Referees ?

Question

Now as I see the Detroit fans cry about the refs I am starting to wonder if they really actually called a fair game. Because I know I was getting pretty pissed off at those refs especially all those holds and interferences that they didnt call. But I am a Pens fan so I will see it being a Pens fan. I will see it as it being biased towards the pens and the wings will see the same thing for their side.

So the question is, Was the game reffed fair?

I say yes

P.S. If you do not want to hear the announcers talk about Crosby then dont listen. It is their job to make the game interesting and when a teams leader finally steps up and scores to out of three goals they of course going to mention his name a few times

Answer 1

I dunno they let a few things go both ways. I really enjoy a loose game letting a little leway on hook interference and physical play, unless it is getting out of control.

BUT

there were some calls that are not judgement ones like automatic calls.

Lidstrom to the mouth

Maybe Holmstrom on a canopener

A canopener on one of the Pens.

I prefer a loose game on judgement calls, but you have to call the automatic type calls, highsticking, canopener tripping . . .

Answer 2

i would say it was unfair, mostly because of not calling anything on tomas holmstrom. it is all based on his reputation. and the high stick that hit lidstrom.

Answer 3

They missed a lot for calls for both teams. So yeah, it was fair, but it was bad.

Answer 4

The refs are bad. Tonight was okay....they did miss some but nobody got hurt so......The one that was flagrant on Holmstrom should have been called....the officials even went by the bench to check on him.

GO REDWINGS!!!

Answer 5

Keep in mind that I missed the third period, had to go to work, the only thing that really rattled me tonight as a Wings fan is the high stick to Lidstroms face that seemed to get by all the officials.  All in all, I think the calls vs missed calls have been about evenly spread, and while I've disliked some of the things that have been called or not called when it affects my team, I think it's been pretty fair all around.

Answer 6

I feel it was fair. No series is perfect and the penalties left uncalled balance out in the end anyway.

Answer 7

Hey, #1 Red Wings Fan, did you also notice the 3 or 4 times Kronwall was holding the stick or interfering?  Come on, dude.

Anyway, it seems the refs are letting the teams play for the most part, but I saw a lot of grabbing by the Wings.  Oh well, Pens won anyway.

Answer 8

Kinda of a loaded question, so here is a loaded answer:

1) As a HUGE wings fan, I think this game ( as most of the series) have been pooly refed.  Of course, I am big enought to admit that I get mad about the lack of calls against the pens, and say " thank goodness" when wings aren't called.

2) As a NHL fan, all I really want is the game to be called the same way all game long.  If it is OK for a wing, it should be OK for a pen, but NOTHING was ok about the punch to Franzen in game 2, and I thought that was a classless act ( not so upset if against someone that didn't miss the last 6 games due to concusion).

3) As for Crosbey, thank goodness he is finally stepping up and playing like I thought he would.  This is the best media match up the NHL could have had, and the league needs Crosbey to be big, the Pens need Crosbey to be big, and in my opionon, the WINGS need Crosbey to be big, or else everyone will always go " the Wings won, but if Crosbey..".

4) Going to be a seris, like it should be, but I still think detriot is going to be screwed out winning at home, as detriot should win in game 6.

Answer 9

The Pens got away with a bunch of penalties, I thought. A few highsticks, one HUGE interference on Holmstrom (don't even try to tell me that it wasn't intentional)!

I didn't watch the whole game, though, just the third period. So, I don't know if the Wings got some calls in the first two periods.

Answer 10

Fair game, some missed calls for BOTH teams.

Answer 11

Am I the only one who noticed Crosby got away w/ slashing about 3 times?

Answer 12

As usual the referees did a superb job. Hockey is a fast game with action going on all over the place. The referees job is to watch the play.  For you novices this usually takes place around where the puck is. The second referee (the one who calls most of the penalties) watches the overall action from afar. Players are skating at over 20 mph shooting the puck and passing at over 80 mph and using sticks and hand for all sorts of things for which they weren't intended.

As a football referee once said we can call holding on every line play. But that would make they game awfully slow.

Referees have some discretion on a call. If it isn't blatant, isn't an attempt to injure, or doesn't change the outcome of a play the infraction might be let go. But a reminder from the arbiter that if you do that again I'm going to call it often is enough.

If a referee were to call everything the game would be played 3 on 3 and would be stopped for review every 2 minutes. Just be happy that they are as good as they are and our game is lucky enough to have some of the best officials in sport.

Answer 13

This happens in every single sport imaginable.  I think the refs called the game as fair as they could have.  Now considering that I am still a little ticked at the two no-goals called against Holmstrom (that should have been goals), I'm a little harder on them than I should be.

My only issue is that I feel like they are letting "star" power get in the way of truly calling a fair game.  Not attacking Crosby (although he has done his fair share of penalities that were plainly ignored), the Red Wings stars have gotten away with some penalties too.

But my only concern is...there was a cross check called last night in front of the Pittsburgh goal that was called by the TRAILING ref...who was near the blue line.  There was another ref standing right by the goal, staring straight at the penalty and missed the whole thing.  That raises my eyebrow just a little bit.

But then again...refs aren't perfect.  Coming as being an umpire for summer jobs (I know it's baseball/softball, but still same scenario), you can't catch every little thing.  All you can do is the best job you can do.

Just need to call the slashes (cough cough...Sid the Kid) and cross checks a little more before somebody gets seriously injured.

Answer 14

Ducks fan here and it went both ways. I wasn't very big on the late Malkin call because they had been letting both teams get away with it. Some borderline interference penalties against Detroit were probably not whistled, but Pittsburgh got away with just as many. I don't think either side can point to the referees through the first three games.

As far as Crosby is concerned... speaking as a long time (30+ years) hockey fan, he gets too much air time. Yes, he led all scorers tonight, but had Samuelsson scored both of Detroits goals he'd have gotten 1/5th the attention. Crosby is a generational type of talent, but he's NOT bigger than the Penguin franchise even though he's the face of it.

Answer 15

The penalties called, 5 on Pittsbugh and 3 on Detroit, seems like a fair reflection of the way the game was played. Pittsbugh started out a bit overly ??? chippy, took a couple early penalties, the game balanced out from there. Overall a pretty entertaining game, I thought.

Answer 16

Not really a fan of either team (can they both lose), but BOTH teams got away with a lot.  

I did find it a bit funny that whenever a pen player went down the announcers said they slipped, or fell, but if a Wings player fell, they were tripped.

(I will admit the Wings do a better job of concealing their hooks and interference then blame the opposition.)

Answer 17

sidney can do as he pleases the "golden boy" does no wrong, bring on the draper holmstrom mccarty line just two shifts lets see crosby feel great after that blast from the past. im not crying but lets point out holmstrom's mistreatment AFTER the whistle. lets talk the slashing and "obstruction" the pens say Detroit has been doing and the pens do without getting a call. swallow the whistle or call it both ways.

Answer 18

unfair ... or biased - the refs for the finals are all canadian - canadians are no fans of euro/asian hockey - they like goon hockey and don't like the "fancy" stuff (stickhandling skills and passing) - detroit is playing skill hockey and the pens are gooning it up - the big impact players were gil and roberts, not malkin and crosby (i know he scored two) - 14 eurasians on det and (i think) four on pitt - punches to the head, helmets flying off after every whistle, teeth all over the ice (red ice) ... they love that stuff - old time hockey, like when the nhl was 95% canadian