[News] Luszczyszyn: NHL playoff officiating is an embarrassment..

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

https://twitter.com/user/status/1397035474124894215

I didn't see that. Is it a direct knee or does McDavid try to step around the hit at the same time? Doesn't look like jet guys knee is at the right Marchment position?

[Erick Estrada]

That knee should have resulted in a 2 minute minor. No intent to injure but a little reckless. Still that's one of hundreds of penalties that haven't been called in the 2021 playoffs.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Joborule

I'm kinda the same boat. For the playoffs, I don't really take issue at all with the officiating since they mostly let the players play; especially in OT. They only call the most obvious stuff.

Wish their could be consistency between regular season hockey and playoff hockey, but know that kinda of calling would bring it back to pre-lockout clutching and grabbing hockey. I suppose though that this brings in the game management aspect to regular season hockey since they want those games to feel close depending on the situation.

I prefer the playoff penalty calling and letting players play and fight for possession and open ice but one thing that bothers me about the playoffs is the notion that the whistle gets put away for OT. They need to keep calling the game the same in periods 1-3 and OT. Too many times there are blatant penalties that go uncalled in OT because they don't want to give out an advantage which I don't like. If it is worthy of a call, make the call.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I prefer the playoff penalty calling and letting players play and fight for possession and open ice but one thing that bothers me about the playoffs is the notion that the whistle gets put away for OT. They need to keep calling the game the same in periods 1-3 and OT. Too many times there are blatant penalties that go uncalled in OT because they don't want to give out an advantage which I don't like. If it is worthy of a call, make the call.

Yup, and even up calls are the worse. Those two penalties calls in OT of the Nashville-Carolina game were pretty soft.

[otisthedog]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

This is key. Even an outsider like Stephen A. Smith can't understand how the Oilers went down so easy based on the prolific numbers McDavid put up in the regular season. The reality is McDavid simply didn't play well in the series. He was a ghost in the first two games and in the NHL you aren't going to draw penalties if you aren't dictating the pace of the game.

All I have heard from my Oilers buddies over the last 7 years is how Gaudreau isn't built for playoff hockey so I find it quite humorous they expect a small player to fight through the obstruction that their golden boy himself can't. I don't like how the NHL playoffs are officiated but it's been this way forever and this isn't new so McDavid either needs to find another gear in the playoffs or the Oilers are going to continue to be playoff fodder.

It's funny how the narrative changes depending on the player. I remember feeling outraged after the Colorado series. It seemed the Flames couldn't get a call for any infraction. In the end, the Flames did it to themselves, but I remember a segment by Cassie Campbell where she highlighted some of the penalties against Johnny and dismissed them as "Playoff Hockey Johnny". This year the script completely flipped and Cassie does a segment highlighting all the non-calls on Connor McDavid with the entire panel in agreement. Totally opposite narrative.

[Erick Estrada]

If we have learned anything about the entire RSN NHL rights contract it's that the network really, really depends viewership to offset the monumental investment. The narrative changes because the Sportsnet really needed McDavid to go deep into the playoffs. The Jets (tbh Flames as well) just aren't compelling to the average Canadian viewer. McDavid brings in TV viewers. I sure hope the Jets can avoid any controversial plays against the Leafs in the 2nd round as as you just know RSN and most of Canadian media will badly want the Leafs to win that series.

[old-fart]

This is just a bad article full stop.

The premise - that playoff officiating is different from regular season officiating - is a very hot take that no one has ever suggested before in the history of time. Speaking personally, I am going to need a stiff drink and to sit down and contemplate all of my assumptions about the universe now that this revelation has been committed to print for what must surely be the first time ever.

That some random person claims to have seen 30 penalties committed against poor little McDinglepuss (without providing any evidence of any penalty, let alone 30) is the definition of subjective. Provide the list of these egregious 30 penalties with clips so that people can review the evidence. I mean personally, I see at least 4 penalties committed by McDavid a game (at least 2 dives/embellishments and then several holding the sticks, slashes, holds). Drysaddle is by far worse, committing a slew foot at least once a game along with the same embellishments, slashes, holdling the sticks, etc. Dude should have been suspended when he pulled that chickenpoop slew foot against Tkachuk a few seasons ago. How do you know that's "objective"? Well, I just said it so it must be so. No need for further corroboration or evidence.

If this "journalist" wanted to demonstrate what he thinks he was demonstrating, he would have used more than just one player to do so. As many have pointed out, there are far more successful superstars in the playoffs that actually win and score points (MacKinnon for example). Does no one ever commit a foul against them that goes uncalled?

The fact is, the Jets did a very good job of shutting down the two Wonder Crybabies. They had a man on them as quickly and as often as they could, they had sticks in lanes, and they shut down the rush - McCrybaby's bread and butter. The Oilers had 3 5-3s in the playoffs, the Jet's had zero despite the obvious over the glass penalty on Nurse that went uncalled.

Perhaps he should be focused on writing an article on how the refs tried to rob Winnipeg of the win in game 4 in a futile attempt to extend the series by having an extremely quick whistle on a loose puck that the Jets near immediately put in the net for what should have been the series winning goal.

As other's have pointed out - there are a ton of missed calls in all games, regular season and playoffs. There are probably more in the playoffs, but they are also magnified by the importance of every call (or non-call), every shot, every faceoff.

I anxiously await his next hot take that ice is cold, and that pucks sometimes bounce in unfortunate ways.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by memphusk

I didn't see that. Is it a direct knee or does McDavid try to step around the hit at the same time? Doesn't look like jet guys knee is at the right Marchment position?

I never saw it before either, but that's 100 percent a missed tripping call and most likely gets called if Winnipeg has a lead.

[GirlySports]

That's right. A journalist has to show their work. There is an article that claims Gaudreau got slashed 21 times in the Minnesota game whixh broke his finger and they have footage of all 21 slashes.

[Philly06Cup]

It's not supposed to be a hot take. The title is "NHL playoff officiating is an embarrassment we’ve accepted for too long". It's broken, everyone knows it's broken, and everyone accepts that it's broken. The NHL needs a wakeup call, and articles like this can only help. The article focuses too much on McDavid, but I accept that is a good way to get more attention to a very important subject.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

It's not supposed to be a hot take. The title is "NHL playoff officiating is an embarrassment we’ve accepted for too long". It's broken, everyone knows it's broken, and everyone accepts that it's broken. The NHL needs a wakeup call, and articles like this can only help. The article focuses too much on McDavid, but I accept that is a good way to get more attention to a very important subject.

I've never accepted it but this has always been one of those things that's deeply engrained in league culture and the dinosaurs that run the league think that letting them play is the way the playoffs should be.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Coach

NHL officiating is a joke.

McDavid not getting calls is not because of this reason.

I think it's hilarious how much incidental contact McDavid creates when he tries to force his way through traffic, and then the fans call for penalties because McDavid was impeded from going from point A to point B without being touched. Like every opposing player is supposed to leap out of the way when McDavid is carrying the puck.

He should totally keep playing that way. It's one of the things that makes him so good (being able to maintain possession while brushing off of players), but you can't call incidental contact initiated by the puck carrier. Oiler fans and McDavid fanboys cannot seem to comprehend that. If anything, McDavid gets away with too much.