Crappy situation. The reffing sucks, but we've all known that for years. Nothing is going to happen or change. Absolutely nothing. All the refs have to say is ''we didn't see it'' and life goes on.
So what can the team do? As others have said, it comes down to team toughness. And sad to say, other then Engelland and a couple of the grinders like Hathaway or Ferland, no one does sweet #### all.
The day this team lost it's toughness was the day Lee Stempniak got beat up by Ference and no one did anything. And for whatever reason, that has tricked down through the entire organization. Did the coach have anything to say about the hacks? Did Gio get in the refs faces? Hard to tell from the TV angles, but they don't get the benefit of the doubt based on how this season has gone.
And so here we are. We all knew the day would come when finally that one slash hits Gaudreau in the wrong spot and he's out for a period of time. This is what happens when your team doesn't stand up for each other. Other teams think you're a joke and will gladly risk taking a penalty if it means taking a star player out.
I'm not going to blame the refs. I'm not even going to blame the Wild players who hacked away. I'm blaming the victims, and in this case it's the Flames' team who did nothing to address it, and have done nothing to address it the past few seasons.
Now everyone around the league knows that you don't bother trying to hit Gaudreau. Instead you slash him and most likely you'll get away with it and he might be taken out of the game. Great.
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With Johnny out, no need for cheap shots and illegal stickwork in retaliation. Just hit the living **** out of the other team game in, game out. Any thought of the Flames being a "skill" team is now out the door so it's time to re-create things in Johnny's absence.
By the time Johnny gets back, this team will have hopefully turned the page in the truculence department so that liberties will no longer be taken freely, refs be damned.
The Damage is done... The league didnt do anything while they had the chance. The team and ticket holders, pay oer viewers suffer here..
Johnny complaining at the beginning, as warranted as it was, perhaps was contributory to the refs turning a blind eye, could be a Wideman lingering effect for the refs..
But regardless of the reason, the refs are responsible here, IMO. They had the chance to do something about this a long time ago and chose to look the other way and now a asset to the league and revenue generator is going to be out long term..
After last night I was pretty livid at the fact that NO ONE went after the guys who slashed Gaudreau. He's our best player ffs! Someone should have their face smashed in for slashing him. Isn't this why we have fighting in hockey still? To prevent players taking liberties with other players because they are all wielding sticks?
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Slash a guys stick out of his hands, or break his stick - instant 2 minutes.
Slash a guys hands and break his finger - no call.
It's really the NHLs fault, the instant they started cracking down on slashes to the stick and stick checks the amount of slashes to the hands went up.
Why aim for the stick if its more likely to result in a penalty than a slash to the hands.
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If this were McDavid, the media would be calling for blood right now, and special rules would be implemented immediately by the league to protect their savior.
NHL.com tracks penalties drawn per 60 minutes of playing. Gaudreau has drawn more penalties per 60 than Mcdavid this season so all of this whining about McDavid being protected is not based in reality.
The truth is that the NHL doesn't really protect any of their stars.
Dubinsky was suspended one game for this play on Crosby. That sends a pretty clear message that its open season on the league's stars.
I don't really blame the refs. If the NHL wanted more calls, the refs would make them. They made a lot of calls in 05/06. A lot of fans complained about the abundance of calls then. I personally think its swung too far the other way. The NHL is letting too much go in today's game.
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At the end of the day injuries happen to star players all the time and the Flames have actually been pretty fortunate over the past few years not losing many important players long term. If the Flames season is sunk because one player goes down I would argue that's a clear sign that this is a pretty bad hockey team. Time for the rest of the team to step up as there's more than a few $5+ million players and high end draft picks on this team that need to start earning their money as over the past year or so we have seen this team become far too dependent on a single player to generate offense and set the pace for games. If Monahan can't do anything in the absence of Gaudreau then I would say it's time to start shopping him around as he is IMO the biggest disappointment to date this season. Simply invisible on most nights and if his jersey didn't say Monahan on the back he would probably be a regular in the press box based on his play.
Last edited by Erick Estrada; 11-16-2016 at 10:39 AM.
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Next time we play the Oil, the Flames should slash McDavid in the hands 21 times. If it results in 21 penalties, take the video from last night and go to the media and ask why it's ok for one player to be slashed, but not another.
*EDIT* Maybe McDavid doesn't draw as many penalties, but the result is the same. The NHL officiating needs to answer as to why they aren't protecting player safety.
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Uh... Lance Uppercut.
Last edited by LanceUppercut; 11-16-2016 at 10:39 AM.
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now
Update: Gaudreau suffered a fractured finger in last night’s game against Minnesota & will have surgery later today to repair the injury.
It probably does. When Gio went down the Flames were in a decent spot in the standings... not the case here.
If I recall correctly, the Flames were just outside of a playoff spot when it happened. They are only 4 points out right now.
If the other 19 players show up on a nightly basis and pull up their socks, they will be fine. If they continue to play as they have... then I wonder which of the top 4 or 5 players they are going to get in June.
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I am a Canadian Forces member and am posted to Victoria BC. I have to pay to watch my hometown team, The Calgary Flames. I feel that inconsistent referees and missed calls is what has eventually led to the Flames most dynamic and exciting player being injured. Had calls been made, like they are when infractions happen to McDavid, then Gaudreau would not be sidelined and requiring surgery due to many uncalled slashes in multiple games. For one referee to miss a few calls, ok.. but game after game with different referee teams, something is not right.
I have paid hundreds of hard earned dollars that I earn by literally putting my life on the line.
I would appreciate some integrity from your community or a refund if your association is not going to do its job and protect players from abuses.
Perhaps a bit dramatic, but not one word is untrue..
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The lack of team toughness finally catches up with them. This started last season and no one did anything about it. Where the eff is Ferland or Engelland going nuclear whenever Johnny (or Monahan or whoever) takes a cheap shot?
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This is obviously a ####ty situation. Hopefully the team is honest about the impact this has on the season though. We're not going to be terrible because Gaudreau missed a stretch, we're going to be terrible because we're terrible.
In essence, I hope they don't use this as an excuse.
The rate of healing in one person isn’t always the same in another, so your doctor can best tell you when you can expect to return to playing baseball — or any other activity, for that matter.
Timing
Most people need to wear a splint on their broken finger to immobilize the digit for roughly three weeks, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. If the break is severe, however, you may need to wear the splint or brace for longer, sometimes upward of six weeks. Even baseball players should follow these standard guidelines for recovery.
Surgery
If the fracture is too severe to merely splint, or the fracture radiates into the joint, you may need surgery to correct the injury. In this situation, your surgeon will realign the bone and then keep the alignment in place with pins or screws. Recovery for this procedure may take longer then the three to six weeks already mentioned.
Last edited by troutman; 11-16-2016 at 10:51 AM.
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