Howling Mad, Royally....

Watching the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, even when my team hasn't been involved has been incredible.  There's been much to like, a lot to be enjoyed, and we still have just over a round to go.  When you're not watching your team play, generally you want to see a good game.  And you want to see the best team win and have the players decide it--preferably within the rules.

Well that's not what you got for an ending if you saw last night's Western Conference Final with the Kings skating away with the series win.

And why?  Because the referees could not be bothered to do their job. Missed calls aplenty on both sides.  Drew Doughty of the Kings was called for interference when it was his stick that was held on the play.

Then there was the ridiculousness where goalie Mike Smith lost his glove and the refs acted like: "Don't look at us, we don't know what to do!" Never mind they could have legally whistled the play dead.

Don't even get me started on Slava Voyanov and how he threw the puck over the glass. The damn refs have been so quick to call this one all year long.  How could they miss it this time?  This is taking the time-honored rule of not calling penalties in overtime to a ridiculous extreme.

But of course there was one act that was worse than all that came before it.  I think most of you know what I'm talking about.  If not, read on....

Dustin Brown is a dirty, dirty player.  I don't want to read a single article complaining about Alex Ovechkin anymore now that this guy has shown what he's all about on a national stage.

There are those out there, and I admit there are a lot of them, who say Brown is not guilty of anything illegal.  But the damning evidence is the reverse angle of the replay.  If you throw out the whether or not the hit is late, what you have left to question is the legality of the hit.  Again, take a look at the reverse angle of the replay and tell me you don't see what I see.

While you're watching, bear in mind this little piece of information--straight out of the Official NHL Rulebook:

50.1 Kneeing - Kneeing is the act of a player leading with his knee and in some cases extending his leg outwards to make contact with his opponent.

Here's my point...despite the officials taking a nap for the whole game I was actually enjoying what was arguably the best game in the playoffs up to that point.  Because the game ended not thirty seconds later when the Coyotes were all discombobulated and lost one of their best puck moving defensemen.  And before anybody says anything, Shane Doan was absolutely right in giving Brown an earful in the handshake line.  As much as I respect that tradition that no other sport has, I believe Doan was perfectly justifed.  Anybody calling this whining needs to shut up and think of what it's like to be a leader of a team.

So to close, I would like to extend a personal thank you to the referees of last night's game--Kevin Pollock and Brad Watson.  You two gentlemen absolutely ruined what was shaping up to be the best game of the playoffs.  Thanks so much!