[News] Gaudreau will have surgery to repair fractured finger (out ~6 weeks)

[zukes]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

The problem with the NHL is the officials try to balance penalties out through the game. The make up calls, etc. The fact that NHL teams are so close in total penalties at the end of the season is completely preposterous.

One Wild fan on HF is justifying this by saying they had 19 minutes in penalties last night, what more could Flames want?

I want the refs to call penalties regardless of the players involved, the score of the game, and the number of penalties the other team has. Is that too much to ask?

Never has it been more obvious this is the case than last night when Monahan got called for his cross-check. Yes, it was a penalty, but how was the exact same cross-check, in the same scrum, the same area of the ice, two seconds earlier by the Wild player on Brouwer not called? Oh, because the Flames were on the 5-3 PP.

[CSharp]

This team needs some backbone. It's too frickin soft. You can't let your smaller players get hacked like that. It's ridiculous how many times he got hacked last night and there were no calls. If it was Hartley behind the bench, he would've biatched about it constantly to the refs and if nothing was done, we could've seen a meltdown like what happened several years ago in Vancouver. This sort of thing is BS.

[Corral]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Thats just plain dumb. I'm sorry but if the refs are carrying a grudge and can't do their jobs then the league has really big problems, and if this is the case last nights crew needs to be fired along with the entire player safety department.

I would hope that last night was just another case of incompetent poorly trained and managed officials, but if its because they're running a vendetta then there are huge problems with the integrity of the league.

You are underestimated how disrespectful that Wideman incident was to NHL refs - and then for the Flames to dispute it thereafter.

And you must live in disneyland if you think people don't carry a grudge on something like this.

[ComixZone]

Our fearless leader:

Pat SteinbergVerified account
‏@Fan960Steinberg
Giordano asked about deterring that type of treatment for Gaudreau, says not much anyone can do about it. #Flames

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Cube Inmate

Can you explain why hockey players would be incapable of learning a bit of self-control? Is "OGG! Hit enemy with stick!" so ingrained in our DNA that the idea of a game without slashing is a fantasy?

Baseball players have adapted to the new restrictions on 2nd-base slides within the first year...and "breaking up the double play" has been a part of baseball for decades. Why couldn't hockey players adapt?

Slashing is part of the game like it or not. Players are told to and encouraged to do it in order to make things unpleasant for star players. You must not get what it's like to be out on the ice because it happens all the time at any level from beer leagues to the pros.

It's really going to be fun watching the game in 10 years when you can't even fart next to someone without being called out.

[TheKurgan]

The team and coaching staff should be embarrassed that they did nothing to try and stop the slashes against Gaudreau during this game, or any game for that matter. The league should be embarrassed that they let this happen to one of the leagues star players and of the incompetence of the officiating in general.

I hope the media calls them out on this bull####.

[Kipper_3434]

Sad that hooking a players hands is an automatic penalty but slashing is more likely to be called if the stick is broken than if it's in the hands or wrist. I'm certain slashing would disappear mostly, if it was called nearly as strict as hooking.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Our fearless leader:

Don't like that quote, lots of things the team can do without taking dumb penalties.

[SuperMatt18]

IMO both the Flames and League share the blame here.

Flames have let team get away with stick work on Gaudreau all season long, somebody needed to step up and either fight or give somebody a good hack back for the kid.

For the league I think there are a couple of issues overall. They don't call these little hacks and slashes away from the play or the taps on the hands.

Also the rules play a role. The second they introduced penalties for slashing a players stick out of his hands, and for breaking a players stick you saw the slashes to the actual hand go up.

Can't stick check or slash his stick because if it breaks or he drops his stick it's two minutes immediately. But if I slash his hands or forearms it's maybe not a penalty because there is no immediate trigger for the ref to call the penalty.

[AC]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Our fearless leader:

He's right. Nothing can be done about it.

If Keith gets suspended for his chop last year, Staal still slashes him last night.

If a Flame jumps a player that slashes Johnny, teams know you can get the Flames off their game by chopping Johnny, and will continue to do it.

The only true hope we have is the league cracking down monumentally and calling a lot more slashing penalties so players are legitimately concerned about taking too many penalties and costing their teams.

[TheKurgan]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Slashing is part of the game like it or not. Players are told to and encouraged to do it in order to make things unpleasant for star players. You must not get what it's like to be out on the ice because it happens all the time at any level from beer leagues to the pros.

It's really going to be fun watching the game in 10 years when you can't even fart next to someone without being called out.

Slashing wouldn't be encouraged it the refs actually called it.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

IMO both the Flames and League share the blame here.

Flames have let team get away with stick work on Gaudreau all season long, somebody needed to step up and either fight or give somebody a good hack back for the kid.

For the league I think there are a couple of issues overall. They don't call these little hacks and slashes away from the play or the taps on the hands.

Also the rules play a role. The second they introduced penalties for slashing a players stick out of his hands, and for breaking a players stick you saw the slashes to the actual hand go up.

Can't stick check or slash his stick because if it breaks or he drops his stick it's two minutes immediately. But if I slash his hands or forearms it's maybe not a penalty because there is no immediate trigger for the ref to call the penalty.

Our captain just absolved himself and the team of any blame.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Our fearless leader:

Grow a pair Gio. You used to have some.

[Manhattanboy]

Sutter and Iggy never would have put up with that garbage.

The Flames are an embarrassment generally right now - no sense in sugar coating the true state of affairs.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Our fearless leader:

Wow. I was starting to have my doubts about Gio this year based on his play but this really seals the deal for me that he's not the best captain material out there.

Put any of the players regarded as the best leaders in the game in this situation and I guarantee you hear the exact opposite of that every time. Grow a pair Gio. No wonder this team can't right the ship with terrible leadership like that.

[Calgary4LIfe]

21 slashes all directed at Gaudreau, particularly his wrists/hands area.

This was for sure a game plan. A masterful game plan, actually. Dirty and cheap, but smart.

For the record, it makes me happy that the Flames didn't hire Boudreau. As 'pro fighting' as I am, one thing I really dislike is cheap shots and other crap that goes on that is intended to hurt someone. I don't like predatory hits, yadda yadda.

Now, why was this a masterful plan?

Boudreau is fairly astute. He realizes that the refs don't call slashing penalties every time, unless it happens to break a stick. A ref is there primarily to manage the game, not protect players. If anyone thinks differently, well, it is wrong. They manage the flow of the game, and that's about it.

Stick broken on a slash? Automatic penalty. Flip the puck over the glass from your own zone? Automatic suspension. Hack someone hard on the ankles, wrists? Discretionary. They call it to manage the game. That's it.

On top of this, having this game plan against Calgary is even more productive. If the ref does indeed use his discretion to call one or two of these, that will be about it. Calgary's PP is anemic. If the game plan gets caught, it probably won't result in anything negative to the Wild in deciding the outcome of the game.

Also, Calgary's PK sucks. Know when refs really seem to use their discretion? They don't like games to get 'out of hand'. They prefer to call retaliatory penalties it seems. If Calgary retaliates, they get called, and Minnesota is in a favorable position to win the game.

It is almost a 'can't lose' scenario for Minnesota. You take the chance that a penalty or two - at most three - will get called against you, but we all know the refs are NOT going to call 21 slashing penalties. Against a team with a weak PP, and an offensive system that seems to run through a single player, it is just some astute - and terribly dirty - coaching.

Now, if Calgary ever decides to stick up for one another, and start playing a chippy game when things like this go down, I would think other coaches wouldn't think of employing a tactic like this.

Flames have no swagger and little willingness to move away from an overly-disciplined game. They need to get more aggressive. This will just continue happening.

[djsFlames]

Players will watch their sticks if using it like an axe/spear on body parts results in a parade to the penalty box.

I don't think it's that hard to play without doing that.

[monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

If the refs called every single slash that occurs you'd have about 1 minute of 5-5 per game. Yes, they need to do a better job of catching the big ones like this one last night but the ultimate responsibility lies with the team to police this issue on the ice.

Guadreau gets whacked then you better be damn sure that Parise takes one right back or someone has to drop the mitts and answer for it. Sooner or later the really bad ones will be fewer and farther apart. Not one player that I saw stepped up and did anything to answer it on Johnny's behalf....appalling. If I'm Guadreau I'm definitely feeling like no one has my back.

Let me start by saying, I'd be thrilled to see someone on this team step up and start taking some liberties against the opposition, but ultimately, it's the leagues responsibility if they don't want to encourage that kind of thing. If it means they only play 1 minute of 5 on 5 until players start to understand that this type of action won't be tolerated then fine. If you start asking the refs to gauge how bad a hack is, it only opens the door to even more bs calls.

[united]

More confirmation on the officials botching this. Also why didn't Gulutzan blow his top when the third and final one occurred, especially after the chat?


Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
Gulutzan says they addressed Gaudreau treatment with officials following the second period. #Flames

[Buck Murdock]

Bennett needs to step up. Highest Flame draft pick ever needs to score a few goals.