Kukla's Korner

Talking Puck Over The Glass And Missed Infractions

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/17/13 at 04:04 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Kerry Fraser of TSN,

Every other rule in the book allows for referee discretion to determine the existence of an infraction, along with the varying degrees at the referee's disposal to implement the final assessment ranging from a minor, double minor, major or match penalty. Aside from determining if the puck is deflected, the referee's discretion is nonexistent when it come to Rule 63.2 — Delaying the Game; Puck over the glass! 
 
We have seen more than one playoff game determined when a player accidentally put the puck over the glass to incur a penalty. It matters not if the puck was rolling and unsettled or the ice was bad and contributed to the flight of the puck. It's the only rule that I can honestly say is simply 'Black and White'!

It was very disconcerting for me to see obvious infractions that went uncalled in deciding games and particularly Game 7's that were played in the previous round. These 'discretionary calls' ranged from body slams to majors for elbowing, cross-checks from behind or a major cross-check infraction to the face (minor called), attempted slew-foot, goalkeeper retaliation with a blocker strike to an opponent's head, charging, and boarding. The referee 'discretion' implemented at times pretty much ran the gambit with a "let them play" mentality.
 
While I'm not suggesting that this poor standard of enforcement is in any way acceptable, it further demonstrates the absurdity of the puck over glass rule as it now exists.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk, NHL Officiating, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Spezza Could Play On Sunday

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/17/13 at 02:54 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Bruce Garrioch of Off The Posts,

A source told the Sun Spezza is targeting a Sunday return, but has to get clearance from the doctors.

“He continues to skate on a daily basis and makes progress,” said MacLean Friday. “We’ll go through practice (Saturday) and the pre-game skate and we’ll see where it is. If he’s available to us, it’s Jason Spezza, we’re going to have him in the lineup.”

The Senators will have an optional skate Saturday and Spezza will skate with that group.

“I know I’m going to be there to watch it,” said MacLean. “I might not be on the ice, but we’ll make a decision from there. I don’t know about all the medical hurdles but I’ll know more about that (Saturday).”

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: jason+spezza

‘Octopi Hockeytown’ and ‘Throw Your Wings Up’

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

05/17/13 at 02:25 PM ET | Comments (16)

According to the Free Press's George Sipple, the Red Wings' official playoff theme is "Octopi Hockeytown," and a local artist named Baby G has a tune about "Throwing Your Wings Up"...

As they say, "Pass or fail?"

Update: From, well, me:

It's a solid website, but the octopus-tossing is in picture form only.

Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
 

Red Wings pre-Game 2 practice updates: Miller may return; Babcock expects team to rebound

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

05/17/13 at 01:49 PM ET | Comments (13)

Updated 10x at 4:11 PM: The Detroit Red Wings took to the ice for a much-needed practice after a much-needed day off to allow the team to mentally and physically regroup from both their 7-game series against the Ducks and Wednesday's stumble against the Hawks, and while the schedule of the first four games may give the Wings a significant advantage tomorrow's essentially a re-set (1 PM EDT start on NBC, the CBC and 97.1 FM, and both FSD and WDIV are airing post-game shows), and the three-game break between games 3 and 4 also theoretically aids the cause of the underdogs (or "the nail," as it were)...

If the Wings' task in attempting to win four of the next six possible games wasn't enough of an uphill battle, the Macomb Daily's Chuck Pleiness noted that the Wings have a significant historical milestone marker serving as something of a millstone...

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Jimmy D discusses the Red Wings-Hawks series and ‘rebuilding on the fly’

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

05/17/13 at 12:56 PM ET | Comments (16)

Via RedWingsFeed, Fox Sports Detroit's Art Regner spoke to Red Wings VP Jimmy Devellano, and Detroit's representative on the NHL's Board of Governors doesn't mince words in suggesting that the Wings are the underdog team in terms of attempting to battle the Blackhawks...

“It would be the upset of upsets,” he said. “Chicago is really very, very talented. Our team is in the middle of the pack now. We don’t have the depth of star players anymore. We can match up with Kane and Toews with (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk, but we don’t have a Patrick Sharpe or Marian Hossa. Their depth of star players exceeds our.”

He tells Regner that the Wings were unable to keep the aforementioned Hossa for a simple reason...

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Afternoon Line

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/17/13 at 12:44 PM ET | Comments (3)

The Caps lose playoff games by the margin of Ovechkin’s negative thoughts. They will do this for as long as they let silly contentions about officiating and league conspiracies blind them to the larger fact of their performance. Buried in Ovechkin and McPhee’s remarks is the suggestion that they were really the better team. They weren’t. They got purely outfought, especially by the Rangers’ third and fourth lines, and mentally collapsed. The refs didn’t play swarming defense that blocked 27 Capitals shots in Game 7. The refs didn’t hold Ovechkin to just one goal and one assist in the entire series.

Nine times the Caps have blown two-game leads in the playoffs — three of those in the last five years. That’s a pattern. Until they have a very candid conversation with themselves — until they ditch their mood of sulky complacency in favor of real self-examination — you can count on it to continue.

-Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post where you can read more about the Capitals' mindset.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Former Wings assistant GM Jim Nill’s very busy reshuffling the Dallas Stars’ coaching deck

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

05/17/13 at 11:22 AM ET | Comments (6)

As we wait for the Red Wings' Friday practice to begin, the Grand Rapids Press's Peter J. Wallner penned a superb article about Tomas Tatar's role with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and Deadline Detroit's Rebecca Powers profiled Fox Sports Detroit analyst Darren Eliot, but a short interview Dallas Stars GM and former Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill gave to the Fan 590's Bob McCown and John Shannon caught my eye (or ear, as it were):

I was particulaly ill and out of the loop when the Wings allowed the Stars to take Nill, and while his interview mostly involves finding a replacement for Glen Gulutzan (the Grand Rapids Press's Wallner wonders whether former Grifins coach Curt Fraser might get a nod, and the Dallas News's Mike Heika wonders whether Nill will try to swipe associate coach Tom Renney from Detroit)...

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From the Dub: You gotta fight for your right to party

Blog: Above the Glass By Samantha

05/17/13 at 10:33 AM ET | Comments (0)

Friday in Portland, Oregon had all the makings of a five-star night of hockey. In a WHL Championship rematch with the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Winterhawks were leading the series 3-1 with home ice advantage. The Rose Garden was fully sold out two days in advance of the game and fans were calling for the team to open the extra seats in the upper bowl. The previously elusive Ed Chynoweth Cup was on the line and in the house for a possible Winterhawks victory. Temperatures outside were sizzling around an unseasonably warm 80 degrees. Fifteen seconds into the first period, forward Joey Baker -- who only scored one goal in 64 games in the regular season -- scored the Winterhawks’ first goal. Aye, there’s the rub: it was just a little too perfect. The Oil Kings, facing elimination, rallied to a 3-2 overtime win. Sunday afternoon -- after two previous trips to the 2011 and 2012 WHL finals -- the Winterhawks finally climbed the mountain to the WHL title on the wings of Ty Rattie’s hat trick. The party is underway in Portland, where the Winterhawks will serve as Grand Marshals for the Rose Festival’s Starlight Parade. Friday wasn’t the perfect night we wanted and Sunday didn’t start on a high note either, but that’s what makes the party so great; the team had to fight to earn every inch of it. Which got me to thinking; if hockey was perfect, would we love it as much?

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What Direction Is Edler’s Career Going?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

05/17/13 at 10:19 AM ET | Comments (1)

from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,

If you thought Edler had a brain-dead season this year — coughing up the puck and playing soft for a man of his tremendous physical abilities — you will be pleased to know that he at least tried to hit somebody in this one. Unfortunately for the Carolina Hurricanes and Eric Staal, it was a ridiculously lame hit on the Canadian forward’s knee in the first period of Thursday’s 3-2 Sweden victory. Edler got a major penalty and was ejected from the game, and rightfully so. Loads of people on Twitter joined the condemnation of the hit.

Staal went down as though he’d had his leg sawed off and if he doesn’t have a serious knee injury that will keep him out a long while, it will be nothing short of a miracle. Edler threw his stick in frustration as he left the ice, and whether he was upset with himself or the call isn’t known. The bonehead play certainly gives Canucks fans pause to ponder just where this guy’s career is going — given he hasn’t made a zot of progress under this coaching staff.

There have been suggestions that general manager Mike Gillis should move Edler before his new no-trade clause kicks in — and suggestions that this won’t be happening, because the organization promised they wouldn’t do that when they convinced him to take a hometown discount to remain with the club. So in all probability, the Canucks will try to keep their reputation as an honourable organization, and keep their word by keeping the player. But they’d better figure out a way to get this kid some help if they ever want to see any benefit from their $30-million investment.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: alex+edler, team+sweden

Chicago Tribune’s McNeil expects Hawks to ‘hammer’ the Wings

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

05/17/13 at 10:17 AM ET | Comments (33)

The Chicago Tribune's Dan McNeil may subscribe to the "Blackhawks in square root of two!" theory:

So this is the dreamy, second-round match up that was to titillate the senses? The type of grudge match that was to rekindle all the deep-seeded ill feelings Chicagoans and Detroiters had for each other in the days of the old Norris Division?

Or not.

The hammer and the nail have no rivalry. The nail may not like the hammer, but it's disdain for it does not constitute a rivalry because the hammer barely acknowledges the nail's existence.

Right now the Blackhawks are the hammer and the Red Wings are the nail. That will not change during the duration of these Western Conference semifinals.

He continues at length and concludes with the following:

Meantime, enjoy these not-so-spicy Wings, who are nothing more than an annoying impediment that won't take long to remove.

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