:

When a ref singles out a player PRE game to warn him that he's being watched, it suggests two things: that he isn't watching the entire ice/game, as his focus is limited by that and #2: that he may have an agenda.

So tell me, what other teams have you seen that happen to during warm up? Answer: 0.

Each game should come with a fresh slate. If there was something that happened during a previous game, it should have already been dealt with. If it wasn't, then that's not something that you "carry" as an official. It is inappropriate to do so, as you're then biased.

[apollo]

This league is either 100% fixed or completely biased. It has been for the past 12 years I've followed the Canucks.

This team will have to over come a lot of odds to ever win a cup. Even with the talent we had in 2011 we couldn't win. All 4 series were fixed. We didn't get any calls our way.

This league is fixed against our team. Just watch for entertainment and hope one day we switch the name to

The NOT-VANCOUVER Canucks.

In short this league is pathetic. A coaches challenge would help us a little.

[panelguy]

It's the old Auger / Burrows vendeta and the NHL refs brotherhood keeping it up.

Heres a good place to start yourventing http://www.nhlofficials.com/contact.asp

Maybe the GM should be pounding on some desks back at NHL control.

[thema]

...who's assigned to ref each night. Do the refs put themselves in these ket situations by bidding to do games in the pre-season...or are the ASSIGNED to do them by persons of power or influence over them. If this were the IIHF...the mere perception of a bias would cause the "exclusion" of such a ref as Sutherland from working a 'Nucks game.

If you don't know the answer to that question then perhaps you should do some research before you go off on your hysterical rants. Your comment on the IIHF is very funny; did you actually watch the WJC. If the Canucks got the same level of officiating that the Finns got in the Gold medal game night after night I might agree that you are on to something. But you aren't.

[-DLC-]

It's the old Auger / Burrows vendeta and the NHL refs brotherhood keeping it up.

Heres a good place to start yourventing http://www.nhloffici...com/contact.asp

Maybe the GM should be pounding on some desks back at NHL control.

While I'd generally agree, in cases like these where you should know your role and shut your mouth, the squeaky wheel of anything Canuck related gets the oil in the face.

No amount of complaining will change this, as it's part of what fuels it.

I'm with the make them pay and dole it out mentality. Ignore it (the horrible reffing) and focus on making those who dole it out pay a price. Hit em back, hard. Penalty or not, that's just part of the price to be paid. But the messages must be sent on the ice, as the refs/league can't be counted on to deliver them.

Old rock 'em sock 'em hockey. No more looking at the refs, because that's part of their dysfunction...they feed off that in their power tripping positions of authority. You focus on the team that's got the in their back pocket. Punish don't plead.

[xereau]

FACT: The NHL loses 150 million if a Canadian team wins the cup.

Oh, and the refs are recruited by the National Institute for the Blind and they receive their training in the WWE.

[skolozsy2]

FACT: The NHL loses 150 million if a Canadian team wins the cup.

Oh, and the refs are recruited by the National Institute for the Blind and they receive their training in the WWE.

Can you actually prove the comment that you claimed as a "fact"? I am a wee bit curious as to how you know the NHL will, in fact, lose $150 million. You work as an accoutant for the NHL or something?

[viking mama]

If you don't know the answer to that question then perhaps you should do some research before you go off on your hysterical rants. Your comment on the IIHF is very funny; did you actually watch the WJC. If the Canucks got the same level of officiating that the Finns got in the Gold medal game night after night I might agree that you are on to something. But you aren't.

In this scenario...either situation has demonstrated its failings...where a botched refereeing job...gets a repeater from the same crew. The bias with the 2 refs in question has persisted in other match-ups and has clearly not been addressed. If OHalloran and Sutherland are bidding to work the Nucks games vs these same 0-6s during regular season games. - & with their clear tendancies...is there anything or anyone out there to prevent that? If NOT - there should be.

If - it's all pre-assigned by the Director of Officials...then HIS understanding of this situation should be questioned. For the past 4 very controversial seasons...the Director of Officiating for the NHL has been Terry Gregson. He stepped aside & Stephen Walkom has returned to the post he once held. Yet - Colin Campbell remains with the League's Head Office & still has the ability to some pull strings in this regard.

http://www.theglobea...rticle13640109/

I don't claim to have all of the answers. I'm just posing questions here. Isnt this 1 of the main functions of fan-boards? If you can't offer-up answers - either...how are you now contributing to the conversation - other than to slam me for speculating based on the info that I and others - DO have? If you're such a keener...as to be offended by speculations...why don't you go ask Kerry Fraser a few things and report back.

Mr. Gregson has been an on-ice official that I have respected over the years. BUT...that does NOT mean that as the Director of Officials - that he was ever immune from being manipulated. Walkom seems like a man eager to obey the marching orders of his superiors...clear and simple. He's a very loyal employee of the League.... & its kingpins, I believe both O'Halloran and Sutherland aspire to become the future...Terry Gregson and Stephen Walkom....and they clearly know which persons would grease their skids to that end.