Flyers' coach John Stevens voices his displeasure with a call. (CP Images)
By Paul Kukla
Keep the arm down, refs, you are doing the right thing! I am talking about those ever so slight sticks to the thigh, the little pull to the elbow, even the little hold-up as a player dumps the puck into the offensive zone. We have no problem with those types of non-calls, but please remain consistent, through the end of the regular season and the playoffs. That is all we ask for.
Put the arm up, refs, what are you waiting for? Those scrums around the net, after the whistle, are beginning to irritate me more and more. When has it become ok to allow a face-wash, a crosscheck to the back, a jab of the stick to the ankles? It is time, before the playoffs begin, to stop this type of action around the net. Start making the calls, pick a player out and send him off to the penalty box. They will get the message quick enough and they will think twice before doing it again.
One more thing: remain consistent with these calls, too!
The types of scrums we are seeing more and more need to stop now. They interfere with the flow of the game and prove nothing. If the boys want to drop the gloves, fine, but the basic scrum has run its course and needs to be taken out of the game altogether.
Go Caps Go!
Notice to Washington Capitals players- jump on AO's back, he can handle it.
I normally don't root for a team to make the playoffs, but in this case, I am publicly cheering on the Caps. They trail division leader Carolina by two points and have three games left, all at home, and meet the Hurricanes tomorrow for their biggest game in years. Win that game and I say the Caps are in and we have at least four games of playoff hockey watching Ovechkin in the playoffs, where the great players of the past have dominated.
Can AO take on the added pressure? I say he can and I am looking forward to the day he does.
#9
That number is considered sacred here in Detroit. Today Gordie Howe turns 80 and all I can think about is the numerous times Gordie and I talked. As a youth, I was lucky enough to attend about 30 games a year at the old Olympia Stadium, home of the Detroit Red Wings. After every game, I would stand in the same spot near the dressing room exit, waiting for Gordie to come out. When this great man appeared, my work stopped. I was one-on-one with Mr. Howe and these were the greatest five minutes of my day. We would chat - Gordie has signed my program way too many times in the past, so we would just talk. He knew me by name, would ask me about school and we would talk about the finer points of the game.
I will never forget these moments, they are part of me and that makes Gordie part of me too. Happy Birthday Gordie and thank you for all of the great memories.