Ok, I have never really written a blog about referees. I honestly don't believe the refs in the NHL are plotting against anyone. I don't believe they are taking memos from the NHL to keep Montreal or Crosby in the playoffs. I know several referees and I know they are just like players. They are doing their best and they will be the first to admit they have bad days and they have good days. They make mistakes but are way better at what they do than anyone else would be. It's a thankless job, and they take it seriously. They don't want to make a mistake that would cost a team a game, and they also try to be "Score Agnostic." They see their job as simply determining what is legal or not in the course of the rules of the game. They will admit to making make up calls even...well they might not admit to them, but their human nature doesn't want to be the ones determining who wins or who loses..

Waiting for the ....."BUT"

Well, that is not this story.

This is about how a game is called in the final moments of a game. When I was a kid you knew there were very few penalties called in a playoff OT. VERY few. The unwritten rule was only if a player had intent to injure or a VERY good scoring chance was thwarted illegally....That was it. It wasn't always fair, but it was understood. And the teams went with it. Deciding the ice winner in gladiator like fashion. I liked it because to me there is nothing worse than a subjective call by a referee determining the whole season.

This season we have seen this unwritten rule erased. Penalties are being called the same from minute 1 until the final buzzer. We saw a penalty end a great game 4 in Montreal when a Tampa player was called with just over 2 minutes to go in a 3-3 game. I am not saying it wasn't a penalty, nor am I saying the Lightning would have won a series in which they were badly outplayed. I am just saying it wasn't an intent to injure nor was it an infraction that stopped a possible goal.

The problem to me with calling that play was then you have to call so many other plays...

Example, last night in Colorado. The Avalanche get called for an unsportsmanlike penalty with a few minutes to go as they are trying to come back. They kill it off, pull the goalie and then a Wild player is about to go around an Avs player and score into an empty net but is obviously held...on a definite scoring chance...no call.

If you are going to call everything, you need to call everything.

No penalty was called, the Avalanche tie it, and then win it in OT. Two games this week where the refs did decide the outcome....like it or not.

So my question is this...

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