What a Shame!

What a shame! A great hockey game was played last night in Chicago. But, once again shabby, or shoddy, officiating took center stage.

The Black Hawks took off from the opening whistle, determined to get back into this series with the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. They quickly netted two goals and had a 2-0 lead.

But then it happened. Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall delivered a tremendous bodycheck on Martin Havlat. This was a check that Kronwall has thrown many times in his NHL career without a penalty. And, after this check was thrown, the referees seemed to agree with everyone who saw it, that this was a clean hit.

Then, for whatever reason, crowd pressure, an opportunity to seen, or worse an opportunity to affect the outcome of the game, the referees gave Kronwall a major penalty and a game misconduct. Why? No one but the officials know for sure.

I hope the NHL reacts swiftly and investigates the officials and their actions. And, the least of which, all four should be done for the season.

This year's playoffs have featured some of the best hockey we have seen in years, but this year's playoffs have also had some of the most "unusual" officiating calls seen in years. Gary Bettman, let the players play, let them determine the outcome, don't let sub-par officiating determine the course of events.

Now, back to the hockey. The Black Hawks were the recipients of a five minute power play and then, when they could not score, they were given an additional two minutes but they still could not get one past Chris Osgood.

Early in the second period, the Hawks finally scored a third goal and with a 3-0 lead, the officials probably felt that it was safe to call some penalties against the Hawks. But, with only a few minutes left in the 2nd period the Red Wings roared back and eventually tied the game.

The third period was outstanding and then it was off to overtime.

Finally, in game 3 Patrick Sharp started to play hockey like we know he can and in overtime he netted the winner!



I predicted that this series would be a long one and if last night's game (minus the shoddy refereeing) is any indication, then fasten your seatbelts and sit back and enjoy! This could be a lot of fun!