On Frozen Blog

07 September, 2008

Inbred Referees 2 / Caps 1

By The OFB Team Saturday, March 8, 2008

Posted at 4:11 pm. Filed under Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals.
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23 Comments

chanuck wrote:

Biggest BJ of a game ever!!!!!!

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:13 pm | Permalink
JR wrote:

Tough calls, BUT:
Brashear taking that extra roughing minor = STUPID.

Poti taking that slashing call = STUPID.

What is the point of veteran leadership when this is the example they set?

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:18 pm | Permalink
OrderedChaos wrote:

Here’s the thing: from the zebras’ overreaction to the Matt Cooke penalty, it was clear that the refs were anti-Capitals. The Cooke hit deserved a 2-minute minor, at most. A 5-minute major AND a game misconduct? Outrageous. Go ahead, watch the hit again — yes it was knee-to-knee, but Adams was as much to blame as Cooke for the contact.

As for the end of the third, the Brashear 4-minute high sticking is valid. The two-minute roughing was a thing of beauty, but the way Hnidy got in his face with the stick up high, well it should have been 2 minutes for EACH of them, not just Brashear.

The Erskine phantom hooking was a joke. The Poti penalty was also a stretch, and at most it should have been 2 minutes for him as well as 2 for the Bruins — that messy scrum could have yielded several penalties.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:28 pm | Permalink
Bethany wrote:

Being a neutral watcher, I have to agree the refs were VERY anti Caps today. Absolutely ridiculous.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:36 pm | Permalink
TG wrote:

Never should have let it get to that point anyway. Had they scored a second goal, Boston would have completely folded (especially given their last three games). They couldn’t get that second goal and, even though we may complain about the calls, they didn’t step on a fragile team’s throat when the had the chance. *sigh* Can’t believe I have to root for Buffalo tonight.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 4:40 pm | Permalink
Doug wrote:

Forget blaming the refs. Hopefully, Boudreau is spending energy trying to score more than one goal in this game. Brashear should NOT play hockey for the Caps ever again. I’m serious. Dump him. The guy is an idiot.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 5:07 pm | Permalink
Reg Dunlop wrote:

Yeah, the zebras gave it to our Caps hard, but the team never should have gave them the opportunity. I expected “learning experiences” with this team as it chases its first playoff spot; however, I never thought it would be the vets that choked like they did. Pin this one on the Brash, Erskine and Poti.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 5:15 pm | Permalink
chanuck wrote:

I agree that Brash penalty was bad, but the Poti penalty was a bit phantom. Especially when they already had a that history making 6 minute powerplay and ejection of Cooke.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 5:43 pm | Permalink
Scott wrote:

Blame this one on Flash for not putting away that backhander…

JUST KIDDING

SQUEAL LIKE A PIG, BOY

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 5:45 pm | Permalink
Drew wrote:

Ned Beatty and Boudreau DO bear an uncanny resemblance.

My non-Caps fan friend wondered aloud why Brashear wears an A. I started to explain about Clark’s long-term injury but stopped myself because he’s got a great point. No question of Brash’s utility on this squad. But those late-game infractions, if not worthy of a scratch tomorrow (a game in which we likely need him to dress), were certainly worthy of losing his chevron.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 5:57 pm | Permalink
Grooven wrote:

1. The Caps had an opportunity to better control the game with Boston on their heels and out of sorts in the first period. One goal shouldn’t be what the Caps ever sit back on.

2. While the call against Cooke appeared wrong to me, I’m not distressed about a 5min.

3. The Capitals penalty kill was actually doing a very good job overall.

4. The refs called what they thought they saw against the Caps. That happens every game to every team. Sometimes it looks like a trip even though the stick misses the falling skater. And I’m not going to argue that the Caps should not have been penalized.

The frustrating part is the lack of calls against the Bruins. I’m not saying phantom hooks or anything like that to balance out — I don’t buy that, but the blatant: a roughing or crosscheck which led to Brashear’s straight left (nice punch by the way) — the play was already whistled dead, players stopped skating; Chara playing with a broken stick — if it’s in his hand when he goes to make a play, even if he’s not using the stick to make said play, it’s still playing with a broken stick; interference several times through the game, most notably at the end.

But… see #1. The Caps had an opportunity to take control when Boston kept taking penalties at the beginning of the game. Crush ‘em then.

So now the Caps have a tired PK getting to play a rested Penguins team.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Chris wrote:

Blame the refs all you want. If this team keeps playing Donald Brashear, it does not deserve to make the playoffs.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 6:51 pm | Permalink
chanuck wrote:

I agree the 4 min penalty was a lazy play by Brash and the 2 minute for the bunch was bad, but funny. But the Ref giving the Bruins two 5 on 3s is just out of control. Especially when they ignored similar actions from the Bruins. This was a gift to the bruins by the refs in my book. The NHL needs to get these refs under control this is the second time this week the zebras changed the outcome of a game. The zebras should be held accountable for bad calls. I will scream if I see this team of refs calling a playoff game. Send the to the minors for seasoning.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 7:14 pm | Permalink
Novaron wrote:

When the Refs make calls against one and do not make clear calls against another team, then one can blame the refs. If they call the clear penalty on Chara, then perhaps there is no penalty call on Poti during the 4 on 4 as opposed to the a pk. And then after the 4-4 ends we can kill the rest of the Brasheer penalty. Bear in mind the Caps were 4-1 in games offciated by these two prior to this game.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki) wrote:

Like I said, the Cooke penalty set the tone: Notice that Adams was AOK later, skating fine. Cooke maybe, MAYBE, deserved a 2-minute penalty for interference. No more than that. The 5-minute major and the game misconduct broadcast loud and clearly that the refs were named O’Shea and McWhatever, and were wholly on the side of the Bruins.

Yes, the way the Caps played in the first 50 minutes should have yielded more than one goal. And had it done so, perhaps they would have won despite the refs’ terrible work. But the refs jobbed the Capitals today, no doubt about it.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 7:42 pm | Permalink
pucksandbooks wrote:

I confess, I’m at a loss in understanding the sentiment that because the Caps had achieved ONLY a 1-0 lead, on the road, against a solidly winning hockey club — and one who’d won almost all of the previous four seasons’ worth of games contested between the clubs in this building, that somehow the Caps had produced a deficient effort Saturday afternoon. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a 1-0 hockey game — particularly when winning it on the road.

Instead, the onus in such a superbly competitive game is for the referees to allow the two teams to battle it out until the bitter end — rather than determine it themselves. For whatever reason, today’s assigned crew couldn’t do this, and we ought to be grateful, I suppose, that what we saw today was anomalous: were more NHL games to look like this one in its conclusion, it would surely drive fans away.

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 7:52 pm | Permalink
NS2NOVA wrote:

When you look at the breakdown of the calls, something obvious jumps out, and I brought this up on the boards during the game.

With the exception of Cooke’s bad call in the second, the game went 36 min and 29 seconds without a call. I have yet to see a game go that long without something being called, or badly missed.

But that being said, after the first 5 on 3 goal didn’t bring a man back on the ice, the guys should have realized that they had to play a more disciplined game. We lost because of stupid penalties, pure and simple.

As for dumping Brash, or stripping him of his “A” that has been one of the more irrational comments I’ve heard in a while. One bad incident does not make him a pariah. I’ve been impressed with Brash’s play this year, his fight numbers are a lot lower than you would expect from a man with his reputation. And it’s reputation that has him on this team and keeps him on this team. I’m quite sure that there have been many aggressors who have had second thoughts about dropping the gloves while Brash was on the ice. And Brash has provided veteran leadership for a team that lacks experience, and will continue to do so.

Hnidy deserved every pound of force that was delivered to his face. But Brash should have done it a lot sooner than he did. Perhaps when Erskine challenged him on the hit on OV. Brash knew he blew it. And you could see how bad and small he was feeling when they showed him leaving the bench at the end of the game. He WILL take this game chalk it up to a bad move on his part, learn from it, and move on. But do not make him a pariah for doing something that almost anyone would have done.

And we can’t look at this as the straw that broke and kept us out of the playoffs. For that we can only lay the blame on the poor performance at the start of the year. The fact that we’ve been able to come back this far is a testament to the players and coaching we have.

Let them have a bad day, they’ll get through it, so should we.

(just my opinion, nothing humble about it)

Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 9:06 pm | Permalink
Grooven wrote:

Had a long answer that didn’t go through.
Instead of retyping it all, here’s the crux.

Maybe this’ll help clarify for you.

There’s a difference between an offense being deficient, and one not taking advantage of the situation. If the Caps had taken advantage earlier in the game that might’ve been enough of a buffer –or a game killer that it wouldn’t have mattered if Boston took advantage at the end of the game (which they did).

Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 1:16 am | Permalink
Lorne wrote:

Donald Brashear = Chris Simon

That one act may have cost our team the playoffs. If he can’t control himself he doesn’t belong in the league anymore. Everyone is fortunate that his sucker punch didn’t result in injury. This had the potential to be as bad as Bertuzzi/Moore. Sure he didn’t ride on his back or anything like that, but let’s not even think what an unexpected blow to the head like that could have done.

Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 7:38 am | Permalink
hockeygrl_76 wrote:

From my vantage point at the game I have to say we lost this one for ourselves. Brash knows better and while the Cooke incident was bullcrap that wasn’t where things went wrong. What went wrong was Brash taking a stupid penalty…the high sticking one I can forgive but the roughing?…give me a break…way to let the team down. The Erskine call I think was borderline but valid. I even rewatched it again this morning and have to agree with that one (would the refs had let it go had the Cooke incident not happened? Possibly) and the Poti one I wasn’t sure about but when I watched the replay this morning Joe B and Locker seemed to agree with it but thought the Bruins should have also been called for a hooking incident. We outplayed them the whole game until the end. I hate to say it but if this team can’t not take stupid penalties then they aren’t going to make it to the playoffs. I hope Erskine and Brash sit for a couple games. Oh and by the way I really don’t think Flash and Semin should be on a line together…

Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 9:30 am | Permalink
Chris Green wrote:

Brashear was goaded into knocking out a Bruin with a nice left. His play for the balance of the season has been solid. Note to the critics, he keeps the opposition at bay when they think they can run Ovie or Semin, or anyone else for that matter. He is also a steady veteran on a team full of rookies….

The officiating hurts a major conspiracy theory that the NHL controls them for their own purpose. It would be a cinderella story for the Caps to make the playoffs, when they were mired at 14th at the mid season mark.

Ovie is why we are getting national tv coverage. I would think the NHL would like to play that story up with coach Boudreau and all…

Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 3:41 pm | Permalink
mark wrote:

Brashear lost this game for them, plain and simple. They could have killed 4 minutes, but not 6 (which led to the 2-men PPs). I like Brash, but that was undisciplined and selfish during a critical time of a critical game.

Monday, March 10, 2008 at 10:13 am | Permalink
Johnny wrote:

Who wrote sucker punch? A fast left to the face of an opponent coming straight at you with a stick is not a sucker punch! It is smart self defense! “Sucker punch” is a word used by losers to justify poor reaction time! However, the call on Cooke was a sign that should have been heeded. In my humble opinion if a player is so ruffed up that his opponent gets a 5min major and a game misconduct, he should not get to skate in the PP….

Monday, March 10, 2008 at 10:18 am | Permalink