Kucherov making it obvious again and trolling the league.. You'd think the NHL would frown on it's players for trolling.

If they call the penalty on Stamkos, then the Colton goal never happens
- PatC80

I don't think you'd call closing the hand on the puck there, it would be stupid. There's a delayed penalty. As soon as he touched the puck the play is dead, so when it his glove in a way such that he has demonstrated control - the play is over. At that point he can pick it up and chuck it over the glass, and it's no more a penalty than what it was going to be.

- AdamFrench

Wait? Is it not real?

Are the Leafs still in the playoffs?

I don't think you'd call closing the hand on the puck there, it would be stupid. There's a delayed penalty. As soon as he touched the puck the play is dead, so when it his glove in a way such that he has demonstrated control - the play is over. At that point he can pick it up and chuck it over the glass, and it's no more a penalty than what it was going to be.
- Monkeypunk

With all due respect, I think that's wrong.. The whistle would only be blown by the refs if Tampa has possession of the puck.. Closing your hand on the puck is not considered having control of the puck..

It should have been called.

With all due respect, I think that's wrong.. The whistle would only be blown by the refs if Tampa has possession of the puck.. Closing your hand on the puck is not considered having control of the puck..

It should have been called.
- PatC80

I'm trying to wrap my head around this.

It hurts.

Almost like the "is water wet" dilemma.

I'm trying to wrap my head around this.

It hurts.

Almost like the "is water wet" dilemma.
- Scabeh

Can't go back and change it, right? It is what it is.. I thought it should have been a penalty.

Can't go back and change it, right? It is what it is.. I thought it should have been a penalty.
- PatC80

So sign every poopty ref to a Growler’s contract

Come on - this excuse is getting tiring. Leafs are not the only team to get the sharp end of bad reffing.
- Nasty_Duck

They're not. But they are one group that consistently sees it and feels the result of it. Where's there's smoke there's fire. Why do you think an entire fanbase sees this happening? Because the team has sucked for so long?

What's funny here is that because the team has sucked for so long the fanbase is numb to the (frank)ery that goes on for the most part. We just call it "Leafy".

Maybe the team is just cursed. The phantom high stick with the series at stake in game 6 is terrible. The pick by Holl being called was absurd considering the standard set in the series (even when they called _everything_ in the first two games, they didn't call those picks - and it was a pretty minor pick) and then the standard relaxed as the series progressed.

Those plays had direct impacts on the outcome of the game, but it ignores the plethora of other calls and non-calls which had indirect relationships to the outcome of the game that every other team and fanbase sees.

Right now Leaf fans still have a right to be pissed off at the way the final two games were officiated. It was pretty clear to me as well that the Leafs not only had to beat their own issues, they also had the Lightning and the officials to contend with.

With all due respect, I think that's wrong.. The whistle would only be blown by the refs if Tampa has possession of the puck.. Closing your hand on the puck is not considered having control of the puck..

It should have been called.
- PatC80

So if he has the time to pick the puck up unfettered, then he has the time to gently bat the puck to a teammate - or fall on the puck. Ostensibly he is in position where he has complete control of that play - because no one was on him. Were he being immediately pressured where he couldn't conceivably play the puck, then the play stays alive - but he wasn't.

Now I'll concede that I hate the idea of "control" of the puck in those delayed penalty situations because different refs employ different perceptions of what control actually is. I think it should be a touch - plain and simple - because it removes objectivity from different refs as to what they think control is. You get a German ref in this league and they won't stop play until the puck is dressed up in PVC and restrained with leather straps.

They're not. But they are one group that consistently sees it and feels the result of it. Where's there's smoke there's fire. Why do you think an entire fanbase sees this happening? Because the team has sucked for so long?

What's funny here is that because the team has sucked for so long the fanbase is numb to the (frank)ery that goes on for the most part. We just call it "Leafy".

Maybe the team is just cursed. The phantom high stick with the series at stake in game 6 is terrible. The pick by Holl being called was absurd considering the standard set in the series (even when they called _everything_ in the first two games, they didn't call those picks - and it was a pretty minor pick) and then the standard relaxed as the series progressed.

Those plays had direct impacts on the outcome of the game, but it ignores the plethora of other calls and non-calls which had indirect relationships to the outcome of the game that every other team and fanbase sees.

Right now Leaf fans still have a right to be pissed off at the way the final two games were officiated. It was pretty clear to me as well that the Leafs not only had to beat their own issues, they also had the Lightning and the officials to contend with.
- Monkeypunk

In a series that close, it doesn’t take much to tip the scales. Plan for next year: be that much better. GMing is easy

So if he has the time to pick the puck up unfettered, then he has the time to gently bat the puck to a teammate - or fall on the puck. Ostensibly he is in position where he has complete control of that play - because no one was on him. Were he being immediately pressured where he couldn't conceivably play the puck, then the play stays alive - but he wasn't.

Now I'll concede that I hate the idea of "control" of the puck in those delayed penalty situations because different refs employ different perceptions of what control actually is. I think it should be a touch - plain and simple - because it removes objectivity from different refs as to what they think control is. You get a German ref in this league and they won't stop play until the puck is dressed up in PVC and restrained with leather straps.
- Monkeypunk

Pics?

So if he has the time to pick the puck up unfettered, then he has the time to gently bat the puck to a teammate - or fall on the puck. Ostensibly he is in position where he has complete control of that play - because no one was on him. Were he being immediately pressured where he couldn't conceivably play the puck, then the play stays alive - but he wasn't.

Now I'll concede that I hate the idea of "control" of the puck in those delayed penalty situations because different refs employ different perceptions of what control actually is. I think it should be a touch - plain and simple - because it removes objectivity from different refs as to what they think control is. You get a German ref in this league and they won't stop play until the puck is dressed up in PVC and restrained with leather straps.
- Monkeypunk

Pushing the puck with your hand, and closing your hand on the puck are not one in the same. I would no issue if Stamkos pushed the puck to a teammate with his hand.. It's a legal play.. In this case, the puck was fully in his grasp..

I agree, it's tough to know how each referee defines 'control of the puck', but a closed hand on the puck is a penalty.

I'll move on from it now, but I think it should have been a penalty.

They're not. But they are one group that consistently sees it and feels the result of it. Where's there's smoke there's fire. Why do you think an entire fanbase sees this happening? Because the team has sucked for so long?

What's funny here is that because the team has sucked for so long the fanbase is numb to the (frank)ery that goes on for the most part. We just call it "Leafy".

Maybe the team is just cursed. The phantom high stick with the series at stake in game 6 is terrible. The pick by Holl being called was absurd considering the standard set in the series (even when they called _everything_ in the first two games, they didn't call those picks - and it was a pretty minor pick) and then the standard relaxed as the series progressed.

Those plays had direct impacts on the outcome of the game, but it ignores the plethora of other calls and non-calls which had indirect relationships to the outcome of the game that every other team and fanbase sees.

Right now Leaf fans still have a right to be pissed off at the way the final two games were officiated. It was pretty clear to me as well that the Leafs not only had to beat their own issues, they also had the Lightning and the officials to contend with.
- Monkeypunk

The series was really close.. Game 6 and 7, maybe the outcome is different if everything was called equally..

The phantom high stick on Kampf in game 6 was brutal.. It was one heck of a sell job by the Tampa player

I agree with the bolded.
But the leafs had opportunity to win and close out the series...they simply couldnt....and not just because of the refs.
- Fakepartofme

I know you like these simple narratives, but it's much bigger than that.

It would have been nice if it was called evenly.. If they call the interference penalty on Holl, that's fine but then they should have called the holding penalty on Killorn.
- PatC80

And that's why the Game Management incident needed to be dealt with. If calls are made, missed, botched, well, that's human error in an incredibly fast game, but if they're actually calling penalties to steer the outcome of the game, I mean, what a perfect recipe for conspiracy theory on the fan side and on the coaching/playing side, how do you deal with that?

2019/2020 - he only played 6 (SIX) games
2020/2021 - he only played 22 games
2021/2022 (this year) - first season since being drafted (in 2010!!!) playing a starters amount of games.

I’m not typically one to make outrageous claims - like I invented the question mark or that chestnuts are lazy - but I am all but absolutely positive that Jack Campbell is NOT good enough to win a Cup with unless you deploy Team Canadas defence in front of him.
- Big23Questions

I appreciate the subtle Simpsons reference.

The series was really close.. Game 6 and 7, maybe the outcome is different if everything was called equally..

The phantom high stick on Kampf in game 6 was brutal.. It was one heck of a sell job by the Tampa player
- PatC80

These playoffs have stretched the brain a bit in terms of rules being challenged and how those could work. I've come to think that challenges should be escalating - the first challenge incorrect is merely the loss of your timeout. The second incorrect challenge is a 2 minute penalty, and the third is a 4 and you may not challenge after that. Or something similar. But I'd like to see it extended to specific calls.

Today they can review a 4 minute high-stick to see if it was in-fact a high stick and if they conclude that the stick was that of a teammate, they just drop the entire penalty.

I don't think it would be insane to have someone watching the game on the monitors so that if the refs called for verification on a play, the answer was available within seconds as opposed to the minutes it is now. Some plays are obviously far more intensive, but some are very obvious.

You'd also think that if a ref could review a penalty call and determine that it was a clear dive or embellishment that they couldn't reverse the call. On some level you wonder if that wouldn't be a way to remove diving (oh, I'm sorry "gamesmanship" for the homer announcers out there) from the game.

new blog everyone

Alright young man I’m done with this. I wasn’t trying to be rude.

Here watch….ok I concede. I can’t argue any of these points for a couple reasons;

- Correct. I will NEVER be able to suggest another goalie that we could get WITHOUT having to give up something…so for free.

- I can’t compete with someone who has the inside info around the league and factually knows every goalie that could be or are available.

- I’m not the best with analytics so I concede that you are probably right and all Leafs fans would correct me and agree with you that Campbell played the exact same in the second part of par season as he did for those first couple months AND that 6 games and 22 are clearly measurable amounts and Erik loads to equate that to a starter and gauge his performance on. Cause we all know it’s actually harder to play 6 and 22 games consistently vs 50+ as a stater.

- you’re right on the having a stud d man (just one) is far better than having a top flight tender (the most important position in the game). I know that dman that plays 22 mins or so a game on the back end will single handed win you championships.

You ‘wait’ - I’m gonna go for a swim and have a tub.
- Big23Questions

Wow...didn't know a couple words can trigger you like that. Go about your day sir...enjoy your swim and have a great long wknd.

They're not. But they are one group that consistently sees it and feels the result of it. Where's there's smoke there's fire. Why do you think an entire fanbase sees this happening? Because the team has sucked for so long?

What's funny here is that because the team has sucked for so long the fanbase is numb to the (frank)ery that goes on for the most part. We just call it "Leafy".

Maybe the team is just cursed. The phantom high stick with the series at stake in game 6 is terrible. The pick by Holl being called was absurd considering the standard set in the series (even when they called _everything_ in the first two games, they didn't call those picks - and it was a pretty minor pick) and then the standard relaxed as the series progressed.

Those plays had direct impacts on the outcome of the game, but it ignores the plethora of other calls and non-calls which had indirect relationships to the outcome of the game that every other team and fanbase sees.

Right now Leaf fans still have a right to be pissed off at the way the final two games were officiated. It was pretty clear to me as well that the Leafs not only had to beat their own issues, they also had the Lightning and the officials to contend with.
- Monkeypunk

You could argue that teams that understand how to win don't put themselves in positions like the Leafs did to have those calls made.

(frank)ing puck bouncing twice before getting past Price.


At least we got you back in 2014!
- Scabeh

- Nasty_Duck

It's been far too long since we had a Boston vs Montreal playoffs series.

Far too long.