While I understand the frustration by Hitchcock regarding the non-calls on Connor, but what else do you expect when you have the best player in the world, and arguably the fastest player in the league? Teams will do whatever is in their power to try and slow him down, its how teams HAVE to play against him. Not really sure you are going to get any favorable calls moving forward by the refs after you complain to the media about them.
i love the former trap coach complaining about some hooking and holding, like he's not teaching every other guy on his team to do the exact same thing to the best players on the opposition.
i love the former trap coach complaining about some hooking and holding, like he's not teaching every other guy on his team to do the exact same thing to the best players on the opposition. - chester97
He explains in more detail in his availability the following day. His complaints weren't against the lack of penalties called when McDavid had the puck, more than McDavid was being held while behind and out of the play in ways where he wasn't even given the chance to join some plays. That's his complaint.
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Dec 18 @ 5:04 PM ET
While I understand the frustration by Hitchcock regarding the non-calls on Connor, but what else do you expect when you have the best player in the world, and arguably the fastest player in the league? Teams will do whatever is in their power to try and slow him down, its how teams HAVE to play against him. Not really sure you are going to get any favorable calls moving forward by the refs after you complain to the media about them. - Codes1087
It's hard to watch all the plugs hang off McDavid like dead-weight anchors who belong in a beer league. This was recognized and has been frustrating Oil fans since his first game in the league. It should frustrate all hockey fans because it really makes the game less enjoyable to watch and it replaces high level speed/skill with troglodyte level desperation. Happens to lots of other stars as well but with McD it is just clear as day, which you might think would result in more calls considering how painfully obvious/clear it is. You'd think the league would have enough motivation to encourage the refs to ramp up holding calls on mud-skaters who engage in such desperate nonsense considering it degrades their product significantly.
He explains in more detail in his availability the following day. His complaints weren't against the lack of penalties called when McDavid had the puck, more than McDavid was being held while behind and out of the play in ways where he wasn't even given the chance to join some plays. That's his complaint. - MaximumBone
So all the type of stuff that happened in the trap era....
It's hard to watch all the plugs hang off McDavid like dead-weight anchors who belong in a beer league. This was recognized and has been frustrating Oil fans since his first game in the league. It should frustrate all hockey fans because it really makes the game less enjoyable to watch and it replaces high level speed/skill with troglodyte level desperation. Happens to lots of other stars as well but with McD it is just clear as day, which you might think would result in more calls considering how painfully obvious/clear it is. You'd think the league would have enough motivation to encourage the refs to ramp up holding calls on mud-skaters who engage in such desperate nonsense considering it degrades their product significantly. - RonPielep
I see your point, and we dealt with it (to a different degree) with the Sedins. Bure dealt with the same poop every night which evidently resulted in him doing the "mother of all elbows" to Churla. Having said that, its so much more evident in McDavid's case because he is literally THAT fast. I still don't think whining about it in the media by Hitch is going to change anything. He is going to have deal with it the rest of his playing career, opposing teams won't stop because Hitch cries about it haha.
While I understand the frustration by Hitchcock regarding the non-calls on Connor, but what else do you expect when you have the best player in the world, and arguably the fastest player in the league? Teams will do whatever is in their power to try and slow him down, its how teams HAVE to play against him. Not really sure you are going to get any favorable calls moving forward by the refs after you complain to the media about them. - Codes1087
Solid positional defense. Josh Morrissey exemplified how to properly defend against McDavid a few games ago. Jokiharju and Keith did it brilliantly earlier in the season, as well.
The whole point is that if you can't defend him legally then you should get called for committing a penalty because that's what the rules state. Just like a Devin Shore or Brandon Sutter can get a call for being held up while on the attack or getting an extra two or three slashes behind the play, so too should Connor- especially when it happens so much more often than average.
And this shouldn't be limited to Connor; all star players get screwed on this front. If the refs called the rulebook, it would start out being like 2005-06 with all the penalties, but players would stop doing these things if the refs stood firm and stayed consistent.
While I understand the frustration by Hitchcock regarding the non-calls on Connor, but what else do you expect when you have the best player in the world, and arguably the fastest player in the league? Teams will do whatever is in their power to try and slow him down, its how teams HAVE to play against him. Not really sure you are going to get any favorable calls moving forward by the refs after you complain to the media about them. - Codes1087
That right there is the issue with the NHL. If Tobias Rieder gets an opportunity for a breakaway and gets hooked it will likely be a penalty, but if McDavid does it it is okay because that is how players have to defend him? The NHL is the only league which actively tries to bring the best players down to the average level.
Solid positional defense. Josh Morrissey exemplified how to properly defend against McDavid a few games ago. Jokiharju and Keith did it brilliantly earlier in the season, as well.
The whole point is that if you can't defend him legally then you should get called for committing a penalty because that's what the rules state. Just like a Devin Shore or Brandon Sutter can get a call for being held up while on the attack or getting an extra two or three slashes behind the play, so too should Connor- especially when it happens so much more often than average.
And this shouldn't be limited to Connor; all star players get screwed on this front. You of all people know the treatment Gaudreau gets and that's wrong. If the refs called the rulebook, it would start out being like 2005-06 with all the penalties, but players would stop doing these things if the refs stood firm and stayed consistent. - MaximumBone
it isn't limited to Connor though. Thats my point. Connor isn't the only guy in the league dealing with this poop every night. Also, why would I know of all people about Gaudreau?
That right there is the issue with the NHL. If Tobias Rieder gets an opportunity for a breakaway and gets hooked it will likely be a penalty, but if McDavid does it it is okay because that is how players have to defend him? The NHL is the only league which actively tries to bring the best players down to the average level. - freelancer
i believe this to be a complete exaggeration but will chalk it up to a difference of opinion rather than 2 or 3 pages of useless back and forth.
it isn't limited to Connor though. Thats my point. Connor isn't the only guy in the league dealing with this poop every night. Also, why would I know of all people about Gaudreau? - Codes1087
He either thinks your really short .....or you’re me lol
The funniest aspect of this entire situation is that hockey fans think that NHL officials will somehow start calling games properly. The officiating in the NHL is, by and large, the worst in professional sports.
The amount of missed calls, and then phantom makeup calls, that happen across the league is ridiculous.
it isn't limited to Connor though. Thats my point. Connor isn't the only guy in the league dealing with this poop every night. Also, why would I know of all people about Gaudreau? - Codes1087
Just seems really out of whack when Van gets a 5 to 1 advantage on the PP. Pettersson wasn't mugged all night long by Oil players, and he's already at the point that he should be discussed about as one of the best in the league. Crazy good.
Re-watched the entire game and still having a hard time figuring our where Connie McMuffin was hooked and held all game by the 2-3 Canucks you are referring to.
The funniest aspect of this entire situation is that hockey fans think that NHL officials will somehow start calling games properly. The officiating in the NHL is, by and large, the worst in professional sports.
The amount of missed calls, and then phantom makeup calls, that happen across the league is ridiculous. - Slip and slap
I have a feeling they will be bitter and resentful, and the situation (at east for Conner) will only get worse in the short term. I still don't mind Hitch saying it though, vocally supporting his player.
Just seems really out of whack when Van gets a 5 to 1 advantage on the PP. Pettersson wasn't mugged all night long by Oil players, and he's already at the point that he should be discussed about as one of the best in the league. Crazy good. - Beergu
Everyone crying about the 5-1 PP count. 3 of those penalties are automatic calls. Nothing that the Nucks did to cause those.
So all the type of stuff that happened in the trap era.... - Redmile247
Guy made a habit of matching up plugs like Keane. Langenbrunner and Morrow to hook hack and drag down the opposing teams top players for over a decade in Dallas.
I have a feeling they will be bitter and resentful, and the situation (at east for Conner) will only get worse in the short term. I still don't mind Hitch saying it though, vocally supporting his player. - Beergu
Of course they will. They're the most embittered, biased bunch of hacks there are.
I don't totally agree with Hitchcock, but I know that when Gillis brought up the difference in penalties being doled out in the series against Chicago in 2011, things changed.
For an occupation that's supposed to be unbiased by definition, the officiating in the NHL is anything but.
Just seems really out of whack when Van gets a 5 to 1 advantage on the PP. Pettersson wasn't mugged all night long by Oil players, and he's already at the point that he should be discussed about as one of the best in the league. Crazy good. - Beergu
Pettersson got slammed to the ice by Matheson because he broke his ankles previously on the same play. Pettersson is a magician, but I think alot of the holds and hooks stem from McDavids speed, something that Pettersson doesn't have. Just my opinion though.
it isn't limited to Connor though. Thats my point. Connor isn't the only guy in the league dealing with this poop every night. Also, why would I know of all people about Gaudreau? - Codes1087
I thought I was replying to one of the Flames fans above My bad.
And that's OUR point. Star players should be treated the same as everyone else and be allowed to really showcase their skills. As I detailed, Dmen can still defend against even the best players if they're tactically and mentally prepared. That's the whole point of defense; to stop the opposition while playing WITHIN the confines of the rules.
I’m afraid the officiating is only going to get worse.
The league brass sent a message to all officials league wide to reduce the amount of penalty calls as it was “greatly interrupting the flow of play” for most hockey games. This bit of news comes from Elliotte Friedman, so safe to say it’s true.
Reading between the lines, essentially most players around the league are cheating as much as they can get away with. I do share Sean’s opinion of calling absolutely everything to force players to eliminate the cheap stuff, and get it firmly planted in their mind, but you’d have to change the name of the game from Hockey to PowerPlay or something if you get the drift of it.
In the current model, if team X gets a PP, and team Y gets one right after, and neither team scores, team X gets away with a blatant trip on team Y if it’s right after team Y’s powerplay is done so as to not “interrupt the flow of gameplay”. Pretty bullshít if you ask me but you can see how it becomes a double edged sword.
What you end up with is close to 1/3rd of all games outcomes in the NHL being decided by hit and miss officiating, not nessesarily who was the better team that night, that’s epidemic levels right there. And the league knows it, they just don’t know what to do about it. Ask pretty please players, don’t cheat?!,cause that’ll never happen. Tell the officials to call absolutely everything to try to get the message across to the players?! You’d end up with maybe 5 minutes of true 5on5 during a game.
To be frank, I don’t honestly know what the solution is either. If it was me, I’d go the calling absolutely everything route in all the preseason games and maybe a little bit into October to start the next year and see what happens. In the meantime, your going to see a lot of non calls against McDavid, Gaudreau and star company like that to continue.
Bottom line. It’s the players faults that it works the current way it does. It starts with them. They have to stop trying to cheat every little time they think they can get away with it. But it’s a part of the fabric of the game, human nature even. Until the players straiten themselves out, nothing is going to change for the positive.
Sorry this was so long, but this is the short version actually..
My bad.