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

[Monty]

It's a hit to the head because Havlat is staring at his laces. This is Hockey 101 Don't stare at your skates, or you're gonna get hit.

[Sportsfan100]

Damien what are you talking about? I think you need to have another look at the replay. First of all, neither Havlat's skate or stick made contact with the puck. So please explain to me how you can establish that he was in control of the puck? Second, Kronwall's feet have clearly left the ice at the time of impact. Refer to video at exactly 1:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqanH27U338 . I'm really not too sure why you are making a big deal of this Damien. Usually you are on the opposite side of the fence on these issues.

[WeeDram]

Damien, you are wrong on this one.

[Big M027]

Still haven't seen Havlat touch the puck and it was a headshot. A two minute interference minor would have been the correct call. Headshots with the shoulder are not illegal.

[Gilles Lebrun]

Sorry, but the refs called the WRONG penalty!

Whether Havlat touch the puck or not he was the victim of a high stick. It is still a penalty, no? when you hit your opponent with your stick above your shoulders???

[Rob Blatchford]

Once again Damien, you are wrong. Havelat did not have possession of the puck and Kronwell impeded his ability to gain control so interference is a proper call. It could also have been charging (Kronwall's feet leave the ice before contact) or elbowing (the follow through). This is typical of a Krowall hit, something he wouldn't do if he had to stand up for himself in the old fashioned way and drop the gloves. But as much as the anti fighting crowd thinks there is still fighting in the league it doesn't exist in the playoffs so no one is responsible for their actions. Had the hit been the other way on a comparable player with Detroit, say Datsyk or Zetterberg, the Wings would have been livid. The Only thing wrong with the Brown hit comparable was it was a tad late but the call was correct as was this one. The problem with the NHL is people like you who think the game has improved with the new rules. Wrong again Damien because the league went too far. Yes changes were needed but they didn't have to reinvent the game. I normally have been unimpressed with the ifficiating but have too say, they got iot right this time and to reinterate, you are once again wrong. I don't expect the officials to get it right but I know I can count on you to be wrong 99% of the time.

[Bill. B]

As a Boston fan, I have absolutely no dog in this hunt. That was a perfect hockey play. If you Chicago fans can actually take off your Hawk-colored glasses for a moment, check out this photo showing the exact instance of the hit:
http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/a_hockey_hit/
As you can see, Kronwall has both his skates on the ice, is leading with his shoulder (not his elbow), the puck is directly under Havlat's skates and Havlat has lowered his head to the level of Kronwall's shoulder not the reverse. The penalty call was atrocious and the two refs should be barred from any further participation in the playoff. And Damien's right, they should issue an apology to Kronwall and the Detroit organization. I hate what hockey has become, a sport filled with crybabies and divers. Only a true homer, a Detroit hater or an out and out woose would think that was a dangerous hit. If you don't like the play, start watching tennis because you don't have what it takes to be a hockey fan.

[dav]

i'd agree 100% BUT his feet left the ice.

[maxfactor72]

Actually Damien - you're added comments about getting the facts straight - well you are wrong. I just watched the hit a good 20 times on youtube - in slo-mo, and stopped it frame by frame. You can clearly see Kronwall explode into Havlat, both leaving his feet (a good foot in the air at the point of contact) and making contact with his elbow (clear elbow to the jaw) and bringing it up - at no point is there contact with the shoulder. Clearly! This should be suspendable, but the NHL is gutless with these guys. As for the fact Havlat never touched the puck - consider this - if Havlat had let the puck go past himself, toward Kronwall, and Havlat had run over Kronwall - with the puck in his skates - it clearly would have been interference. So, it was a jump and an elbow and interference. No debate!

[maxfactor72]

Forgot to add - Damian, you are clearly making this up. Look at the slo-mo again. Havlat NEVER touched the puck. The "nifty" play with his skates that you speak of - well he never touched the puck. Where do you get this stuff?

[Steve]

I've got a different take. The legality is irrelevant. That hit changed the tone of the series. Up until that hit, the series had been a joy to watch. Fast, talented hockey. The young talents testing their mettle against the veteran talents. No more. This series is officially ugly.

As an American fan, increasingly drawn to the Russian style, I find it ironic that Mr. Crosby hails neither from Ontario, nor from Quebec. That should tell you guys something about "tradition"... increasing numbers of fans are more interested in the talent it takes to move the puck around, than the lack of integrity it takes to spend one's entire career waiting for the perfect, sneaking opportunity to end someone else's. Why praise something like this? Havlat --as has been the case with most concussion sufferers-- will increasingly be forced out of the game with every successive hit. This is what you want? Why? Check this : thepunchingdrunk.blogspot.com

[David Bacque]

Oh Damien, you completely blow it again. The NHL rule book is VERY clear....as was pointed out by the CBC in last nights telecast, the player MUST touch the puck. Although close, Havlat did not touch the puck so a hit of this nature requires the penalties given. The ref's got it right. What has been wrong is the lack of correct calls before - Walker should have been suspended, Ovechkin too for his knee on knee, Matt Cooke should have gotten a penalty and Bayda a game for the cross check to the face. Kronwall overstepped the rules and was sent away - correctly. The NHL is and always has been very inconsistent on stuff like this but don't decry the correct call - wail about the bad ones...and all of them please or one might begin to think you have an axe to grind or are a terrible hypocrite.

[Nick]

I don't understand how you can endlessly harp on banning fights in hockey, and then stand behind hits like this. A legal, crushing open-ice bodycheck has INTENT TO INJURE written all over it. More careers were ruined this way than in fights. Your argument for fighting sounds illogical when you are supporting hits like this.

[Alex H]

I looked pretty carefully at the youtube replay posted by Sportsfan100 and I think that it actually agrees with what Damien says. If you watch the puck at the 0:51 mark, it's a few inches from the boards before it goes into Havlat's skates. A second later, the puck appears to glance the back of Havlat's left skate, wobble a little bit and move further away from the boards. There's no way it moves further away from the boards like that if Havlat doesn't touch it before he's hit.

As for Kronwall leaving his feet on the hit, he was still on his front foot when he made contact with Havlat. They were both travelling at high speeds, so they both had a lot of momentum. Havlat had a lower centre of mass than Kronwall did in the collision, so that momentum naturally sent Havlat under Kronwall and Kronwall over Havlat. Think of throwing two baseballs at each other. If the baseballs are travelling in straight lines directly at each other at the same speed and they collide straight on, they should both bounce back in the direction they came from, before falling to the ground. But if the baseballs collide where one ball is slightly above the other, they deflect so that the higher ball goes up and the lower ball goes down.

[Scot Loucks]

Mr. Cox;

I owe you an apology as I had already convicted you of calling it a cheap head shot before I read the article.

I watched the game with 15 other 50 plus year old hockey players. The only ones calling foul were the ones cheering for the Hawks. The ones that didn't care who won called it as it was... a good clean hard hockey check.

Left his feet? Hardly, he only left his feet because Havlat offered zero resistance and it was follow through. Had Havlat not had his head down Kronwall would have bounced back.

Elbow? Give me a break.

Interference? I can see it now... don't touch the puck cause the first person who bounces you gets an interference penalty. Welcome to no contact girls hockey.

I wonder how many of the critics of the hit were Scott Stevens or Wendel Clark fans? They lived for that kind of hit.

Good article Mr. Cox, you surprised me.

Cheers

[DCam]

Hey Cox, Havlat never touched the puck. Isn't that the definition of interference?

[phil stenson]

I'm really sorry that Havlat got hurt - no one wants to see that. But for all you pansies (including members of the Blackhawks) who think that it was an illegal hit and something that must be eliminated from the game, I've got openings in our Friday non-contact pickup game. It was a good clean hit. Kronwall never charged, never left his feet (until the impact of the hit), never used his elbow or his stick. Check out Stevens vs Lindros. This is the NHL, babies, and if you don't keep your head up, then you won't last long.

[Peter]

it would have been a great hit if Havlat actually has control of the puck. he didn't therefore it's an interference. and i'm sick of hearing players saying that they didn't mean to hurt the other guy. yeah, right that's why he knocked him out to express his best wishes...

[Jennifer]

You don't have to touch the puck to be in control of it. Marty saw the puck skated over it while looking where his teammates were and then looked down to prepare to make a move/pass. That's when Kronvall hit him. People need to stop whining about body contact in professional hockey. These guys are paid extremely well to take risks on the ice. Fighting may be a different store because it is not a hockey play. Seperating a player from the puck is a hockey play. Bigger faster players, just lead to bigger, more intense hits. Quit your belly-aching already.

[Gary M]

Sorry folks...as a referee, I think many of you don't understand what interference is. It has always been interpreted if the puck is in your feet you can be hit. It has been that way all along, can't change the rules now. While I appreciate and support trying to protect the head, as of now there is no such penalty if hit with the shoulder. Therefore, how can you give a major/misconduct for something that isn't illegal? (regardless whether it should be or not?) If everyone feels that strongly, put it in the rule book, and then inforce it. This is why the refs are having such a hard time.

[Pen Guinn]

Clearly the officials made the call based on the injury that resulted. No disrespect intended Damian, but the pressure to make these calls stems from left wing media such as yourself Damian, who spends most of his time picking apart the league because its inherent violent nature.
Bruce Dowbiggen wrote a whole piece slamming the HNIC cast for advocating headshots because they felt the hit was clean and justified despite the unfortunate result for Martin Havlat.
When officials upside down throughout this league continue to make their decisions based on the current tide of sentiment that the media feels like pursuing then calls like this result.
The same media that celebrates Wendel's hit on Bruce Bell and Scott Stevens on anyone, then calls for review and action now that concussions are the flavour of the week in their agenda to castrate this league.

[john sherwood]

the hit was clean....he hits like scott stevens had done his whole career....if you don't like the contact sport of hockey...go watch curling....or the blue jays.....god knows they never hit anything lately.....