Bleacher Report - Articles by Dany Lemieux

NHL Finals Game Seven: The Referees' Impact

Dany Lemieux — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:06:57 -0400

This is a dream for a lot of young hockey players, to get a chance to win the Stanley Cup in a Game Seven.

The biggest dream of all is to score the game winning goal of that Game Seven and to do so in overtime.

You can see yourself on a breakaway, the crowd is standing up and holding their breath as you get closer to the net and then...

You fall on the ice, you turn around and realise that you were tripped from behind by the back checking defenseman.

As you look towards the referee, a feeling of rage is running through your body as you realise that the referee is not calling a penalty on the play!

"What the *&%! Are you &%$!#^% blind?"

Welcome to the reality that sometimes your faith hangs in the hand of the guy wearing a pyjama, the zebras, the blind guy, those *&%$^$%$^& referees!

As a referee with 19 years of experience, I can tell you that no matter who will be the referees for Game Seven this Friday, it is an honour for them, and boy, they are very nervous about this game.

There has been allegation by both the Red Wings and Penguins fans about favouritism by the referees towards the other team.

I don't buy it at all.

Yes, there have been missed calls and bad calls on both sides, but no matter what, there will be people calling me out, saying that it is obvious that there was this call or that decision that was clearly terribly wrong, or missed, and blah, blah, blah and blah.

As long as the games will be called by human beings, there will be mistakes or horribly bad calls, and like it or not, we've got to live with that.

Now how will this game play out on Friday?

There are two very skilled and talented teams that are going to be in the biggest sports showcase of them all. This is going to be one hell of a show.

Now comes the x-factor—the referees and how will they impact the game on Friday.

Here's how I think they feel and how it will impact the game on Friday.

First period should be called like the last few games—obstruction and hooking will be called.

In the second period, the players will find that the referees are letting them play a bit more and that they can use a little more stick work and clutch and grab.

During the third period, the whistle is put away nicely in the pockets, and the boys can let loose!

Why will it be called that way, do you ask?

Very simple—nobody wants the finger to be pointed at them if the game winner is scored on a power play caused by your call.

The closer we get to the final horn, the closer you are from seeing the whistle being put away, and that is only a normal reaction.

So give these guys a break. Enjoy Game Seven and may the best team win.

PS: By the way, when that kid I am talking about at the start of the article was tripped on his breakaway in overtime during Game Three of their best of three final, I gave him a penalty shot. He did not score, but his team won two minutes later while on the penalty kill....

Stanley Cup Finals: Angels and Demons

Dany Lemieux — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:39:09 -0400

My friends, we are heading towards Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals and I have noticed one obvious thing on B/R: People think the Wings are Angels and the Penguins are Demons.

I am so sick and tired of people referring to the Penguins or their captain as punks, cry babies, no class sons of a gun, and other not very nice words.

Red Wings fans' whining and crying is getting so annoying that it makes me wonder who is the bigger whiner—Sidney Crosby or Red Wings fans?

In this series the Pittsburgh Penguins have the role of the Demon, according to Wings fans, of course!

Whether it is because Crosby talks to the referees—Wings fans call this whining—Malkin fighting with Zetterberg, or Talbot hitting Datsyuk with his stick, the Penguins players are simply evil.

By the way, great acting job by Datsyuk on the Talbot slash.

He looked like a European soccer player when he gets tripped, grabbing his ankle and yelling like someone broke his ankle.

Seconds later a miracle happened, Datsyuk got up and start skating as if someone magically healed his ankle.

Datsyuk should be up for an Oscar for that one.

Dany, Dany, Dany!

The Wings are a bunch of Angels because they have a Wing on their logo, therefore they cannot do anything wrong.

They are just a bunch of nice guys. Are they really that nice?

Yesterday on The Fan 960 in Calgary, Craig Conroy had a very interesting take on the Wings' style of play.

Conroy had the following to say about a game the Flames played against the Wings earlier this season: "...you see a guy flying at you he raises his hand up and he looks like he his going to punch you so Vandy (Jim Vandermeer) just beat him to the punch you know, and we were just on the powerplay and now they will be on the powerplay for the entire first period."

Conroy continues his comment: "That's what so frustrating about them, they'll spear you in the back of the leg, they'll whack you on the face-off on the top of the foot. They just are always doing something but they never get penalized for it.

"If we were going to hit them in the back of the leg while they are skating by or chop Lidstrom, come on, I would get a penalty! But if they chop Phaneuf, not a call."

There is more!!!

"That's the difference, and that's what gets frustrating. I can see where teams get mad."

You can hear the entire segment with Craig Conroy on The Fan 960.

So judging from what Conroy had to say and from what I have seen in this series, you have to wonder: Who are the Angels and who are the Demons?

Toronto Legacy: Little Brother of the Maple Leafs?

Dany Lemieux — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:18:02 -0400

Well there was this nice press conference today in the great city of Toronto where Mister Andrew Lopez, the founder of the Toronto Legacy Group, unveiled the group's dream of a second NHL team in Toronto.

The team would be called the Toronto Legacy, and the colours would be Black, Orange and White.

This group's proposition had the following as highlight in their presentation:

An astounding 30,000-seat arena built in Downsview Park. The complex would also include a swimming pool, four outdoor rinks, two office towers, four condominiums, a hotel and community athletic centre.

Twenty-five percent of the Legacy's annual profits would be divided between charitable foundations and non-profit organizations. Carnegie's Future Aces Foundation for at-risk youth would be the first recipients.

And here is the icing on the cake: 15,000 seats would be sold at $50 or less.

It looks like this group has some solid ties with Investors Group, which has assets over $100 billion. And Pellegrini, president of the Sussex Strategy Group, has ties to many investment companies, including Power Corp. and Onex Corp.

This vision of a new team and way to manage their profit is a perfect example of thinking outside the box.

Now it's nice and looking good but you got the NHL with Gary Bettman and Bill Daly who are saying that the league as no plans for expansion or relocation.

They already have their hands full with Jim Balsillie and the Phoenix situation in court.

Bill Daly also said that he has never heard of this group before their announcement yesterday and the conference call today.

How can that be?

Could this new group be the brainchild of the NHL itself?

If that was the case, it would not surprise me at all.

What about the Maple Leafs? How will they react? Mister Lopez said that he sees the Legacy as a brother to the Leafs rather than a competitor.

There are two way a brother reacts to having a younger brother—and they are radically opposite.

You can have a very supportive brother that will help you along the way and be your very best friend.

Then again you can have the brother who is jealous, angry, beats you up, and basically want you to stop breathing.

I have a very strong feeling that the Leafs will be the angry and unhappy kind of brother.

I wish this group all the luck and courage in the world.

They will need a lot of it if they want to convince there big brother to let them play in their room.

NHL: If I Had a Billion Dollars I Would.....

Dany Lemieux — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:02:39 -0400

For all those who believed that Jim Balsillie was the only one interested in bringing another team to the province of Ontario, you are wrong!

According to Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star, there will be a press conference in Toronto tomorrow where a group of three people will announce plans to bring another NHL franchise to the province.

Included in this group is Herb Carnegie. Carnegie is an 89 year old Order of Canada recipient, described in his biography on the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame web site as "one of the best ever players to never play pro-league hockey."

The article can be found here: http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/645491

According to McGran sources this group would have $1 billion dollars to spend on bringing an expansion team to Toronto.

Now, they are not asking the government for any money and they will unveil how the team will honour "Canadian heroes while supporting cancer research, national scholarships and children's charities."

How the hell will the NHL say no to cancer research, children charity, and scholarship?

This should be exciting as they will also announce the team name, logo, jersey, and arena.

How about that folks?

NHL Relocation: Upon Further Review Mr. Bettman Is Right

Dany Lemieux — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 19:15:47 -0400

Being from Chicoutimi I saw first hand the devastation that happened to the Quebec Nordiques fans when there team moved to Denver in Colorado.

They were disappointed, sad, angry and puzzled as to why it happened.

The same thing happened a year later in Winnipeg where the Jets moved to Phoenix.

Everyone saw a traitor and a criminal in the person of Gary Bettman because he supposedly did not want to keep the teams in there current area.

Well the answers that a lot of people were looking for were made founded last night during Hockey Night In Canada's segment called the Hotstove where Gary Bettman was being interviewed by host Ron Mclean.

You can see the whole thing by going to the following link and choosing the June 2 edition of the Hotstove:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockeynightincanada/hotstove/

Gary Bettman made a few things real clear regarding the Winnipeg and Quebec situations:

Nobody wanted to buy these two franchises and keep them where they were and there were no indication of new facility or new sources of revenue to sustain these teams in there current market.

Ron Mclean tried to pick on Bettman by saying that over $20 billion had been spent in the United States on building new arenas and stadium for there pro teams.

To which Bettman replied that it is well known that the Canadian government is known for not investing into infrastructures and facilities.

Now let's take a step back in time and look at the Winnipeg and Quebec situation, not a single person or group offered to buy those franchises and become the White Knight of those franchises.

Do you want to know why?

It is very simple because you would have bought a team that needed a new arena that YOU would have to pay for on top of buying the team because the government was not going to spend a dime for that and certainly was'nt about to help you at all.

Case in point, the Montreal Bell Centre was built by the Molson family who were the owners of the Montreal Canadiens had to pay for the entire cost of building there new rink.

The City of Montreal was so happy that they did not need to spend a dime on this state of the art building that the taxes on the rink were a ridiculously small fee of $22 million!

It is one of the reasons why the Molson family sold the team.

The Montreal Expos moved because of the same reason, no help from our governments to help built something that would be there for years.

People will say the Expos did not get good crowds.

That sounds a lot like what is going on with the Phoenix Coyotes right now because the team does not get big crowds, the reason why the Montreal Expos were drawing small crowds is a very simple one: They were not winning!

The Montreal Canadiens were winning at the time and hockey is a religion in Montreal and you could sell season tickets for almost any price you want because people are like hookers hooked on crack.

Winning, it's so addictive that when a team starts to win and the crowds get bigger there is a lot of people who jump in the bandwagon.

So is winning the solution to the Coyotes financial woes?

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

Everyone remembers the California Golden Seals that were an absolute disaster of an experience by the NHL.

Every single media representative were all saying that the California experience in the NHL was over and was a monumental disaster.

The Golden Seals were absolutely horrible and could not win a game even if the other team would have been a bunch of 10 year old kids!

Many years after the Golden Seals were hunt down and put to rest came a new team call the San Jose Sharks.

The team started like all the new expansion teams, very slowly.

But now is there a more successful team than the San Jose Sharks in term of finance?

I bet you that if the Phoenix Coyotes remain in Phoenix and they make the playoff two or three years in a row they will become a success.

Don't forget one of the toughest things the Coyotes have to fight against: other pro teams and college sports.

They have to compete for people's entertainment money with the Suns, Diamondbacks, Cardinals and all the wonderful college sports team in the area.

No wonder they can't attract people with a team that loses and has to compete with all those options!

What kind of competition did the Nordiques or Jets had?

None whatsoever.

So you live in Winnipeg or Quebec City and you want an NHL team back in your city?

Get your governments to build you a decent rink and find someone who will own the team and you better make sure that these people have a lot of money because the Montreal Canadiens generated $248 million last year and made $22 million in profits.

Yes you read that right, it cost $226 million to run that team.

Can your city handle it?

I highly doubt these two city can do it.

The Phoenix situation was also addressed by Mclean and Bettman.

Upon further review on this interview that a lot of people have told me that Bettman was in panic mode!

I have discovered that these people were wrong and that Bettman looked like a man in control and always had a very good answer to Mclean's questions.

As much as I supported Jim Balsillie's effort to get a seventh team into Canada I have to agree with Bettman's point of view.

Now don't tell me that hockey belongs in Canada and all that emotional stuff.

Think with your head instead, be logical.

If you buy a McDonald's franchise and you are giving an area or what we call a zone and you realise that your restaurant is not doing good in your area, can you move it at will?

Can you just call the McDonald's head office and tell them that you are moving to a location within the zone of two other successful restaurant and there is nothing they can do about it?

Answer is obviously no.

So why would it be different with an NHL franchise?

I do not see any reasons why logically it would be different.

So if someone is willing to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and his willing to lose money then so be it.

The day the NHL won't be able to find someone to buy and keep the team in Phoenix then and only then will it be possible to move that team.

As much as I would love to see Jim Balsillie become the owner of an NHL franchise in Southern Ontario I simply cannot go against league rules and the right of that league to decide where there franchises can go.

I was a supporter of make it seven, but upon further review Mr. Bettman is right.

Calgary Flames: Darryl Sutter Should Be Fired!

Dany Lemieux — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:49:00 -0400

My beloved Calgary Flames had another short post-season, and it is starting to get old in the Stampede city.

Since their run to the Stanley Cup before the last season, the Flames have not gone beyond the first round of the playoffs.

Everyone is wondering the same thing I am wondering: why?

Is it a coaching problem?

I mean Jim Playfair was the head coach for one season and it did not work.

Mike Keenan, who was recently fired after two seasons, could not get this team any further than Playfair.

Keenan's way of handling his team might not have been the best, but there is something to be said about how the general manager Darryl Sutter mismanaged the salary cap this year.

Maybe it is a managing problem?

In the last 10 games of the season, the Flames were bitten hard by a rash of injuries, forcing the team to play with only 15 skaters and two goalies.

Why did the Flames only dressed 15 players?

That's because there is a rule that says that injured players' salary will count against the salary cap in the last nine games of the regular season.

Acquiring Olli Jokinen was supposed to help the Flames get over that first round bump.

That's nice, but there was a price to pay for that, and it was not to forfeit room against the cap this season.

It also means that the Calgary Flames have already $46.833 million dollars for next season, on only 15 players!

The salary cap is going to go down next season from $56 million to somewhere around $52 million dollars.

So Darryl Sutter has roughly six million dollars available to find: a backup goalie, a defense men, and three forwards.

So how is the next team expected to be better than the one that lost to the Chicago Blackhawks?

How do you replace a goal scorer like Mike Camalleri?

I just don't see how the 2009-2010 Flames team will be better unless there are some big moves.

This means touching the core players of this team; a core that Sutter himself said needed to be better.

Touching the core is something I am convinced Sutter won't. He is old school and it's unfortunately not the way it's done anymore.

It is time for a fresh start in Calgary. The Flames need a new approach to the game because obviously the old way of doing things is simply not cutting it anymore.

With all due respect Mr. Sutter, you should be fired unless you start thinking outside the box.

NBA: Why Do I Need To Watch The Entire Game?

Dany Lemieux — Fri, 22 May 2009 18:16:47 -0400

I was watching Sports Center this morning while they were showing the highlights of the game between the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets and I started asking myself, "who scored the first basket in that game?"

They showed a few dunks, a few three point shots, and the basket that made the difference, but they did not talk about the guy who scored the first basket.

Is watching an entire game of basketball a waste of time?

Could I be better served if I only watched the last two minutes of a game?

Out of all the major sports, and the not so major ones as well, basketball is the only sport where the first points don't mean anything.

Yes, they don't mean a thing!

Let me explain myself before you all try to kill me.

When I watch all the other pro sports like baseball, football, and hockey, I am sure of one thing: at any time during the game the next run, touchdown, or goal can decide the outcome of the game.

When you watch a baseball game you can't predict when the winning run will happen.

It could be in the fifth inning or it could happen on the very first or last pitch of the game. Who knows?

You watch a football game and you think it is over after your team scores the go-ahead touchdown with two minutes left, but then the kick returner on the other team brings it back for a TD!

Just a few seconds after the first puck drops, your favourite player beats the opponent's goalie top shelf!

This could be the game winner, or could it?

In basketball however, there will be 90 more baskets in the game, so who cares? Let's get some nachos!

Even Soccer is more exciting to watch, and believe me, saying that hurts my feelings.

There is no need to watch an entire basketball game. The final two minutes is more than enough because that's where it is decided.

The NBA might have big stars and big television contracts, but until there is two minutes left to play in a game me and Will Ferrell will keep yawning away.

By the way, the first basket last night was scored by Chauncey Billups of the Nuggets at 10:36 of the first quarter. He made a jump shot that earned Denver two points, and did not make any difference at all in deciding the outcome of the game.

Caddy Shack 3: Jim Balsillie Wants in the Club

Dany Lemieux — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:02:33 -0400

Everyone remembers the fantastic golf movie Caddyshack II where Jackie Mason was playing the very enthusiastic, blue collar and self made millionaire Jack Artounian.

Mr. Artounian wanted to get into the private golf club of Bushwood even if he was totally different than every other member of that private club.

Doesn't it sound like something happening with the Phoenix Coyotes?

What if Jack Artounian was Jim Balsillie?

What if the evil Chandler Young was Gary Bettman?

Mr. Artounian tried to get into the private golf club following rules and applying the proper way, but to no avail. The club members decided that he was not Bushwoods material.

A little like what the NHL has been telling Balsillie.

So good old Jack found a way to get in the club using a tactic that would get him in the club.

So will "Chandler" Bettman keep Jim Balsillie out of his private club?

We shall find out soon enough.

In the mean time, Jim Balsillie went to meet the editorial staff of the Toronto Star today, basically providing a very long answer as to why he wants to buy the Phoenix Coyotes using his current tactics.

I invite you to go look at the video of the Toronto Star. Below is a link to the video answer of Balsillie: http://www.thestar.com/hockey/nhl/article/634376

After watching this video it is clear to me that Mr. Balsillie is a man focused and a man who is very confident that the Phoenix coyote will be playing in Hamilton sooner or later.

What do I think of that? I know it is not much fun for Phoenix Coyotes fans to read this but I believe that this man will bring this team to Canada.

Yes, he is brash and outspoken, just like Jack Artounian, but Jim Balsillie is a man with a dream, and he wants it to be real.

Will Caddyshack III have a happy ending for the hard working self-made billionaire Jim Balsillie?

Stay tuned to find out.

Detroit Red Wings: Where's The Love For Osgood?

Dany Lemieux — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:17:45 -0400

Anytime I have a discussion about who the best goaltenders in the NHL are, we have the same names coming up: Brodeur, Luongo, Kiprusoff, Lundqvist, etc.

But the name Chris Osgood never comes up, unless we talk about an overrated goaltender of whom's team needs an upgrade in front of their net.

How come the five foo ten inches tall goalie of the Detroit Red Wings can't get any love from the media and the fans that are not based in Detroit?

He had an average 2008-2009 season with a record of 26 wins and nine losses (including overtime and shootout losses), along with a 3.09 goal against average along with a 0.887 save percentage.

He mostly shared the net with Ty Conklin who had a better season with a GAA of 2.51 and a save percentage of 0.909.

But when it came down to start the playoffs, Detroit's head coach Mike Babcock gave the starting job to the 36 year-old veteran net minder, Chris Osgood.

The reaction in most NHL medias were the same: "Why not start with Conklin who had a better season?"

Other reactions were that Osgood was past his prime and that he his just done has a goalie.

I got to admit that I was thinking a little bit like that. I even wrote in one of my past articles that the Red Wings Achilles heel was their goal tending situation.

Then I started to wonder if maybe he said something nasty to the members of the media.

Well after looking up and down and many searches on the web I could not get a single mean or dumb comment made by number 30 of the Wings!

I mean, is Osgood's personality as boring as his goal tending style?

Probably not....

So why is there no love for "Ozzy"? Why is there no respect for the Medicine Hat Tigers alumnus?

I am not too sure why.

But I know a few reasons why he should get the "love" and respect from hockey fans and media members:

- He has won three Stanley Cups (two as the starting goaltender).

- He has a playoff record of 66 wins and 43 losses.

- He has a sparkling GAA of 2.10 in the 6,823 minutes of playoff hockey he has played in his career.

- Scored a goal versus the Hartford Whalers in February 1996.

- He is a two-time winner of the William M. Jennings trophy (1996 with Mike Vernon and in 2008 with Dominik Hasek).

- Played in four all-star games (1996, 1997, 1998, 2008).

- he has 389 regular season wins, only 11 away from 400.

After seeing this list of accomplishments maybe it is time to start giving some "love" to the last goalie to play with a hockey helmet.

But it is very easy to believe that the Red Wings will be fighting for the Stanley Cup again this year.

If the Red Wings win the cup this year everybody will be talking how great the Zetterberg's, Datsyuk, Hossa and Lidstrom have been!

Just make sure you don't forget the guy in the net.

His name is Chris Osgood, one of the best playoff goaltender to ever play in the NHL.

Penguins-Capitals: The Law of Body Checking

Dany Lemieux — Sat, 09 May 2009 15:37:58 -0400

Hello there, folks!

Playoff hockey is an exciting time for all hockey, because every game is so intense that bodies are flying all over the place.

Some hits can be devastating, and leave players with some nasty injuries and even concussions.

For example, last night's hit by Alexander Ovechkin on Sergei Gonchar. Was this a case of Alexander Ovechkin trying to hurt Gonchar?

Before I tell you what I think let's take a look at the "true" law of a body checking:

"Using the body to knock an opponent against the boards or to the ice. This is often referred to as simply checking or hitting, and is only permitted on an opponent with possession of the puck.

"Body checking can be penalized when performed recklessly. Charging, hitting from behind, and boarding are examples of illegal hits, due to their dangerous nature and increased likelihood of causing serious injury.

"In women's hockey, any body checking is a penalty, and is also usually not allowed in amateur leagues and leagues with young children. Some intramural university leagues do not permit body checking, in order to avoid injury and incidents of fighting.

'Leaning' against opponents is an alternative to body checking but, if abused, may be penalized as interference" (source is wikipedia: checking ice hockey)

My gosh! I don't understand.

I was watching games last night and players were "checking" other players even if they did not have the puck and they were not penalized for it. It is so confusing!

You look back at classic hits by Scott Stevens on Eric Lindros, Bob Boughner on Keith Primeau, Stevens on Paul Kariya, and more of those types of hits—and we see them as great!

But according to this law, those hits are against it. Should they be penalized? Is that law true, or am I in a nightmare?

Well, folks, it is the 100-percent pure truth!

90 percent of those hits you see in games are not legal and they should be penalized with different penalties such as interference, roughing, elbowing, high-sticking and more!

The first task of a body check is to remove a player from the puck and take possession of it—not to try to hurt or intimidate your opponent.

Injuries happen because of illegal and dangerous checking.

Now, was Ovechkin hit on Gonchar dangerous? Yes.

Did Gonchar have control of the puck? Yes.

Was Ovechkin trying to hit with his shoulder? Yes.

Did Gonchar try to step aside and avoid the hit from Ovy coming in full speed? Yes.

Therefore because Gonchar's lower body did not move as fast as his upper body, Alex's knee got a face to face with Gonchar's right knee.

No suspensions, but like an accidental high-sticking call that draws blood, it should have been a five minute major penalty for kneeing.

Yes, even if it was accidental.

A five-minute major penalty for kneeing is also accompanied by a game misconduct.

Now that you know all the rules of the "law" of body checking in hockey, and you see a goal like the Capitals' third goal in Game Four, where a player committed two obvious penalties for interference, or you see a star player laying on the ice unconscious because of a devastating hit when he did not have the puck, just ask yourself this:

Was this a legal hit?

Ducks-Red Wings: In the Skates of Brad Watson

Dany Lemieux — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:54:27 -0400

Detroit Red Wings fans are outraged this morning!

Referee Brad Watson robbed them of a goal!

He had a panic attack! That's why he blew the whistle too fast.

The NHL will have a talk with him, that's for sure, according to other writers on Bleacher Report.

This is such a typical reaction of the couch potato fan who has never ever been a hockey referee.

Fortunately for you, my friends I am a referee and in a not-so-distant past, I was reffing at a high level.

Therefore I can share with you my opinion, but most of all, I can go into Brad Watson's head and show you how the event of Game Three have unfolded for him.

First, we got to look at the play, again from his eyes and his mind.

Scott Niedermayer has the puck. He is pressured but everyone knows that Niedermayer will get that puck out anyways.

So as a referee, you try to give the players as much room as possible and you go in the corner, which is exactly what Watson did.

Then, oh shoot!

Niedermayer loses the puck and it goes to the front of the net, where a sprawling Jonas Hiller is trying to cover the puck.

You start moving in. You can see that the goalie does not know where the puck, is as he is not moving.

You can't see the puck, either.

So what could have Watson thought of that?

"Ok, the puck must be under him"

Not a single player close to the net is moving.

Watson can see that a Wings player is going towards the net.

"Can't see the puck. It might be under Hiller and the player will crash the crease and take a few whacks at the him and a major scrum will be the result of me waiting to blow the whistle, plus I don't see the puck anyways," Waston must be thinking.

"Better blow the whistle now!"

Now these thoughts are taking you a long time to read, but in a referee's mind it takes about four seconds.

So far, Watson is confident that blowing the whistle is right.

He takes a good hard breath of air to blow into his whistle to let everyone know that the play is over.

Then, shit happens.

"...And the puck is in the net!" yells Chris Cuthbert from TSN

Watson waves off the goal.

As he blew the whistle, here is what Watson must have been thinking:

"Ah F@&*!!!!"

Red Wings players are yelling. Mike Babcock is losing is mind on the bench!

If Watson was the Joker, he would be an agent of chaos.

Brad Watson has a long line of thoughts going through his mind as he is waving off the goal.

"I could not see the puck, that's why I had blew the whistle"

"If I had seen it I would not have blown the play dead"

"I feel like sh*& now"

While you people are going nuts, and saying that Watson's reaction was caused by a panic.

It was not. I is a normal referee's reaction.

You don't see the puck, you blow the whistle. It's that simple.

As a referee, I know that what he did was the right thing.

I know he feels extremely bad that he could not see the puck.

I know he wishes he could have seen it, but there is no turning back now.

As far as the NHL is concern, what are they going to tell Watson?

It's what I call the human factor in sports. All the referees in every single sports are human!

Humans make mistakes.

As far as I am concerned, it is the right call and that is the end of it.

Now for those angry Wings fans, if the game had been 2-1 for your team, Lidstrom had lost the puck, Chris Osgood had been sprawling, would you say Watson blew the whistle too quickly because he was in a state of panic?

No, it would have been the greatest call in the world. The referee would have been almost a hero because of it.

Think about this for a minute.

Then put yourself in the referees skates and you will understand. I know I do.

Montreal Canadiens Fans Want Guy Carbonneau Behind the Bench

Dany Lemieux — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:10:49 -0400

Watching Saturday night's hockey game between the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils, I caught myself wondering what the fans were chanting in the third period.

"Carbo! Carbo! Carbo!"

Were the fans really chanting his name?

I am sure it was clear that the fans wanted Guy Carbonneau back with the team.

But listening to the French broadcast on RDS or on the French radio, it was impossible to know what was going on because none of the broadcasters mentioned it. Neither did the CBC on-air team.

So, how come nobody mentioned that?

Are the Canadiens this powerful? Can they tell the media to censor the broadcast of their games?

This is very strange because usually on RDS they talk about people who are showing their homemade signs saying that they love RDS. But when it comes to the evil Carbonneau, nobody talks about it.

The Montreal media have turned Carbonneau into "the bad guy" for the lack of success this team has had this season.

Wondering why "Carbo" has not talked to the media yet?

Some journalist went to see his mom to get her comments on her son's firing last week. Are you kidding me?

She is in her 70s, leave the poor woman alone.

The media in "La Métropole" that are following the Canadiens are simply bipolars, and to me it seems like they are controlled by the team.

Carbonneau will talk to the media when he wants to and that is the way it should be.

In the mean time, lets read the love festival for Gainey and his team, which might very well miss the playoffs.

Mikka Kiprusoff Needs Some Rest for the Calgary Flames

Dany Lemieux — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:41:50 -0400

After giving up 19 goals in his last four games Miikka Kiprusoff might be showing signs that he his tired and that maybe it is time to give backup goalie Curtis McElhinney a start.

After the wild shoot out in Toronto this past Saturday Mike Keenan, head coach of the Calgary Flames, said that maybe he made a mistake by playing "Kipper" after getting so many shots against him last Thursday versus the Detroit Red Wings.

Kiprusoff is the kind of goaltender who usually plays around 70-75 games a year but he is not getting any younger and such a large number of games will eventually cathcup to you.

The Flames number one net minder mentioned to reporters today that he did not feel tired but you got to wonder about one thing: nobody would ever say that they are tired!

The Flames have seen a lot of different backup goaltender in the past few years, from Brian Boucher, Curtis Joseph to "Noodles" Jamie Mcllennan it has become a parade of guys who simply could not be perfect playing five games a year.

So how can anyone expect Curtis McElhinney to have success when he does not get to play much?

The hard luck backup has a record of 0-6-1 with a 3,78 and a save percentage of .882.

Numbers that are not looking too good but a goalie needs to play a little and unfortunately he has not been playing too much.

My wish for Curtis is to start the next Flames game and get a win under his belt so that the guys get some confidence in him and he can also build some confidence in himself as well!

I certainly hope that Kiprusoff gets a rest because if you look at the last few Stanley Cup winners, they either share the net with another net minder or they were injured in the season and missed some time...

Usually taking some rest is for the best...

Can your goaltender take you to the NHL playoffs?

Dany Lemieux — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 19:28:24 -0400

When the Montreal Canadiens or the Colorado Avalanche had Patrick Roy as there starting golaie they knew they had one the best masked man in the game of hockey. They knew that when they needed strong performance to win that elusive game that would get there team in the playoff, Patrick would stand tall and be the difference maker on any given night. Can your man between the pipes do the same thing for your team this year? Let's take a look at it and I will tell you if your team has a man who can carry them to the big dance.

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Flames-Red Wings: Calgary's Comeback Win in Hockeytown

Dany Lemieux — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:17:32 -0400

Well, what can I say? What a game last night between the Calgary Flames and the Detroit Red Wings!

Even ithough the Flames gave up 28 shots in the first period and were trailing 4-1 with 3:58 to go in the second period, they found a way to get back into that game and win it in the shootout.

Jamie Lundmark, with two goals and an assist, and Olli Jokinen, also with two goals, including the game-winner in the shootout, were the catalysts of this incredible comeback by Calgary.

Taking the lead with 1:20 to go in the third period, the Flames saw Dan Cleary tie the game up at five after the Wings pulled Ty Conklin in favor of a sixth player. All that only 38 seconds after they took the lead!

Who said pulling the goalie in the last minute of a game is foolish?

Well, it worked for the Wings last night.

Overtime was spectacular and it led to a star-studded shootout loaded with pure goal scorers.

Mike Camalleri, Jarome Iginla, and Olli Jokinen for the Flames.

Against Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Jiri Hudler for the Wings.

So, with these players coming down alone against a goaltender, what hope do you have to win? Well, it all goes on your goaltender's shoulder, and fortunately the Flames can fall back on Miikka Kiprusoff while the Wings were wondering about Conklin.

Kiprusoff made the two big saves needed and Jokinen put a laser of a wrist shot over Conklin's left shoulder to seal the deal for the visiting team.

This was one of the most exciting games this season and I hope you were able to witness this beauty of a game.

You got to love the "new NHL," cause you know that even a three-goal lead is not a safe lead anymore.

Montreal Canadiens: Halak Not Happy To Be On The Bench

Dany Lemieux — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:41:14 -0400

According to a source close to the Montreal Canadiens, goaltender Jaroslav Halak was very vocal in expressing his feelings towards the decision to play Carey Price instead of him against the Edmonton Oilers.

Halak, who was simply on fire before being sidelined by a bad flu, was very upset to be left on the bench after winning four straight games while maintaining a 1.99 goals against average and a .952 save percentage.

Looking at this, how can Bob Gainey go with Carey Price between the pipes instead of Halak?

I don't understand this at all, but there might me a simple explanation to this.

Last season, when Gainey traded Cristobal Huet to the Washington Capitals, he was at that time Carbonneau's man.

Jaroslav Halak was promoted to backup Price and well proved in the last two weeks that he deserved to be the No. 1 guy in Montreal. Halak became Carbonneau's man.

See a trend here, Huet gets traded, Halak gets benched and Carbonneau is fired. Carey Price was Bob Gainey's man from the start and Price was not Carboneau's guy.

Guy Carbonneau is well known for saying what he thinks, and saying it without wearing white gloves!

He is a straight shooter, so maybe he said what he thought of his goaltending situation to the wrong person.

Regardless of that, it is obvious that Jaroslav Halak has a right to be angry and unhappy about his situation, one that is unfair. When are we going to see Halak back between the pipes?

Only Bob knows.

Guy Carbonneau's Decisions Cost Him Canadiens Coaching Job

Dany Lemieux — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:13:35 -0400

Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey recently decided it was time for a change at the head coaching position after going 5-4-1 in the last 10 games.

Those 10 games were not that bad, were they? Of those five wins, four of them were basically stolen by goalie Jaroslav Halak making 40+ saves every time.

So, what went so wrong after a good start to the season for ousted coach Guy Carbonneau and his team?

Well, there is the fact that 12 players are on the last year of their contracts, and once the agent calls and tells the player that maybe he should slow down because he does not have a contract for next season, things change a little.

The players finds out that if he gets injured, he won't get a lot of insurance money. Once the player looks at how much the condo costs, how fast the wife or girlfriend is loading up the credit cards, and how much the car and other fun things cost, they are not too happy.

So players slow down and don't play as hard.

Also, there were all those stories of the ice with the Kostitsyns, Hamrlik, and the famous ankle injury to Carey Price, an injury that I am still trying to find on any game tapes. Add to that the craziness of media outlets following this team and you get yourself a nice big melting pot.

Now those are great problems, but they might not be what turned the dressing room against a coach.

I believe things started on the last road trip that took to the team to Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.

Carey Price, was horrible in Edmonton giving up seven goals and looking very shaky. He has underperformed since then, with the exception of the last game vs. Dallas. He is from British Columbia, yet Carbonneau elected to start Jaroslav Halak instead of almost-hometown boy Price, who had 30 friends or family members in attendance at the game.

Trailing 4-2 in the middle of the third period, Carbo decided to pull Halak and put Price in goal, a move that did not sit too well with the team.

Players believed that they could still come back and win this game with Halak, who had just made 46 saves against the Kings for a win.

Why put Price in net? 'Cause his family is there? 'Cause he deserves it?

He did not deserve it. You are supposed to play the masked man who gives you the best chance to win. So that worked against Carbonneau.

The Kovalev incident as well might have caused him to be on the outs. When your GM has to step in and pull a veteran player like Kovalev from the lineup, it is a sign that the communication between player and coach is not good.

Playing third- and fourth-line players on the power play or in the last two minutes of a 4-on-4 overtime confused and frustrated some players. Imagine if you are a top forward and you see a guy like Maxime Lapierre on the power play. What do you think?

A little frustration starts to grow.

On the other hand, the guy playing on the third line is going absolutely nuts with his increased playing time. Yet when this player goes back into his role of hard-working blue-collar player, he goes into a down mode.

Again, more frustration settles in, and not a single player is happy. Players playing in the wrong places, not where their strengths are, can cause friction.

Bad decisions, players being frustrated, lack of consistency and a lack of results cost Carbonneau his job.

The 100th season of the Montreal Canadiens hangs on the shoulder of the players, but even more on Gainey's shoulders now.

It hangs a lot on young, shaky, unstable goalie Carey Price.

Good luck, Guy, and even more luck to Bob Gainey, because if this team misses the playoffs, it will be a very ugly offseason in Montreal.

The Curious Case of Jay Bouwmeester....

Dany Lemieux — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:11:37 -0500

This is not a movie with Brad Pitt or a Hollywood story that will have a happy ending, or will it have the famous happy ending?

The Curious Case of Jay Bouwmeester is simple and complicated all at the same time. Why is it so simple? Well, this smooth-skating defenseman his in the last year of his contract.

Why is it also complicated? Because it seems like Jay does not want to re-sign with his team the Florida Panthers for a few more seasons. What to do with the man who plays 27 minutes and 11 seconds per game???

What is making this situation so interesting is that the trade deadline is coming really soon and the Panthers will have some decisions to make: to trade or not to trade Bouwmeester? That is the question!!!!

Here are the options for the team:

1- You try to re-sign the player and if you can do this before the deadline you can avoid that famous question of trading him.

2- Even you are in the middle of a playoff race you decide, because you simply can't sign him, to trade him for a draft pick and maybe one or two average player. Something that might not sit too well with your fans???

3- You decide to keep him even if you might lose him for nothing next summer.

Decision time for the Panthers is not something I would like to be involved with.

Now if you are a team looking to trade for Bouwmeester, what are you getting in this player?

Well, Jay Bouwmeester is a slick skater, a very mobile defense man and a player that will eat up minutes of ice time and gives you his best every single time he his on the ice.

A team who can acquire a player like that will automatically become a better team!! Only one little knock on him: he does not have any playoff experience. I personally think this argument can be thrown out the window!!!

He has plenty of international experiences like the world championship who can be consider playoff hockey atmosphere. So for those who believe that lack of playoff experience is a problem in his case, you are wrong!

Now offers are probably already on the table as far as a trade for "Jay-Bou" is concerned and there might be ongoing talks of a contract extensions for him with the Panthers??

But at the end of trade deadline day, whether he is traded or not, the team that will have this young man on it's roster will be a better team. Even if he stays with the Panthers...