By the Numbers: Stars 3, Red Wings 1

There’s no point in wasting any time, so let’s just get right to it:

This whole “intent to whistle” shit has got to stop. Yesterday.

Yet again, the Red Wings get screwed by an asinine rule that basically lets NHL officials justify their decisions based on whether or not said official feels like he might blow the whistle in a certain situation. It’s crap, plain and simple, yet it remains in the game and it continues to cost teams points in the standings. Unfortunately for the NHL, the most egregious and flagrant misuse of the rule occurred against a team who still remains jaded by its presence in the NHL rulebook and you better believe they are going to hear about it for awhile.

In case you haven’t had a chance to digest the stink-bomb Dennis LaRue laid out there tonight, here’s a link to the video. I’d embed the thing, but I’m still so damn mad about this one that I don’t feel like taking the time to make sure it works properly. Click on the underlined text and deal with it. Oh, and watch the whole thing so you can hear LaRue’s explanation.

Enjoy that?

Where do I even begin? “The whistle had blown.” You heard LaRue say it. Guess what? It hadn’t. Hell, the whistle didn’t blow until almost four seconds after the puck was in the net. That logic makes Brad Watson’s blown call against the Ducks last year look like a masterpiece of officiating excellence. But, before I blow up too much more, let me tip my hat to LaRue. I don’t know if there’s another person in this WORLD that could have kept a straight face during that explanation. I bet Watson even had a chuckle at it wherever he was tonight.

Anyways, the explanation that LaRue gave highlights another problem with the NHL officials: they don’t know how to explain themselves or the decisions that they make. For better or for worse, an NFL official in that situation would have told you exactly why he was going to blow the whistle, why the whistle was delayed in being blown, what kind of whistle he was using, how many puffs of air he was going to put into the whistle and whether or not the whistle was properly tuned for optimal sound creation. LaRue sounded like the kid who just got caught red-handed doing something he shouldn’t have been doing: offered a quick excuse and then ran away before he can be scolded.

It’s pathetic. But it’s not nearly as pathetic as the “war room” in Toronto now. Think about it like this: those guys (or gals) that sit in the plush, comfortable chairs every night watching games have a job so plays like this are handled correctly and so that messes like LaRue’s don’t happen. This one was a slam dunk. They had an open-and-shut review in front of them, and , believe it or not actually got it right and called the Joe to correct the officials. But guess what? In one fell swoop, all the credibility this group was hanging on to fell apart, and it’s now resting somewhere in Bolivian with Mike Tyson. Why? Because LaRue OVERRULED them. Yes, overruled the guys with the TV’s and HD and twinkies. If this group of folks is going to just get overruled at will, what’s the point of even having them? Fire them, take the money that’s being saved by not having to pay those hacks and give it to the Coyotes so that they can survive for another month or two.

Frankly, there is only one thing that the NHL should even be considering doing in this situation, which means you know they will go the exact opposite route. It only makes sense that the league step up and admit that the wrong call was made, thus addressing the fact that the officials made a mistake (they are human) while at the same time effectively shutting down the “conspiracy theorists” that have been wearing those “tin foil hats” (give me a break) all across Detroit. Like I said, it would make sense, so don’t expect to see it happen.

As for the rest of the game…

• Wings looked lethargic.
• Jimmah played pretty well.
• Dallas deserved to win this one.

I’ll include more analysis type material in the CSSI tomorrow, but for now here’s the production charts from tonight:

Line Production

Special Teams Production

Tags: Dallas Stars, Dennis LaRue is the new Brad Watson