from Sean McIndoe of The Athletic,

NHL playoff controversies are all unique, like precious little snowflakes, although they typically fall into a handful of categories. There’s the (maybe) dirty hit. There’s the (maybe) missed call. There’s the (maybe) violation of The Code, which may also involve a dirty hit on which there’s a missed call.

One way or another, something is on the way, and we’re all going to be mad at each other about it. For now, we may as well prepare. So let’s get ready for the inevitable, with a quick reminder of the 20 stages of an NHL playoff controversy.

Stage 1: Something happens

It barely matters what. All you know is that one minute, things are fine. The next, the crowd is booing, a coach is turning red, everyone is mad on your TV, and your social media feeds are already yelling at each other.

You’re not even completely sure what happened, which leads to …

Stage 2: The first replays

They do not help. If anything, they make it worse. One angle looks like the play was maybe bad. The next one makes it look fine. The third angle is too far away to help. The fourth angle is from a different game in a different league. You’re more confused than you were before.

Stage 3: The announcers aren’t sure what just happened

There’s a non-zero chance they don’t even realize what the issue is and will spend those first few minutes talking about a completely different moment that has nothing to do with this one.

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