Believe in... Blackballing ?

[Gollumpus]

Perhaps there is something to Campbell blackballing the Canucks. I think it has to do with a certain amount of self-loathing on his part as he was with the Canucks during the "surrender" event.

He may even have hoisted a towel...

regards,

G.

[darkpoet]

How about the Canucks just don't put themselves in a position in the game where the ref has to make a call? That's called discipline.

Who's lacking discipline here?

Hint: it's not Burrows.

[alt kilgore]

I just want to say that there is a science to officiating. Non-calls and calls at opportune moments in time can disrupt any team in their tracks. You can see it to this day in great effect, if you know what to watch for. Watch for momentum sapping calls.

What about the games last season where we got killed by those massive 5-3 powerplays. Those are unheard of and then it happens twice. If that is not conspiracy I don't know what is. How many times has that ever happened in the history of the game and it happens to us twice in the same season?

EDIT:

I had to go do some research and it was back to back games (I thought it was) and we had 7 minute 5-3 powerplays against us. Unheard of, and will never ever happen again.

So true. How many times have the Canucks been swarming the other teams O zone, just when we need a goal, and some center ice official calls a weak weak hooking/holding call on a Sedin or Burrows in the other team's end? I've seen it so many times.

Also the non-calls, whose biased management is even easier to disguise. Oops....I guess the ref didn't see it. nudge nudge wink wink. (one minute later a Canuck puts his stick on another players upper thigh for a split second and gets called for "hooking")

I'm so old that I remember when a "hooking" infraction actually meant hooking a player with your stick to cause the player to be impeded or held back. It still does but it can also mean a little tap a bit too high. And it seems that the refs are so frustrated with not having much to call on the Sedins for anything else that they have become the poster boys for that kind of pettiness for some refs.

[Tearloch7]

Who's lacking discipline here?

Hint: it's not Burrows.

Now I wonder which of these fine folks will spring to defend the League on that one? .. ,, good call, Ref.

[RUPERTKBD]

Now I wonder which of these fine folks will spring to defend the League on that one? .. ,, good call, Ref.

Absolutely no defending that call. There is no doubt in my mind that Auger made that call based on reputation and was looking for an excuse to put Burrows in the box.

Whether he actually said the things that Burr claimed, we'll never know for sure, but the league is certainly a better place without Stephane Auger officiating games.

[TimberWolf]

To settle the statue thing though.

The canucks were not hated for the event that inspired it. It may be hard to believe but our franchise was actually beloved for a small moment in time. Ultimate underdog and since then towels appear in many rinks during the playoffs

Gretz put it best "They didn't win the cup but they won everyone's hearts"

[Red Light Racicot]

The reason Jersey had to win the Cup was when Wayne Gretzky called out their franchise. When Gretzky did that the league was being called out for weakening the league with expansion franchises. circa 1983.

Of course New Jersey was awarded the All-Star game next season to try give the league more credibility.

But Jersey sucked for quite a few more years.

After the Koharski incedent, New Jersey said they were shortchanged for many years afterwards, while Ziegler was still NHL president.

Three short years after Ziegler was gone, they win the cup, after being barely ousted the year before by Messier's Guarantee.

You don't think there is Modus Operandi in the league?

Bettman. Joined NHL feb 1993. Last Canadian team win

1994 NY Rangers win for first time in 54 years

1995 New Jersey expansion team wins.

1996 Colorado gets the Nordiques and wins the cup first year they move

1997 Detroit wins first time since 1955

1999 Dallas (formerly Minnesota in guess what year......1993)wins

1995 Through to 2004 previous champs from above all repeated (NJ, Col & Det)

2004 Expansion team wins over Canadian team

2005 Cancelled

2006 Expansion team wins over Canadian team

2007 Expansion team wins over Canadian team

Pittsburgh almost pulls repeats after almost having the team bankrupt out of the League

Chicago, LA, Boston All win after 40 year long droughts (through to current again repeat winners of those American markets)

If you don't think the NHL and ref's conspire to fix the outcome for particular American franchises....You just have to look at the list of Winners and how they correlate with Bettman's vision for the NHL.

How best to manipulate the outcome. Someone who is under your control and your payroll, the Ref's.

With the science of sport, they know exactly how to dictate the outcome of games. Perfect non-calls. Momentum sapping calls. Once the result is close to what they need, then the even up calls come.

I cannot count how many games I have watched where the game is out of reach and then the make up calls come out to balance the stats.

Sure some of you make think I am nuts, but the facts are there if you go looking for them.

This looks like a fun game, but Im pretty sure you dont need facts to play it. All you really need is a steadfast unshakable belief that Bettman has it for Canada.

Include hand picked events and put it in a context you feel supports your argument whilst ignoring everything else.

The problem with officiating is that is entirely subjective. Fans remember questionable calls that go against them, while the rest of time the refs might as well be invisible.

The refs definitely perceive different players in different ways and will make situation-specific rulings based on that, but its pretty understandable when you think about it. How would you feel if a certain player was trying to make you look stupid time and again by diving and acting like he is injured?

[NEON.KNEE]

Auger's wink and the officiating in the 2010-11 final lead me to believe that the NHL DID have it out for the Canucks...

With the personnel changed in the offices and the departure of Kesler, I hope that the punishment of the Canucks by th eofficials is over.... I know that we still have Burrows, but robbing the Nucks of a cup should be enough of a punishment.

[Mr. Ambien]

It's impossible for me not to be back and forth..

Every team's fans think the refs are out to get them. Go to hfboard GDT's for other teams, you see the same "refs are on the other team" / "refs are biased" complaints.

Turning it into a conspiracy where every call is the ref "playing for the other team" diminishes the validity of a very serious concern, which is referees dictating who wins/loses games (by any degree), which includes bias against players or teams, or simply passing up calling penalties, or lowering the criteria for penalty calls to "even up" things for the team who had fewer calls against them. The NBA ref was caught, but it was for gambling purposes. It's easy to dismiss in that case, but given the increase in rules and discretionary calls placed in officials' laps no doubt that kind of personal stuff is there and will have an impact.

This is what's been a major turnoff to me and the NHL and NFL (already said screw the NBA), and even international football (soccer). I want the game decided on the ice (playing surface). If a rule deems it's a penalty, then call it every time, even if there's only 2 of 60 regulation minutes played 5 on 5. It makes no sense to have rules officials can simply ignore at their discretion. It makes this no better than the WWE, and if I want something staged where outside influences determine winners and losers I'll watch wrasslin' instead.

[C.S.Strowbridge]

We don't have to "pretend" that Chara didn't know where the stanchion was, because it's a fact. As Baggins correctly pointed out, it had happened before. Several times.

So Chara is ... blind?

Chara was looking right at the stanchion when he pushed Pacioretty's head right into it. He was skating forward, while looking forward. He wasn't even looking at Pacioretty at that point. He just shoved his head into the stanchion as they skated past it.

And if it happened several times before, it stops becoming an accident. Players know where it is.

[C.S.Strowbridge]

I think it's your own Bruins bias thinking it was anything more.

Says the man who thinks Rome was suspended for how late his hit was when Chara's hit was even more late.

You failed to address that point last time. Maybe you will do so this time.

I just watched the video, again. If Chara didn't know the stanchion was there, then he's blind.

Then again, that seems to be your argument for the Rome / Horton hit.

By the way, up to that season Boston was my second favorite team in the league. I was cheering for Boston over Montreal, but at the time I felt that deserved at least a three-game suspension, maybe more.

[RUPERTKBD]

So Chara is ... blind?

Chara was looking right at the stanchion when he pushed Pacioretty's head right into it. He was skating forward, while looking forward. He wasn't even looking at Pacioretty at that point. He just shoved his head into the stanchion as they skated past it.

And if it happened several times before, it stops becoming an accident. Players know where it is.

Pure fantasy. Now you know what a player was looking at and what he wasn't?

I personally have made the "rubbing out a player into the boards" play about 1000 times. I can't recall ever looking at the boards to see if there was a stanchion coming up. My focus is entirely on the player I'm checking.

You seem to infer a lot from looking at a video. Have you ever played? It certainly doesn't seem like it.

[hlinkas wrister]

Pure fantasy. Now you know what a player was looking at and what he wasn't?

I personally have made the "rubbing out a player into the boards" play about 1000 times. I can't recall ever looking at the boards to see if there was a stanchion coming up. My focus is entirely on the player I'm checking.

You seem to infer a lot from looking at a video. Have you ever played? It certainly doesn't seem like it.

I have to agree, I can't ever recall checking out what was behind a player when I tried to hit him, you just focus on center mass and speed and direction. Chara is a nasty piece of business sometimes and it's pretty easy to dislike any Bruin when your a Canuck's fan but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.