A Blown Call, A Stolen Point

The NHL is very good at disciplining and suspending its players.

Someday, it would be nice to see them apply some performance standards to their on-ice officials outside of firing the ones they don't like at the end of the season.

Yesterday afternoon, the Red Wings and Ducks went at it in an humdinger of a hockey game, won 3-2 by Anaheim. The crime, however, was that the Wings clearly scored in the final minute of play on a Nicklas Lidstrom shot from the point that beat J.S. Giguere but had it incorrectly waved off by veteran official Dan O'Halloran.

O'Halloran thought he saw Tomas Holmstrom interfering with Giguere, and whistled incidental contact, with no penalty. Holmstrom, however, was clearly outside the blue paint with his back to the Anaheim goalie, setting up a perfect screen, and Giguere moved out and bumped the Detroit player as the puck went by him.

Now, it's not as if the Wings need the point, although they've now lost three straight.

But it was still their point, and O'Halloran was dead wrong. Even worse, he was clearly calling what he thought he saw, rather than what he actually saw.

It was particularly strange given that Anaheim, not Detroit, is one of the most notorious crease-crashing teams in the NHL, and that there was an extraordinary amount of obvious interference by defencemen on forecheckers let go in the game, the same kind of interfererence that the league is permitting to increase in virtually every game these days.

If O'Halloran had wanted to call interference, he had a dozen incidents during the contest for which he could have raised his arm rather than on a play on which interference actually didn't occur.

Detroit made a great play to set up the game-tying shot, and Holmstrom did a great job NOT to interfere with Giguere.

But O'Halloran took it away. Totally blew the call.

The NBA has allowed several games to be replayed, including one this year.

Wouldn't you love to see the NHL, in this case, rule the goal should have stood and force the two teams to finish the game at a later date? Or to suspend O'Halloran for making such a grievous error?

Don't bet on either scenario unfolding, and no one's going to lose sleep because the mighty Red Wings didn't get a point yesterday.

But make no mistake about it - they got screwed.

Comments

[Guido]

reminded me of the Pony no call against the Islanders .. which was also a bad call.

[wilson]

hey Cox, "the nhl is very good at disciplining and suspending its players". Yeah? than what is the point of all your articles about the inconsistent action on the part of the league following various on and off ice player screw-ups? you're on about suspensions all the time.

[Claudio DiCenzo]

It's about time someone started discussing this matter. Why don't referees have to be accountable to the press like players and coaches? There have been far too many nights this year when the coaches and players (especially the Leafs, but that's another matter) have had to stand in front of the press after a brutal performance to answer tough questions when it's the last thing they want to do. They have to be very discriminating in their choice of words or they will be censured if even remotely critical of the officiating or the league. Maybe if these guys had the lights and microphones in their faces after a game they would be less inclined to call a game based on whether the score is 1-1 or 3-0, call borderline penalities in overtime, or fouls they assume they saw. Mr. McGoo et al take note.

[LeRoy]

Rule 78 states "goals should be disallowed if:....an attacking player impairs the goalie's ability to move freely within his crease...". Homer clearly was in the crease and did impede JS' attempt to move to the top of the crease for the shot. Homer got called for diving in the crease a couple of games ago, Dom was burned against the Leafs for his chronic 'accidentally dropping his stick in the crease' (fortunately it wound up behind the net and the Leafs scored) and Zetterberg dove and Beauchemin took a penalty that nearly cost the Ducks the game. Babs is talking 'mental toughness' but several of his Wings are practicing mental 'slyness'. Kudos to the refs that see it and call it!

[mudshark]

Spot on here, but the interference non-calls by defensemen on forecheckers was even worse than the non-call call on Lidstrom's goal. These interference non-calls will hurt teams like the Wings, especially, as our forwards are already on the small side...

Thanks Gary. Love your "new" NHL. Same as the old one.

[Jim]

Finally some one who thinks officials need to be reprimanded for their performance on the ice court or field. After all they have a job to do just like the rest of us and should be subject to performance reviews regularily through out the season in order to inprove their calling and not just to be fired at the end of a season. Imagine if that call had happened in the seventh game of a stanley cup final but because it's a regular season game the outcome is allowed to be tainted without the official being reprimanded for his role in the decision of who wins or loses. Those points could be the difference where a team finshes in the standings. Mistakes will always happen but your performance as an official should be accountable and reviewed regularily in order to improve officiating and give the fan the perception the game is being officiated fairly with out prejudice for either team.

[kevin]

tongue in cheek, wilson

[Pete]

I've always wondered about that myself. Does the NHL review games like these and then speak to the refs at some point in the season? Or are you saying that they wait until the end of the season and then fire some of them? As soon as I read this I was also reminded of last year when a Sundin goal was waived off against the Islanders because of "goalie interference, with no penalty." O'Halloran wasn't refereeing that one.

[TERRY KOZAK]

You're absolutely right. This is part of the reason why nobody outside of our country seems to have the love for the game. I watched the game and thought there was a playoff atmosphere. When the goal was scored, I looked forward to the overtime session. However, after it was disallowed, I wished that since the NHL office always has someone in Toronto ready to look at replays of certain goals, wouldn't it make sense to have them also look at goaltender interference calls. Especially with the problems in the NBA with officiating. Perhaps the NHL should also become like the NFL and have coaches being allowed to challenge a play. If it is allowed in the television-friendly NFL, the NHL needs to wake up and allow modern technology to play a game.
But then again no other sport rewards a team with points that has failed to win outright.

[boltcc]

NHL officating has always been inconsistent. The Players sometimes don't know if they are coming or going because one night they are calling everything and the next nada! Anytime a goal goes to review who knows what they are going to come up with. Let the players play and make the right calls..not the picky crap. NFL officials are told if they see something DON'T call it, and NHL officials are told to CALL it if they aren't sure. Nobody is perfect and the refs are human, they are just doing what the league tells them to do. I just want the right calls and make it consistent.

[Iain Wood]

I like the idea that officials are imperfect. That ref's make judgement calls in the moment and sometimes they're wrong.

Delays caused by video judging and on-ice conferences suck the emotion from the game. Fans postpone their jubilation when ref's "go upstairs" and the moment of celebration or dispair is lost.

O'Halloran made a call at the climax of the game. It was wrong -but fans from both teams got an emotional jolt, and Wings writers finally have something to rip into today.

That's sports!

[Will Iglikowski]

Thank you for an honest assessment of the refs and the blown call. You are correct in your assessments and those of the interference non-calls too. Perhaps more criticism of these plays by the media will pressure the league to a bit more policing of its rules enforcers. I also would like to comment about an earlier posters statement that Holmstrom was called for diving a few games ago. While true, the replay of that penalty showed a defenseman using his stick to push Holmstom's skates from under him and it was during that power play that the opposing team scored. Just another in a long list of referee mistakes.

[kenny d]

This is the Bettman NHL. Inconsistency is what the refs are all about. They are not perfect I know but some of the calls as well as some of the non-calls are amazing. But it's not just the refs. Do you remember the blatant elbow Kovelev put on Helwig of the Rangers last week. A lot of guys would have been out for 5 games for that. Not only did Kovelev not get any suspension he didn't even get a penalty on the play. I guess Colin Campbell was on vacation that day. So the rule is give a guy an elbow hard enough that the player misses 4 or 5 shifts and you will not be penalized but if you touch a players glove with your stick ever so lightly and you will get 2 minutes. That makes sense doesn't it? The Bettman NHL. Ya gotta love it.

[kushiro]

I don't understand why you feel the need to stress that he *thought* he saw something. Whenever anyone reports that they've seen something, isn't it always the case that they *think* they saw it?

If this is an important distinction, then perhaps we should question every call or statement made by any referee/umpire/witness/anecdote teller, based on the fact that they say they saw it, but only think they saw it, but can't back it up by instant replay.

[Marijan Kalman]

Very, very simple solution.
Like in NBA repeat last minute of the game after allowing goal and fire official on the SPOT.

For this NHL need balls and to start calling game by the rules so the teams like Anahain, Minesota and other trap goooons are out of contention.....

[Bettman]

I'm sorry, LeRoy, Did you say he was in the crease? This photo disagrees.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf

[Sean Ball]

Listen, I can understand ones frustration but you have to realize that even though the officials due make really good money that they are human and are entitled to make mistakes, just like NHL players do when they miss assignments on the ice. You have to know what he saw and from where he was standing he made a call in which he thought was the right call to make at the time. Sure it looks bad on replay but on the ice with the speed of the game the way it is, you as an official have a split second to make a decison, whether it is good or bad.

To replay the game is silly, however to have video review in that situation may be a possibilty to provide an extra set of eyes on the ice for the officials.

[Don]

It used to be that if you did not notice the ref in a game,that was the way it was supposed to be. Now they directly affect the outcome of the games.Phantom calls are what bother me the most,plus hooking is not putting your stick on a players waist.

[Johan Kriek]

If a referee maliciously slams one of his linesmen into the glass from behind, then a suspension from the league would be warranted. But a blown call is no different than a player making a bad pass that gets picked off or a goalie whiffing with his glove on a flutterball shot from the point. You can't suspend them for that.

[Guelphdad]

I know in the English Premiership soccer this year a ref blew a call. it was reviewed after the fact and he was handed a two week suspension. while that may be much they certainly take their officials to task.

Our major leagues should do the same.