NHL-the Cowards of the Sports World

Just finished watching the Canucks/Hawks game and have to say......

The Refs at the end of the game were incredibly Cheesie in their calls. Because Vancouver is down of course they're going to play physical but-none of those plays in the final minutes were worth 10 minute misconducts. I'm not sure they were worth two minute minors.

Byfuglien finishes with a clean hard check, Vancouver over-reacts and Byfuglien gets a 10 minute misconduct? Outright Ridiculous. Same with the Toews penalty...for him to get a 10 minute misconduct on that play is a travesty of justice.

The NHL is trying so hard to make sure that no one crosses the line that they're applying punishments to penalties that weren't even committed. Looking at the box score youd the game ended in a free for all but to see what actually happened on the ice is a bigger outrage then one team trying to goon it up in the final minutes.

Its one thing to try and keep a game in check-its another to start handing out major penalties for infractions that might not even warrant minor penalties in the regular season.

Because a team is up by a couple of goals in an opponents home building-does that change the rules on what it and isnt a roughing or a cross checking? Complete BS.

The NHL shakes in its boots when people accuse it of being violent and resorts to handing out silly penalties and 10 minute misconducts on a whim to pacify the critics-its a monstrosity that not only shows the NHL as a bunch of cowards but hurts the mainstream fanbase who sees a 2 minute minor penalty at best in regular season called a 10 minute major simply because of the scoreboard, the time in the game, and the location of the game. A real travesty to the games integrity if you ask me.

Sorry, but lame over the line knee jerk officiating is worse then last minute thuggery IMO. When the refs can start handing out 10 minutes for imaginary infractions to keep a game from "getting out of hand" is simple the refs taking huge liberties with the rule books to prevent something that may or may not happen anyway.
The refs jobs are to anticipate and prevent something that "may" happen...its to call and penalize on ice events that actually do happen.

Im ashamed of the NHL, and will call it like I see it and say this is simply one more reason to hate Gary Bettmann and one more reason why the NHL is behind the Rodeo and Womens Basketball in TV ratings.

To think that the Late Mike Brown hit to the head causing an injury will go down to in the history books as the same penalties given to Jon Toews and Dustin Byfuglien at the end of this game is an outright travesty. Seriously-for people who follow the NHL this to me does more damage to the image then the late minute line brawl. How many fans for both teams were left feeling disgusted at the end of the game? Alex Burrows could have stuck his tongue at the Hawks bench and been given a game misconduct the way the refs were liberally applying the rules. Makes me sick and long for the good old days when sending a message for the next game meant more the putting a glove in the face and getting hot and bothered over a text book clean hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8T5nlFpCd4