Just Dead Wrong

Hard to believe four experienced NHL officials could get a call so wrong.

Did the misguided first period expulsion of defenceman Niklas Kronwall from Game 3 of the Western Conference final on Friday night between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks decide the game? No, but it sure changed it, particularly since the Wings were already without star forward Pavel Datsyuk in a game won by the Hawks that ensured this year's Stanley Cup final will begin no earlier than June 5.

But in a playoff season in which the NHL has gotten so many calls wrong time after time, Kronwall's was arguably the worst miscarriage of justice outside the inexplicable non-suspension of Carolina forward Scott Walker for his goon sucker punch on Boston's Aaron Ward.

Who actually made the call? What was the explanation? The NHL needs to explain itself on this one. And apologize for screwing up so badly.

Kronwall, arguably the best hitter in the sport today, caught Chicago's Martin Havlat with a crushing blow just inside the Blackhawk blueline as Havlat tried to control a loose puck that was clearly in his skates.

Kronwall's elbow was down, and Havlat was knocked cold.

As Hockey Night in Canada pointed out so expertly with video evidence, neither referee put his hand up on the play to signal a penalty. Then, out of thin air, Kronwall was banished from the game with a five-minute interference major and game misconduct, a preposterous call.

The Wings killed it off and, after falling behind 3-0, fought back to force overtime before losing. Would Kronwall have made a difference there? Maybe, and having to play the entire game with five defencemen probably wore the Detroit blueliners down.

But there was just no need for the call. Even worse, clearly one of the on-ice officials simply made it up after seeing Havlat on the ice and deciding something illegal must have happened without actually seeing a foul. It wasn't even close to interference because Havlat was in possession of the puck, and so the play wasn't remotely like the late, blindside hit by Anaheim's Mike Brown on Detroit's Jiri Hudler in the previous round.

Sorry that Havlat got hurt, but hockey's a contact sport and Kronwall's hit was absolutely clean.

What a screwup by four officials who should be reprimanded for such an egregious error in a playoff game of that magnitude.

Comments

[Marty]

Your right but trying to get the NHL to admit they have done something wrong or that a ref has made a bad call is impossible. They will come up with some excuse.

[charade]

So wonderful to see all the Hawks steam-in with no regard for their injured teammate. Won't be longer before we see something truly horrific happen in a situation like that. What a game!

[John]

I'm going to have to disagree on this one Mr. Cox. Havlat's head was down, he was vulnerable -- he didn't touch the puck, and Kronwall left his feet AND caught him in the head with his shoulder (not to mention he followed through with the elbow). This is the hit the NHL is trying to take out of the game.

And hopefully Kronwall's suspended for at least one game cause he deserves it.

[Jon Del Ben]

it was a hit to the head

[Billy Nobels]

It seemed clear that although the puck was moving towards Havlat, he had not made contact with it before he was hit. This to me seems no different than any other interference call that we have seen recently. Using the reasoning that the puck was in his skates makes it sound as if the was controlling it. I will admit it was close, but that only counts in horse shoes, nuclear war and flatulence.
May the best team win.

[Ed Hussman]

You confuse me Mr. Cox.

Kronwall's hit was exactly what the NHL is trying to take out of the game. Head shots are way more dangerous then the occasional scrap and just as much of a cheap shot as a sucker punch.

[Frank Worrall]

The NHL's officials are the most inconsistent in professional sports. In the NFL, they may have reviewed the play. In baseball, there would have been no call, and in the NBA there probably wouldn't have been a call either, or at worst, a 2 point foul. The NHL, in it's unending effort to support poor officiating, will probably support the bad call, and re-start the public relations campaign against head hits. This was a solid, legal hit, against a player who was making a play on the puck, with his head down. There were many other hits just like that during the game where the player hadn't touched the puck. If 4 on ice officials can't make the proper calls watching 12 guys properly, (and two of those guys don't move much), then they need to use video replay more.

[Don]

While there MIGHT be an argument about the type of hit that waas handed out, surely nobody is overlooking the fact that Havlat NEVER touched the puck.

[Doug B.]

Damien,
I couldn't agree more with your take on the hit. Havlat clearly had his head down and basically ran into a wall. No head shot, no elbow, just a clean "better keep your head up" hit, the way hockey should be. Did it change the game, I think it did for a time but the Wings are veterns who bounce back. On another note, being a Leaf fan once the playoffs come I have a tendency to lose interest but this years playoffs have been entertaining with some real good hockey, something us Leaf fans don't get to see much. I don't really care who wins or loses, just great hockey.

[Moserman]

Just another example of these bozos in NHL office - someone's a-- has to be in a briefcase at the end of the season. Start with Colin Campbell.

[nerdyrob@gmail.com]

Although the hit may have been legal, I agree with the ejection and hope the league tags on a 5 game suspension. Kronwall doesn't hit to make a play, he hits to hurt people, how do fans when someone like Havlat may have played his last game this season? It takes a smart player to hold up and not throw such a idiotic hit that takes himself out of the play. Kronwall simply could have stopped Havlat's forward momentum without concussing him and could have taken possession of the puck in the offensive zone but that would have been the smart hockey play. If anyone should be apologizing it should be Kronwall to the fans. I'm sure Detroit could call up another defensive goon but someone with Havlat's skill can't be as easily replaced.

[Aaron Perry]

It's an intent to injure; Kronwall jumps and hits a player in a vulnerable position. Interference is the wrong label, but the call is in the right spirit.

[DamienCox]

Damien here. . .love the discussion so early on a Saturday morning, but lets get the basic facts here. . .Kronwall didn't jump into Havlat, and there was no elbow. . .otherwise, it's an interesting debate, I suppose, whether such a bodycheck should be legal. And let's not hear any nonsense about whether Havlat actually touched the puck. He made a nifty little move with his feet to try and get it on his stick. He was in control of the puck and thus fair game.

[smn13]

Rule 56 specifically states that the last player to TOUCH the puck shall be considered the last player in possesion. Havlat did not touch the puck. Case Closed.

[Tabber]

So leaving one's skates is now legal??? Targeting the head is now legal? Man, I just can't keep up with all the changes, even during a playoff year the NHL changes things. On a slightly different topic, when did knee on knee hits become legal, as shown in these playoffs? I'm surprised, Damien, has the pro-fighting lobby got to you at last?

[DH]

"Kronwall simply could have stopped Havlat's forward momentum without concussing him and could have taken possession of the puck in the offensive zone but that would have been the smart hockey play."

Wow, much better than I could have put it. Indeed, I agree completely.

And while Kronwall didn't leave his feet, and it wasn't an elbow, he did lean into the hit with maximum force and Havlat's face hit the pad covering Kronwall's bicep, which is just as solid as the elbow on shoulder pad.

[Chico Mesch]

Perhaps the refs invoked the minor hockey rule where if a player is injured on a penalty call, the offender is automatically tossed and it's a major penalty. EXCEPT, as was the case last night, there was NO PENALTY called originally, because it was a clean hit. I have never played at the NHL level (or any level within 10 levels of the NHL level) but in Kronwall's place, I know I would try to throw the same hit because the puck is right there and Havlat is about to pick it up. If Kronwall eases up and the puck gets chipped by him by Havlat, Kronwall might just have found his backside nailed to the bench for the rest of the game, and find CHELLY in his place in Game 4! I wish!!

[Chico Mesch]

P.S. Someone pointed out the scariness of the scrum of players above Havlat's prostrate body on the ice. It immediately reminded me of Steve Moore lying helpless under a pile of people, as well as the ensuing scrum above Dean McCammond after the Downie hit in Ottawa.

[Chris Steele]

Havlat knew that the the puck was in his feet, he had just looked cross ice to gage his passing options. His mistake was that he didn't look up ice. He was looking down to take control of the puck and make a play when the Kronwell freight train hit him. I don't see any difference here than Clark's hit on Bell behind the St.Louis net years ago. The puck was in play and the head was down.

[Sharon]

It was an obvious 'intent to injure'! While I love a good, clean, hard hit, intent to injure has no place in sports as far as I'm concerned

[Devil's Advocate]

I have to disagree...Havlat never saw it coming, but thats not the reason I disagree. The reason he never saw it coming was that he was trying to get control of the puck. Key word here is trying...meaning he didn't have control of the puck. Sorry, but you can't just go around hitting people who don't have control of the puck, obviously it leads to dangerous hits. I mean who expects to get hammered when they don't have control. NO ONE...why? because that's an illigal hit. Now you can argue whether its just an interference call or deserves more but to me you can't argue whether or not that was a penalty.

[Reid]

Thanks for persisting as a voice of reason, Damien. The NHL won't acknowledge the blunder, and is liable to compound it, which is why it has little, if any, credibility with fans. Kronwall didn't leave his feet to make the hit. Didn't lead with his elbow. Didn't cross check. Made the hit along, not into, the boards. Most telling is HNIC's no-call video. Some of the posts here are pretty amazing: "Although the hit may have been legal," Kronwall ought to be ejected and suspended. And a "smart player" would "hold up" rather than hit someone with the puck at his heel on a developing breakout. Really? Did it affect the outcome? We'll never know, though it effectively put the Red Wings shorthanded for seven minutes, since the iffy holding call against Ericsson came with the Hawks attacking moments after the major expired.

[Todd]

As soon as I saw that hit I figured Havlat was visiting the same place Bobby Orr did after Pat Quinn hit him years ago.

[Patrick Spiteri]

Don't you all know the Damien is the biggest Wing fan. Kronwall has been throwing these hits where he leaves his feet for the past 2 years and nothing has been done about it. Finally the NHL got it right!

[Jerry]

According to the current rules of the NHL, the hit Kronwall laid was technically a charge as, at the last second, Kronwall left his feet. (You can see it on video replay.) But they hardly never call charges, and the puck is definitely in frame. These days, they usually let that go. Or, in other words, whatever the letter of the law, the interpretation of that law is something different, and that interpretation HAS to be as consistent as the letter of the law, or the law doesn't work.

I think the big issue Mr. Cox has here is that the NHL is being extremely inconsistent in its calling. It appeared to me that the call of 'interference' was an obvious attempt by an officiating crew to manufacture something when it was apparent that, on initial reaction, NOBODY thought there was anything wrong with the play. It was only after the scrum happened (and what type of players scrums over an injured teammate? Wings/Hawks, get out of the way!), that the call was made.

I don't like these types of hits - but as long as people wear shoulder pads, skate at high speed, and bang into each other, you're going to get these problems. You can't eliminate hits to the head because hits to the head are part of the game. Think of height differences alone -- how will Zedno Chara ever throw another bodycheck if you don't allow shoulder to helmet contact?

So, yeah, this is an issue that needs to be looked at, and both the NHLPA and the NHL need to evaluate it -- but it's not something that's solved by vigilante justice during the course of a hockey game, changing the interpretation of the rules at a whim. This issue has been around for years (remember Scott Stevens / Paul Karyia?) and needs to be fixed properly.

And, until then, bad stuff is going to keep on happening. I feel sorry for Havlat -- but I also feel the same amount of sorry for every other player who was at the wrong end of the freight train; which are the same hits that we all cheer under different circumstances on the latest 'Don Cherry' DVD. *shrug*