Quote:
Originally Posted by CF84
This is a response to Spurs since I apparently can't quote his/her posts.
I'm not sure if you were yet following the Flames, but there was once a time the Flames were the least penalized teams in the NHL. One day, a man who many Flames fans wanted fired into the sun hit a National Hockey League referee in a moment of frustration. He was suspended for 20 games and the Flames went from being the least penalized team to the most penalized team overnight after they supported the player's side of the story. In the middle of a season. With no change in personnel. With no change in style. This new hatred from the referees remained for a few years. While the Flames still drew lots of penalties, this also took a hit. The next year began, and the Flames were still the most penalized team in the NHL. It was not just a small part of Flames history and while the Flames were able to draw slightly less penalties, the amount of times shorthanded increased by 48% from 2.62 times per game to 3.88 per game. That is no small leap and it also was not a insignificant sample size.
The Wideman effect was real. I personally don't believe it is still a factor, but I think some fans have never recovered from the bias the league showed for that moment in Flames history. The graphs supporting the theory are actually so surreal they seem unreal and impossible.
Also, some fans can't see the Flames or any of it's players being on the wrong side of any situation.
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The Wideman effect wasn't real at all another made up myth by Flames fans, although a small vocal group and a situation that would have been made by any fan base as well.