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A Big Win And The NHL Fails Again |
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For the Blackhawks to be considered part of the top echelon in the NHL they would have to be able to win against the League’s very best. Saturday night the Hawks defeated the Sharks 4-2 and accomplished what few other Clubs have been able to do this season.
In the grand scheme one game usually doesn’t matter all that much but by winning in San Jose the Hawks took a big step toward gaining the confidence needed to become a real Playoff threat. The Hawks played almost an error free game and were the better team.
Every line was effective and their defense was in very good position all night long. The Hawks kept it simple, out worked the Sharks for the most part and maintained their advantage because of better goal keeping.
It probably is correct to conclude the game on Saturday meant more to the Blackhawks. That is going to be the case more often than not for rest of the year for San Jose; it is not easy to be at the top of the hill, everyone wants to knock you down.
The Sharks were without a key player, Dan Boyle, and that did not help their cause.
It should be remembered that the Hawks also had a 3rd period lead against the Sharks the last time they were in San Jose but they couldn’t close them out. Winning this time around was a big deal for the young Hawks and their effort has to be appreciated. The confidence that was gained by beating San Jose on the road will bolster this Club throughout the rest of the season.
It is never easy to play three games in four nights and that is especially true when they are all road battles. The Hawks had good energy throughout despite a tough stretch of games.
I recall some past comments from former Lightning GM Jay Feaster, who by the way never seemed to be a charter member of the Nikolai Khabibulin fan club. I am paraphrasing somewhat but in his comments Feaster said…… there isn’t anything much more dangerous than a really focused Khabibulin.
No need to expound much on that message.
Khabibulin didn’t lead the way on Saturday night but he was much better than the Sharks goalie, Evgeni Nabokov.
The player who led the Hawks was their young Captain Jonathan Toews. For whatever reason Toews has had a lot of success against the Sharks in the past and Saturday’s game was no exception.
Toews set the tone early while scoring on an opportunistic rebound from Nabokov. Jonathan made no mistake and roofed a shot to beat the sprawling Shark goalie in the game’s opening minute. The next goal from Toews was on the power play and was an even better shot as he wristed a laser into the top corner of the Shark’s net from close range.
Toews has come out after the All Star break with renewed energy and determination and his constant strong effort does rub off on his teammates.
It is very easy to focus on the micro issues but there was another bigger problem that was noticeable in the Hawk-Shark contest. This time it was not only a missed officiating call but a bigger problem with the overall NHL process concerning this unusual penalty situation.
How could all four on ice officials put the wrong player in the penalty box on a high sticking call from a linesman which then led to the Sharks first power play goal?
Kris Versteeg was about 15 feet away from Pat Kane, whose stick came up and hit Jonathan Cheechoo.
My next question…..How could both referees miss the obvious Patrick Kane high sticking penalty to begin with?
Here is another thought…Why wouldn’t the clock be set back to the time the high sticking infraction occurred?
If a goal is going to be disallowed shouldn’t the time be rolled back?
After a lengthy delay …Why wasn’t there an explanation from a referee to the fans at the game and those watching at home as to why a goal was taken down and a penalty then issued.
I do realize that even if a ref took the time to give an explanation and showed the respect those watching deserved, it probably wouldn’t be heard anyway. I know that I couldn’t hear any audio on TV from the referee who issued the penalty to Kris Versteeg.
I have an idea for NHL hierarchy, scrap the microphones an issue a megaphone to each ref which could be kept at the official scorers table. That would probably work much better; at least some people in attendance would hear an official speak. It would be odd to see a megaphone being used but strange happenings are not unusual for fans of the NHL to witness.
The inadvertent high stick by Kane which hit Cheechoo's face happened near the puck not away from the action. Cheechoo appeared to be obviously struck by a high stick and with two referees on the ice there was no excuse for missing that penalty.
The comedy of errors continued as the wrong player, Kris Versteeg, was sent to the penalty box instead of Kane.
The Hawks were guilty of the infraction and it was correct that a goal was taken away from them. A linesman can call a 4 minute penalty after the fact. The reason it is well after the fact is because he can’t stop the action. Once a whistle is blown or a goal is scored, as was the case this time, then the linesman can inform a referee of his observation.
If the NHL is going to allow a linesman to call a more serious penalty, and I am not saying they shouldn’t, the correct player has to be sent to the penalty box. A similar linesman penalty call happened a few weeks ago in another Hawk game and once again the wrong player was sent off the ice then also.
It would make sense to think the "war room" in Toronto has to get involved. The game was already delayed for quite awhile so it would also make sense to reset the clock and to make sure the guilty player is also correctly identified.
Unfortunately I am assuming the NHL makes sense…often a false assumption.
This was a NHL game not a house league contest and the officiating should be more responsible. Fortunately professional hockey is played by the greatest athletes in the world and this wonderful sport still survives second rate officiating and backward League practices.
We all focus on those things that directly concern our favorite team. In this case sending the wrong player off the ice ultimately did not matter but that doesn’t make the error less incorrect.
It could have mattered a lot as Versteeg is one of the better Hawk penalty killers. It could have also mattered if Pat Kane would have scored or set-up a goal while Versteeg was in the penalty box.
Regardless, enough with the excuses for officials and League practices…sometimes there is no excuse.
This is not a case of picking on officials because they blew one call, mistakes do happen. In this situation the penalty originally went unnoticed by both referees, the wrong player was then identified and then for some unexplained reason the game clock was never reset.
All bad …and on top of every other else there was no explanation given from the NHL on ice officials to those watching.
How could a major sport make so many mistakes on one play?
I am tired of feeling embarrassed when I watch how the NHL continues to operate as if professional hockey is second rate amusement. I can’t justify the NHL anymore to friends who casually watch hockey and don’t consider it a major sport.
I won’t make anymore excuses for the ineptness.
Speaking of excuses the Hawks could have begged off in the San Jose game and used a couple of different reasons for a poor effort.
The Hawks had not won in San Jose since March 17, 2003; another loss wouldn’t have been a shock.
Also the Hawks saw a one goal 1st period lead go to two and then turn into no advantage at all in the matter of a couple minutes. That chain of events would have thrown many teams into a tail spin.
At the end of the night it was the Hawks who looked like the more seasoned Club as they really only made one bad mistake, which led to the Sharks 2nd goal. The Hawks did not show their inexperience, they played with a resolve that has been seen many times before this season.
After relinquishing their early advantage the Hawks had a ready made reason to fall to the best team in the Conference. They had reason, but rather than slip they showed they were too good to be denied…..no excuses were tolerated.
I am sure excuses can be made for the officiating blunder, as I said before it did not matter in the outcome.
In realty it does matter a great deal if the NHL ever wants to be a consistent lead story on Sports Center. It matters a great deal if the NHL wants to be considered a major sport in the US. It does matter a great deal even if the officiating errors and backward procedures don’t change the outcome of the contest.
Lastly, it matters a great deal to fans because they shouldn’t have to defend this wonderful game to others. Those that love to watch hockey should not feel embarrassed by continued shortcomings of the League.
This great sport should stand on its own merit but it can’t until the NHL realizes that everything matters and there is often no justification for mistakes.
On Saturday night the Hawks realized what matters most…to be the best you have to beat the best……no excuses allowed.
Al’s Shots
Just because a weakness can be covered up by winning for awhile, it is still a concern.
San Jose dominated the Hawks at the Dot winning 67% of the faceoffs.
The faceoff problems are also a reason why the power play has dropped off.
More disturbing is the PK unit has gone from 6th in the NHL to around 14th. Losing faceoffs is a killer when short handed.
It is scary that after half the season has past the Hawks are still trying different players at the Dot.
Versteeg… 1 win 7 lost for 13%, Bolland… 1 win 10 lost for 9% and Fraser… 2 wins 7 lost for 22%..........this has to change.
The Senators should be in full selling mode now; they can’t just keep replacing the coach.
Antoine Vermette is a 26 year old center who like many other Senators has not had a good year…he has only 18 points
Regardless Vermette is very fast, a good penalty killer and more importantly a top faceoff man. He has a 58.6% win rating for faceoffs which is outstanding.
The 6’1’’ center is signed through 2009-2010 season and is a 2.76 million dollar Cap hit which is not cheap for a 3rd or 4th line center. Sometimes you might have to over pay a bit to get what is needed.
Maybe Vermette can work his way into a 2nd line role here someday, regardless he would be an improvement.
I think it is time to fix the faceoff issue and Dale Tallon may need to get aggressive soon.
Beside inexperience the Hawks don’t have many glaring weaknesses and the faceoff problem can be fixed with the right acquisition.
Vermette looks like the answer to me and the Sens should be ready to shuffle the deck.
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