Bleacher Report - Articles by Andrew Stover

Matthew Stafford Is the Detroit Lions' Only Hope To Change Culture

Andrew Stover — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:54:52 -0400

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz is faced with more than just building a team. He has been dealt the job of changing a culture.

It is a culture of losing that has been hovering around Detroit Lions football since the glory days of the 1950s.

With one playoff victory since 1957—you can't make stuff like that up—it has culminated toward a historic finish.

Everybody knows by now the Lions became the lone franchise to go winless since the schedule format changed to 16 regular-season games. Former general manager Matt Millen may go down as the worst front office executive in the history of professional sports.

But with a new general manager, team president and head coach, the Lions have begun to address the problems by undergoing a complete roster overhaul. This overhaul is responsible for the purge of more than 20 players that were on the roster last year, and they have been replaced with new faces.

General manager Martin Mayhew and Schwartz have added pieces, sure, but the success of the franchise will come down to the handling of one player: quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

On the eve of training camp, which opens Friday, the big question remains on whether to sit Stafford and let him adjust to the rigors of the NFL while backing up veteran Daunte Culpepper, or to throw him—and his $41.7 million—into the fire, making him the starting quarterback for Week One against the Saints.

At first, it was clear the plan was to start Culpepper and let Stafford absorb as much as he could during his first season while holding a clipboard.

My, how things have changed.

Stafford has diligently shown throughout offseason workouts that he is grasping the playbook, handling the huddle, and yes, he still possesses that rocket arm that catapulted him to the top of nearly every team's draft board.

Even negative publicity has worked in Stafford's favor. Remember those pictures of him that made way around the Internet prior to his senior year? Stafford was photographed carrying an empty keg over his head, drunkenly snuggling with a male friend, and partying with running back Knowshon Moreno.

Well, those who were around the team during the Joey Harrington era have openly expressed satisfaction in the pictures. It proves he can be just one of the guys.

Schwartz said Stafford will play when he is the best quarterback on the roster, and he's capable of handling the job. But can he be expected to out-perform Culpepper so early in his career?

The answer is no. But by starting Stafford anyway, it may be the best way to effectively change the culture.

Whenever Stafford takes control of this team, that could truly be seen as the end of a disastrous era. But until then, the Lions are in a holding pattern.

Schwartz has pressed all the right buttons thus far into his tenure, but in reality, he will only go as far as Stafford takes him.

It is highly unlikely he will win without steady play out of the quarterback position, and clearly by how much the team has invested in him, Stafford is the only viable option. Maybe not right away, but eventually, this is Stafford's job.

It is clear Schwartz realizes the significance of his rookie quarterback. It is not clear how he intends to handle him.

Last year, Matt Ryan of Atlanta and Joe Flacco of Baltimore started from the first game and led their teams to the playoffs. But in reality, most rookie quarterbacks struggle mightily.

If Stafford starts, he will struggle. This is not a case where he has a good team surrounding him that will help ease him along. Stafford is the face of a total rebuilding process.

Struggles aside, the right thing to do would probably be to let their new quarterback ease his way into the starter role on his own terms.

But with such a large investment in Stafford and such a high level of importance put on changing the culture, starting him from the get-go might be the most viable way to erase as much of the past 50 years as possible.

As published in 7/29 edition of Central Michigan Life.

Pending Arbitration, Jiri Hudler May Be Detroit Red Wings' Biggest Loss

Andrew Stover — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:16:36 -0400

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s official. Jiri Hudler is a walking, talking human being. He has a pulse. He eats and sleeps as well.

Detroit’s slick-shooting winger signed a two-year pact with Moscow Dynamo of the KHL last week. He was a restricted free agent in the NHL and filed for arbitration days earlier in an attempt to stay with the Red Wings.

But when offered a tax-free payday that demolishes any deal that any NHL team—including Detroit—could give him, he did what anybody with half a brain would do.

Sign at the dotted line, sir.

For some reason, at least a portion of Red Wings Nation—and I’d like to think they are in the minority—have scolded the 25-year old Czech.

Disloyal. Underachieving. Too diminutive. The list of undeserving adjectives goes on.

Prior to this, he endeared Detroit fans with his huge smile and timely doses of comedy, whether it be on camera or at the 2008 Stanley Cup parade. Now, a short time later, he’s delegated a bum.

This is a guy who scored 23 goals and racked up 57 points; a guy that played all 82 games. Pretty durable for such “diminutive” stature.

It’s as if we didn’t know he was a smaller player all along. And it also suggests the false notion that Hudler doesn’t go to the goal-scoring, gritty areas on the ice.

I recall a Johan Franzen game-winning goal with under a minute to play in Game 4 of the Columbus series directly resulting in Hudler recklessly crashing the net. The commotion was caused, the puck squirted free and down went Columbus. Myth debunked.

Ken Holland expected Hudler gone, but the NHL filed a grievance with the International Ice Hockey Federation to keep him in the NHL since he was a restricted free agent who filed for arbitration.

And in a strange twist of events, the odds of Hudler staying in North America next year have strengthened.

KHL President Alexander Medvedev recently said he is intent on upholding the gentleman’s agreement with the NHL regarding the restriction of poaching players from the other league who are still under contract. He said he would not register Hudler’s two-year, big-money contract until after the arbitration hearing on July 30.

That’s not to say he won’t end up playing for Dynamo next season. But it’s a whole lot more encouraging for Wings General Manager Ken Holland, who days prior felt there was no chance to keep him.

The reality is, this loss would hurt Detroit more than the other losses. Even more than losing, ahem, Marian Hossa. See, Hossa was a rental. Optimism was later shown for him to stay in town, but that was a lofty option.

Samuelsson, like Hudler, was a secondary scoring type, but he was also a free agent veteran. Kopecky was a fourth liner and Conklin was a backup goalie.

But number 26 is different. He’s homegrown. He paid his dues in Grand Rapids. He’s gradually increased his scoring. He’s a legitimate second line scoring forward who garners power-play time.

Losing Hudler means losing a piece of your future. It’s a cut-and-dry issue to Holland.

"I know Jiri is very proud to be a Red Wing," he said. "When you get the opportunity to double, triple, quadruple your salary, sometimes you don't want to leave, but financially you feel you have to do it. I believe that's the case."

If Detroit is fortunate enough to retain him, the offseason won't be deemed a complete disaster.

If not, they will lose a significant portion of their secondary scoring. They will lose a talent they polished in-house. They’ll lose the third player on their second power-play unit (joining Hossa and Samuelsson, who played the point on the power play).

If anyone passed up the chance to break the bank during the prime of their career, regardless of their profession, they would be making a foolish mistake.

Hudler is not the bad guy here, and he shouldn’t be treated like it.

As the arbitration process takes place, the NHL, KHL and IIHF will continue to try and settle on a deal—in writing— regarding the term “contractually obligated.”

The Red Wings can only hope the parties at hand render Hudler contractually obligated to Detroit.

It would be an important victory in an offseason thus far dictated by the contrary.

Hossa Not a Villian; Red Wings Still Edge Blackhawks

Andrew Stover — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:23:09 -0400

Marian Hossa, the magician, pulls another disappearing act as he banishes to another rival.

Or is that a reference to his 2009 playoff performance as a Detroit Red Wing?

Regardless of what it is, it’s apparent that Mr. Hossa is a businessman. After coming oh-so-close to winning a Cup in Pittsburgh after being dealt from Atlanta at the 2008 trade deadline, he signed a one-year deal with the team that beat his Penguins in the finals. And after falling just short again with Detroit, Hossa leaves for another familiar foe.

Welcome to Chicago, Marian.

But Hossa is not a Benedict Arnold. No. He already left money—a lot of money, like $50 million-kind of money—to try and win a Cup. Can you blame him for taking roughly $1.2 million per season more? The truth is, you can’t. He found a long-term home. He will be surrounded by a lot of talent and a young core. Hossa made a decision that Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland, along with the salary cap, forced him to make.

Hossa liked Detroit, but after Holland offered him a 10-year, $40 million take-it-or-leave-it deal, he knew he would be giving the Red Wings another bonafide bargain of a signing.

The ironic part of the matter is Detroit’s roster without the Slovak sniper. Subtract Hossa and Tomas Kopecky—who also signed with Chicago today—and replace them permanently with Darren Helm and Ville Leino from the farm system. The Wings will have to either re-sign Mikael Samuelsson or sign a third or fourth line grit forward as well. But what you see is a roster that looks eerily similar to the Stanley Cup Champion roster Detroit fielded in 2008.

Was Detroit more talented in 2009? Absolutely. No matter what you perceive of Hossa after his playoff performance, he is a 40-goal scorer. And as far as playoff performance, take a look at what Hossa did in Pittsburgh the previous year. Just one point behind NHL playoff co-leaders Henrik Zetterberg and Sidney Crosby, Hossa recorded 26 points in 20 games.

So Detroit is losing a wanted commodity. But when the dust settles, Detroit will be near the top again. Chicago continues to aggressively attempt to close the gap, but a gap does remain.

Adding Hossa doesn’t erase the losses of Martin Havlat or Nikolai Khabibulin.

With the "Bulin Wall" inking a four-year deal in Edmonton, that leaves Chicago clinging hopes on 2008 overpriced free agent Cristobal Huet. The Blackhawks created the illusion of having two top goalies, but Detroit proved that both of them had holes in their games during the Western Conference Finals. Especially Huet.

But Hossa is an asset. Unfortunately, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and captain Jonathan Toews all have contracts set to expire after next season, so the Hossa signing could muddy the waters a bit.

Marian Hossa is not a villain for leaving Detroit. He already proved last year, by turning down long-term deals to sign with the Red Wings, he has a hunger to win. But will he?

Make no mistake, Chicago got better today. Meanwhile, Detroit lost their regular season leading goal scorer.

And yet, It still won't make that much of a difference.

Michael Curry Taking Joe Dumars' Heat

Andrew Stover — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:56 -0400

A championship can buy anyone in professional sports some job security, and Joe Dumars is living in that safe haven as we speak.

Architect of the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons, Dumars masterfully crafted his team.

He traded icon Grant Hill in a package that garnered a little known defensive specialist big man. His name was Ben Wallace.

He then signed point guard Chauncey Billups, who, prior to his arrival, was a part of five different franchises. He traded another star, Jerry Stackhouse, to Washington for Rip Hamilton and drafted Tayshaun Prince from Kentucky.

Lastly, during a championship run that included a preseason coaching change—Larry Brown was brought in to replace Rick Carlisle—Dumars finished his masterpiece.

He brought in power forward Rasheed Wallace in a February deal to create a defensive monster with enough offensive ability to win it all.

But professional sports is a 'What can you do for me now?' kind of business, and Dumars has been swimming upstream lately. Tuesday, he fired his most recent coaching hire, former assistant Michael Curry, after just one season. It was a sub .500 season, and Curry was an easy scapegoat.

Whether Curry could have accomplished anything as the Pistons' head coach is uncertain. He had a muddled relationship with some of his players and he had little experience. But to make things clear, he was set up to fail by Joe Dumars.

I won't touch the Darko Milicic selection in 2003 or Dumars' decision to hire an offensive-oriented coach, Flip Saunders, to try to change a defensively sound, rough n' tumble kind of team.

But we can focus on the present. Acquiring Allen Iverson in a deal for Billups may have been the most bone-headed decision I've witnessed since Dumars' arrival.

And now, during an offseason that is going through a roster overhaul, Rasheed Wallace and Iverson will not be re-signed, and Prince and Hamilton could potentially leave via trade—Dumars essentially puts the blame on Curry.

Even worse, the timing of the firing is odd at best.

Today is the start of free agency. Detroit, with roughly $19 million to spend, no longer has a leader of its franchise. With rumblings of a Ben Gordon or Carlos Boozer signing in the near future, among others, Dumars will have to do his selling without a head coach.

Suddenly, the shadow of success that hovers from 2004 is beginning to disappear, along with the core of a successful franchise.

As published in 7/1 edition of Central Michigan Life.

Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour Faces National Media Hype

Andrew Stover — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:31:22 -0400

Throw away the past three years. Sure, it got him to where he is now, but this year will linger with Dan LeFevour.

CMU's quarterback has created quite the legacy during his stay in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

It was first created on Aug. 31, 2006. In the season opener against Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference — a Bowl Championship Series opponent — sophomore quarterback Brian Brunner went down to injury three plays into the game.

Enter the redshirt freshman quarterback from Downers Grove, Ill.

LeFevour almost led a fourth quarter comeback against BC that fell just a touchdown short. But his mark was already left. He completed 22-of-37 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, while also running for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

And this week, after LeFevour already has led CMU to two Mid-American Conference championships and one Motor City Bowl win in his career, the aura around the now senior star quarterback thickened. LeFevour was put on the cover of USA Today's College Football Preview '09 edition.

He headlined a group of six quarterbacks that included two-time national champion and Heisman winner, Tim Tebow of Florida, along with Colt McCoy of Texas, Todd Reesing of Kansas, Daryll Clark of Penn State and Max Hall of Brigham Young.

McCoy was the Associated Press's pick last year for Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors and besides LeFevour, BYU's Hall is the only other quarterback from a non-BCS school.

On the surface, the hype created by the cover shot creates a lot of positive energy around LeFevour and the entire football team. But with expectations comes pressure. And LeFevour, put in the same category as the nation's elite — specifically Tebow and McCoy — has a lot of pressure to perform.

Sure, he is 2-0 against rival Western Michigan. Over three years, he's won two MAC titles. But last year, CMU failed to reach the title game and lost its second consecutive Motor City Bowl. The loss to lowly Florida Atlantic, a team that came in with as many wins as losses, dropped LeFevour's bowl game record to 1-2.

Worse yet, LeFevour is 0-9 against teams from BCS conferences (Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, Big East, PAC 10, SEC). Statistically speaking, his performances have been adequate.

In the nine games, he's completed 55.7 percent of his throws, averaged more than 303 total yards from scrimmage and scored 25 touchdowns — 20 through the air — with just five interceptions. The deficiencies of the defense has been a burden to his winless streak.

Now a seasoned veteran of collegiate ball, the 6'3", 229-pound senior has to find a way. He already has the measurables, mobility and arm to play on Sundays. Now he has a chance to shine through pressure.

Forced to miss three games and most of another because of injuries last season, his last year at CMU has to be a year of redemption. Only a MAC championship would do justice to the amount of hype he has created. Winning a bowl game and upsetting one of the three BCS schools the Chippewas play would put a fitting ending to his legacy at CMU.

Playing Arizona, Michigan State, Boston College and rival Western Michigan all on the road will not be easy.

But like it or not, with the weight of an entire university on his shoulders, this season will likely define his collegiate career.

As published in 6/24 edition of Central Michigan Life.

Stallworth's Character A Major Factor In Lenient Sentence

Andrew Stover — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:07:06 -0400

He killed a man and it's hard to get around that fact.

Driving home after a night of drinking, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth struck Mario Reyes, a 59-year-old construction worker who was crossing the street to catch a bus ride home in Miami, Fla., at around 7:15 a.m.

The date was March 14, yet Stallworth will be getting out of jail on July 16. Yesterday, he accepted a plea bargain with prosecutors, pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter (He had a blood-alcohol level of .126 and the legal limit in Florida is .08). He accepted a 30-day jail sentence.

Stallworth will also receive two years of house arrest, eight more years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and a lifelong suspended drivers license. But the main conjecture of punishment is simple: just 30 days in jail.

It is a lenient sentence, but to set the record straight, Stallworth did everything right after his tragic act of stupidity.

Immediately after the accident, Stallworth fully cooperated with police and took entire responsibility for his actions. That is something people often have a hard time doing. With athletes, it becomes even harder to face the reality of their mistakes when egos and money get involved with the route to the proper solution. But not with Stallworth.

Stallworth took the stand-up route. He admitted his mistakes. He showed genuine remorse. He also handsomely compensated the victims' family in a confidential deal.

On the flip side, Micheal Vick was given a 23-month jail sentence on December 11, 2007, for his role in a dog fighting ring.

Vick gets nearly two years in federal prison for having a hand in killing dogs, yet Stallworth gets a month in jail for killing a person? Precisely, and it makes more sense than on the surface.

Vick is a hardened criminal; Stallworth is not. Vick intentionally undermined the brutal, malicious execution of several pit bulls. If they did not perform or they were injured, they were killed. And by brutal and malicious, I mean being electrocuted, drowned or hanged to their death.

The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback did not help his case with his actions afterward either. After being temporarily released from jail leading up to the trial, Vick tested positive for marijuana. Smoking pot is illegal, but worse, it directly violated the terms of a his release.

He then lied to the judge regarding his involvement with the dog fighting ring. Saying he had minimal involvement, it was later found Vick was a main player and contributor in the illegal kennel.

Stallworth made a huge mistake and he will pay a price. Is the price too lenient? Possibly, but this incident does not show a flaw of character, just a flaw of judgment—albeit a major flaw. He has done nothing else wrong close to this magnitude.

Among the numerous crimes committed by professional athletes, Stallworth's incident rates pretty high on a scale of severity. But before the world of public opinion lambastes Stallworth the person, remember you are criticizing a guy who immediately accepted responsibility for his actions and seems to be learning a few things from the incident as well.

As published in 6/17 edition of Central Michigan Life.

Hit on Martin Havlat a Hockey Hit Or Cheap Shot?

Andrew Stover — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:49:26 -0400

The eyes of Chicago Blackhawks' forward Martin Havlat were glazed over and distant.

Havlat, tied for the team lead in points, was the latest victim of a vicious hit, compliments of Red Wings' defenseman Niklas Kronwall.

Kronwall has done this before. He has built quite the reputation around the National Hockey League for being an open-ice, head-hunting predator in the mold of former New Jersey Devils' captain Scott Stevens.

Havlat was along the boards in the defensive zone just before the blue line. The puck was coming along the boards and went between his skates. Havlat was looking for the puck in his feet, head down and helpless.

And then it happened. Kronwall delivered the most devastating hit of the playoffs, and he did it in textbook fashion. Timed perfectly, he struck Havlat with his shoulder—not his elbow—and his skates did not leave the ice until after contact was made.

Old-time hockey fans would call it a thing of beauty. Havlat had his head down and he paid the price. But was the cost too much? He was obviously concussed, and sports in this age take head injuries very seriously.

One major point needs to be established: according to the how the rules have always been interpreted, it was a clean hit. Referee Dan O'Halloran gave Kronwall a five-minute major and a game misconduct only because Havlat couldn't get up.

It was a spineless call. The hit did not even warrant a minor penalty, nevertheless getting thrown out. The injury and the reaction of the Chicago fans had too much impact on the officiating.

But because he followed the rules, it does not make the play any less gruesome to watch. It was clearly a head shot, and the NHL is trying to find ways to take head contact out of the game.

In the Ontario Hockey League—a Canadian junior hockey league—any contact to the head warrants at least a two-minute penalty. The rule makes players more cautious and aware of hits that could affect the livelihoods of other players.

However, injuries aside, this is what fans want to see. Skill trumps all, and the post-lockout brand of hockey that puts a premium on skilled play over neutral-zone obstruction has done its part to slowly-but-surely bring fans back. But hockey fans—both die-hard and casual alike—love to see fights, big hits and controlled violence.

And if anything, Kronwall's style of play makes it one step closer to debunking the line of thought that European players can't cause this style of grit.

Kronwall, a native of Sweden, uses his body like a missile. He rackets up the physical play around playoff time. He's only 6-feet, 189 pounds, but he is lethal.

Was it a dirty hit? No, it was within the rules. But was it violent? Absolutely.

Much can be debated regarding if it belongs in the game. Hockey is a violent sport. A lot of its appeal comes from the notion that players can police the game on their own. So much skill, yet so much brutality.

It is surprising, though, that hockey people are debating whether Kronwall—a European—plays a dirty brand of hockey.

Nobody ever questioned the vicious open-ice hits of Scott Stevens, a Canadian. He never won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman. He simply made a career by trying to end the career of others.

He succeeded more than once, and now he sits in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

As published in 5/27 edition of Central Michigan Life.

Alexander Ovechkin Shines Against "Norris" Nick Lidstrom

Andrew Stover — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 13:59:44 -0500

Even after winning the MVP award last year, I never considered Alexander Ovechkin the best player in the game.

That nod went to Red Wings defenseman Nick Lidstrom.

No doubting the fact Ovechkin was the best forward and shared the spotlight with Sidney Crosby for the league's cover boy. Ovechkin plays a reckless style that garners the attention of even the casual fan.

Que all the adjectives that are synonyms to "energetic" or "explosive."

But Lidstrom—I've never seen anyone like him. When you have the pleasure to watch him nearly every game over a 20 year period, you pick up on things that most fans don't get to see.

Lidstrom makes the most difficult plays look pedestrian. He slows the game down to his speed. He neutralizes the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NHL.

He's not flashy, but he simply doesn't make mistakes. He rarely takes penalties and he never takes a hit. That's probably why he's only missed 31 games in a career that dates back to the 1989 entry draft.

He also scores at a remarkable level. He's always near the top of defenseman scoring.

The closest thing to Lidstrom getting beat one-on-one was in the 1996 Western Conference Finals. During a net-front play, Peter Forsberg took advantage of the puck being tight to Lidstrom's feet. Forsberg got past Lidstrom and finished the play by putting the puck past Chris Osgood.

He just never gets beat. Ever.

However, that changed Saturday during the tilt between the Wings and Caps.

Ovechkin brushed off a Brian Rafalski open-ice hit and gained speed coming down the left side of the ice. As he crossed the blue line with Lidstrom in front of him, he put the puck between Lidstrom's stick and his body, side stepped the defending Norris winner and went in toward goalie Ty Conklin before Kirk Maltby swiped the puck away after an impressive back-check.

I've never seen that. Neither have you.

He didn't even score, but he cleanly beat possibly the best defensive defenseman of all-time in open ice. And he made it look easy.

Within the same period, he took a pass going behind him and redirected it between his legs, off his left skate and up to his stick. Within a second it was in the back of the net.

Minutes later, he tapped in a power-play goal.

Against the defending champs, he brought the same physical play he brings to every game. He decked Valtteri Filppula and nearly took out fellow Russian star Pavel Datsyuk, if it wasn't for a quick side-step.

And that's what you have to love about Ovechkin. He'll hit anybody—star player or third-line grinder.

He celebrates like every goal is his last goal. But certainly he has hundreds more left to score.

Alexander Ovechkin is the best player in the NHL. Although a different type of player than Sidney Crosby, he's simply better. And while Lidstrom will always get my utmost respect, it took one game for Ovechkin to show me how truly talented he is.

Despite being in different eras, Gretzky wouldn't be able to outscore this kid. He'd also want to keep his head up.

If I'm Gary Bettman, I'd be praying for a best-of-seven chess match between the world's best two players when June rolls around.

Tomas Holmstrom on the Wrong End of a Disallowed Goal—Again

Andrew Stover — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:20:56 -0500

You've got to be kidding me.

For the fourth time in the span of a year, Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom has been responsible for a disallowed goal due to goaltender interference.

The problem? More than a legitimate case can be made that all four incidents should have resulted in good goals.

The NHL has begun the process of protecting their goaltenders much like the NFL tries to protect quarterbacks. Any contact, whether it be incidental or not, raises a red flag to the officiating crew.

It started in a February game last season when the Red Wings played host to the Anaheim Ducks. Clinging to a 3-2 lead with under a minute to play, Anaheim got some help from referee Dan O'Halloran.

With 40 seconds remaining in regulation, O'Halloran swiftly waived off a Nick Lidstrom goal, citing Holmstrom with incidental goaltender interference. Replays later showed that Anaheim goalie J.S. Giguere initiated the contact with Holmstrom just outside the crease.

Fast-forward to game four of the Western Conference Finals. The Red Wings were leading the series against Dallas 3-0 and all signs pointed toward a sweep.

Enter referee Kelly Sutherland.

A Pavel Datsyuk wrist shot in the first period was disallowed because of Holmstrom's crease-front presence again. This time, the gangly Swede never entered the crease at any time. The game tilted toward Dallas's favor and it took two more games for Detroit to close out the series.

Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock was not impressed with Sutherland.

"The guy's not in the paint? The guy's out of the paint. That was a reputation call totally. It's disappointing," he said.

Little did Babcock know that three games later his team would fall victim to another phantom call.

Now it's game one of the Stanley Cup Finals. Lidstrom takes a slap-shot at the top of the right face-off circle that gets past Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to the short side.

Holmstrom, skating across the top of the crease, clearly outside of it, is called for a minor penalty for goaltender interference.

His stick was near Fleury in the crease and apparently it was hindering Fleury the opportunity to do his job. The culprit on this call? For the second time, Dan O'Halloran.

And that brings us to last night. Dallas took a big 4-0 lead early in the second period, but the Red Wings would attempt to claw back. After two second period goals, Nick Lidstrom struck again.

So did Dan O'Halloran—for the third time in a year. O'Halloran saw Holmstrom make contact with Turco. What he didn't see was Turco slash and attempt to trip Holmstrom just before defenseman Trevor Daley backed Holmstrom to the top of the crease.

Adding insult to injury, contact seemed to be made after the puck was by Turco.

This has got to stop.

It's an embarrassment to the entire game for this to take place on a repetitive basis. It's very apparent NHL officials have targeted No. 96 in red when he's around the blue paint. His reputation has clouded the integrity of unbiased officiating.

The NHL tells its officials to protect the goalies. At what point does protecting goalies make a mockery of the game?

As the latest Lidstrom goal was waved off, Mike Babcock stood in disbelief with a sly grin on his face. Laughing might be the only way to react to a situation like this.