The Penguins had two games this past weekend and they were against decent teams. They got throttled by the Maple Leafs on the scoreboard and then rebounded the next day to suffocate the Stars to earn a split.
The Toronto game got out of hand early as the Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Brian Dumoulin scored one of the nicest goals of his career, but it didn’t count. He was called for goaltender interference and it wasn’t reviewable because he was called for a penalty. It was a very weak call and during the next sequence of play Toronto made it 4-0. What was 3-1 and perhaps a game was 4-0 and ultimately insurmountable. If there was ever a time for Mike Sullivan to get kicked out Saturday was it. Toronto coach Mike Babcock had recently complained to the media about goaltender interference and how nobody knows what the heck is going on with it. Colin Campbell responded by asking coaches not to criticize him. For a guy who loves bravado and physicality he sure can’t take criticism well. Here are some of the highlights from his leaked email from a couple years ago in case you forgot:
Ray Shero:
Colin,
Can you give me an idea what you are thinking on the Letang hit? Thx, Ray
Colin Campbell:
We are going to get rid of hitting AND lay down every time you are hit. Keep your freaking head up. Shoulder to shoulder! Those are my thoughts! Not to be repeated!!!
****
Bob McKenzie:
Well, the prognosis on this kid isn't good. Sounds like he might not make it. If it happened in the NHL, what do you think the fallout would be? Hockey player dies or is brain dead as a result of a fight, hitting his head on the ice. It's the game's worst nightmare...
Colin Campbell:
... It is certainly scary ... Stand back a try and knock the guy out so he falls down on something as hard as concrete ... and to think they throw off their helmets lots of times!!!! I guess if I had real balls I would go public and go hard but I won't. **** Mike Milbury:
You should feel good. You got it right in the face of mania and pressure from above I am sure. Being right is better thab being PC
Colin Campbell:
... I'm sorry to Boston, but someone should teach that young man something about keeping his head up. Hitting is a vital aspect to everything our game is about and we may be adjusting it too much if we are not careful ... and give in to the masses. Canada certainly loved Rick Smash Nash running everyone in the Olympics!
There are plenty more in the linked article, but you get the idea what a meathead this guy is. He’s a fraud. He’s fake tough. He can’t take criticism. According to his logic the onus is on the person being attacked to defend himself. He should stop being so weak and take his own advice. He won’t because he’s a useless hypocrite.
The NHL wants players and coaches to cool it with the criticism of goaltender interference calls.https://t.co/bRxeo4ozAP
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 11, 2018
Boo hoo, Colin. You are a stain on the sport of hockey and your involvement at the NHL has not enriched a single part of the sport. There is criticism because you are terrible at your job. I really wish Mike Sullivan had been ejected on Saturday and followed up with even more criticism. What would the league do about that? You have the widely considered “best coach in hockey… Mike Babcock ripping the league, you could have had the two-time defending Stanley Cup winning head coach piling on, and you also have the two brightest young stars in the league ripping on the league and mocking them in the All Star Game (Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews). At this point the league has no ability to deal with gray areas. They show time and time again that they can’t handle it. Just adopt the IIHF rule and be done with it.
“If an attacking skater establishes position in the goal crease, play will be stopped and the ensuing faceoff will take place at the nearest faceoff spot in the neutral zone.…
That is simple. It would rid the sport of needless replay reviews. It’s too simple of a solution so the NHL will likely not do it.
In Pittsburgh’s next game a goal was disallowed because the Penguins Evgeni Malkin was deemed offsides by the letter of the law. What made this offsides challenge strange is that the Stars were allowed to challenge despite burning their timeout earlier in the game. Apparently you don’t need a timeout to challenge offsides, but do for goaltender interference. Something that was news to Mike Sullivan. This is so stupid. Personally, I believe timeouts are a part of game management strategy and they shouldn’t be tied to review in the NHL or other leagues such as the NFL. The coaches have enough to worry about without trying to make sure the officials are doing their job. The fact there are certain infractions you need a timeout to challenge and some don’t just confuses things more. All reviews should come from the league and leave the coaches alone. Also, because Evgeni Malkin’s skate was a millimeter off the ice this didn’t count…
this is art pic.twitter.com/h58VHghzJ3
— ego (@EvgeniMaIkinEgo) March 12, 2018
Here's another easy to fix thing. Just don’t make the players ground their skate to stay onsides. If they have a body part breaking the plane of the blue line then they are onsides. It still holds players accountable in the spirit of the rule. An extreme solution would be to eliminate offsides altogether, but I’m not there yet. I will be if this offsides review crap continues to plague the sport.
Instead of telling general managers, coaches, and players to suppress their feelings maybe Colin Campbell should stop being a snowflake and address the problems he’s had a direct hand in fostering. Or better yet, quit and never come back.
Thanks for reading!