The Fort Wayne crowd actually booed when a penalty was called on a visiting player. That's how bad the officiating was in the second period Saturday night. And no, I really don't blame Ken Gallagher (so I didn't break my own rule).
Part of being an official is having a feel for the game, and the current UHL style of calling everything in some ways takes that feel of the game away from the officials. It's sort of like the three strikes rule with federal sentencing. It takes away from allowing the judge to use any common sense. It's the same thing with the UHL rules.
Gallagher is just doing what the league has told him to do which was call everything. All that did was lead to frustration from the players on both teams and the fans. Hint, hint, the league better be concerned about the last of those rather than the first two.
For whatever reason, this style is not working. The inconsistency from night to night is killing the entertainment value of the game. It's another thing for the owners to go on radio and such and complain about it. You are the owners, the board of governors, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!
In happier news, I got hit by a Scoop guy today in what was an awesome fete. Not really. I had to get to the game late tonight and was standing behind the net after the first period as they went onto the ice. Thankfully, he didnt whip it at me too hard. Good time was had by all.
And then the second period started. Yawn.
Who wants to watch this any more? I don't, and I'm getting paid for it. I can't imagine there are any fans left who do.
The other thing that is happening, I believe, is the players are saying the heck with it. If I'm going to get called for it, I better get my money's worth.
Too bad the fans can't do the same.
Comments
What is 5 on 5 hockey?
I think 5-on-5 hockey is what happens when referees don't examine what they had for lunch yesterday.
5 on 5 hockey is something that may be seen on ESPN Classic! Alright, I'm joking! At the start of the game, I thought that perhaps this game would have more flow since Gallagher was letting them play. But the rest of the way, Ken probably thought that his arm was going to fall off with all of those penalties being called. Playing the last 5:00 of the game short two players was insane...the game for all practical purposes was already decided. All these penalties did was add fuel to the fire that was already started. However, I was really impressed with the PP and PK special teams. Great Job, Guys! And Frenchy was awesome in goal tonight! I'm sure that Port Huron is going to be taking out their frustrations out on Muskegon on Sunday now that they haven't scored in the last 2 games. (maybe they might score :) )
After this I'll get off my soapbox.....While I know that a lot of people left the MC tonight upset with the officiating, despite a big win....Throwing objects on the ice IS NOT going to solve anything. I know that my fellow bloggers don't act that way, but if you see someone making a fool of themselves, walk up to the usher and wake him/her up then point out the offending person(s) out. While the MC does have a few really good ushers....well, like my late dad used to say...."you get what you pay for."
Richard Brosal is not the problem. The owners are the problem. They use him as a scape goat 99 percent of the time, and you guys let them. He only enforces what they want enforced. He works for them! Get it through your thick heads!
How many time have we talked about this here? How many times?!?
Protest to the owners.
How many times have I told you this Hit? And every time you just want someone easy to blame. It's not that simple! The owners pull the strings.
Do you really think the Commissioner came up with this all on his own? That he didn't have to run it by the owners first? Brosal runs EVERYTHING by the owners first.
Who are you going to take the league back from? The owners? I got news for you, you never had the league in the first place. It's all the owners.
Complain to the owners. I guarantee they'll make him the scape goat for this too. You want the perfect example? Why did he have to announce the fiasco to the crowd on Friday in Chicago? Was it his fault in any way? No way. He stood up for them and took it.
Just like this. The owners wanted their insurance rates to go down, so they wanted things called closer. But they don't want to spend the money to do it right because it costs too much. So they do it halfway and let him be the lightning rod.
It's a complete joke.
If the owners thought this was costing them money, you better believe it would be fixed pronto.
Why do we have a veteran rule? Because the owners can't control themselves, so they say it's a league rule, and Brosal to his credit enforces it and stands up for it. We all know it's a total crock that the owners hide behind.
I guarantee you if more people walk out on games like tonight, it will get fixed in a hurry.
Amen to the last line of your post, Blake...I agree 100%.
Blake, I agree with what you are saying because in every sport these days the commish works for the owners. But when Mr Franke was on the air with Bob last week, he was just as frustrated as everyone else. Richard Brosal is not an idiot or a moron. The league has made great strides with him at the controls.
I only posted Brosals email here because I was happily surprised to see that he doesn't make himself inaccesible to the public like most people in his position do. In fact, in the few team websites I checked no owners make an email address public.
So back to what I mentioned above, Mr Franke is upset, he sees and hears his fan base upset. How much pull does he have to do something about it?
You can't expect UHL officials to call everything when there is A) one referee on the ice; B) no consistency from night to night; and C) no supervisor at every game helping them; D) they are minor league officials in the first place. And why are all of those things true? Because the owners won't pay for it! Why are all the former IHL refs now working college games instead? They get paid better, they get serious back-up from the league and they get paid better.
Who's fault is that? Again, THE OWNERS!
And why is that? Because fans scream bloody murder any time anyone even thinks about raising tickets 50 cents.
This is a brutally hard business to make money in so you get what you pay for. Some of the owners can't afford it, so as a group they need to be more realistic about what they want out of the officiating? You can't keep changing the emphasis every year, either. There's no consistency in what the league wants called, either.
You can't blame the officials if no one is backing them up and helping them in this. The game is flawed with only one referee and then you place impossible expectations on them. It's totally unfair.
I give Brosal a ton of credit for trying to force the players to clean up their act. We'd all love to see the same style of play as the NHL has. Wouldn't that be wonderful hockey? The problem is he tried it and no one backed him up among the owners. All we've heard are the owners and their owned broadcasters bitching about it for weeks.
It is so hypocritical for the owners to complain about this when it's their product to fix. They are the board of governors after all.
It was doomed to fail because none of the owners have the will to make it work so they leave Brosal hanging out to dry.
I'll give the players a lot of credit in one regard. They could all let their frustrations explode into this huge brawl, but it hasn't happened yet. I don't think I would blame them.
Tony, Who do you think Richard Brosal talks to every day? Michael Franke. Who is a VP on the board and who was the president last year? Michael Franke.
So this becomes a case of either what is said publicly isn't the same as what is being said behind closed doors or maybe the owners not being careful what they wished for. In the case of the Komets, from a straight wins/losses standpoint there is nothing to complain about. This team was built it seems for just this type of game. This is about as effective a display of special teams as I have seen at any level of hockey. At the same time, St Pierre early on is playing better than he ever has as a Komet. So while the Komets might be complaining in public, maybe they don't want to change anything?
The problem now is you really can't make a drastic change in the way the game is called once the season starts even if you want to. I did not like the game before with all of the clutching and grabbing and I too am glad that Mr Brosal has tried to clean that up. There does need to be a second official. Perhaps getting this league into the NHL officials development program would be a step. These guys are not working the two man system and that is going to hold them back.
I don't think there is a simple answer or a simple solution and there is certainly enough blame to go around. There is one clear message to management and the league and it is one I never thought I would hear. "Winning doesn't matter if the game is not entertaining or unwatchable"
That should read "Winning doesn't matter if the game is not entertaining and is unwatchable"
Arghhh way too tired lol.
Goodnight
Exactly.
Everyone, I feel your pain with these penalties. I just attended a Checkers game here in Charlotte and it was nothing like this league. I only listen because I have a buddy playing for the Komets. Can't wait til B2 works, they were more than happy to take my $$$$ but alas, I'm still not seeing a game.
For those who wanted to know, the sound snippet of "Snowball" was from the great but short-lived tv series "Greg The Bunny". Actually the "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy" thing I played last year for Duhart was from the same episode. It got so bad last night that I even got the go ahead to play 3 Blind Mice but I couldn't find it in time. :)
And thank God for having an awesome power play or we might be in a world of hurt this season.
Bottomline is...
This garbage is awful to watch.
Go ahead and blame the Frankes. I will start by emailing them and complaining about what this league has turned into. I bet anything that they tell me that they feel the same way and that the league needs to fix this problem with their officials.
Was it the Owners who were caught on FBI wire taps possibly trying to cover-up an abuse of a UHL official by an owner last season? Did that owner that abused the official just decide to take actions into his own hands rather than tell Mr. Brosal what to do?
Your theory tells us that Brosal has no role in this league what so ever because it is the owners that call the shots here. So why are the Frankes in such an outrage right now about the officials if they are in such control of this league? And this league doesn't belong to us fans? Are you freaking kidding me? Who pays the ticket prices? Who pays the parking? Who buys the jerseys? You are right Super Fan...we don't stand a chance here do we....we should just shut-up and go with it, Right?
So I take from this that we should feel sorry for your Boy Dickie Broaal and we should attack the Frankes? This is a sudden change from you Blake...I thought we were supposed to worship the ground that they walked on for saving hockey in this town and doing it with no money what-so-ever. And us, the season ticket holders were supposed to give them a pass because our hard earned money that we choose to give them really isn't that important to the overall picture of the finances of the team. It is the walk-up fans that really matter.....
I understand sponsers and advertisers are the real important players here, but those folks are advertising to who? I think it is to us....and if we aren't happy....do you think the advertisers and sponsers are thrilled with 45 penalties in a AA hockey game that thousands of people walked away from disgusted with?
I bet the prime advertising dollars go into the rights to the Powerplay and Penalty Kill advertising in this league.
Elite Professional Garbage!!!!!
We can't blame David and Michael for this. They live and die the games just as us fans do. Right? They put their ever-waking second into this team and want what is best for hockey in this town. I believe that. You beat it into us over and over again. And I believe it.
Isn't that what we were told last season?
Are we blaming the right guys here?
Protest to the owners? Anyone want to have a sit-down with me and Super Fan at center-ice of the next home game before the first face-off?
Blake, I don't understand how calling the game this close leads to lower insurance rates. Players are still getting injured, and super-close, inconsistent calls lead to frustration, more fights and more injuries.
i agree with hit. if the owners control brosal then they had better make a change. what i dont understand is why, after the embarasement brosal brought to this league with the danbury and fbi thing, WHY IN THE HELL DIDNT HE GET FIRED? seems like he suddenly became a great commish after the trouble, like, oops, id better do something to get their minds off the real problem.. sounds like clinton and iraq milk factory bombing and monica!!!
ohm yeh, bring back george harrison and let him teach his style of calling penalties.(just keep him out of the bars)
I agree Annie. The theory was that calling it closer would force the players to behave and lower their sticks and such. It obviously has not worked.
Actually, Hit, you proved my point. Brosal was caught on tape placating an owner, essentially. The letter was never sent.
The Frankes do live and die with the games, but this is also part of their responsibility as owners. The board of governors are the ones who run the league by telling the President what to do. They set the rules for the league.
I also agree that the fans should be the ones the league is run for, but obviously that is not the case right now. They are providing you a service afterall.
My real point is protesting to the league isn't going to get you anywhere. Protesting to the owners definitely will. I'll leave it up to you to decide how to protest.
At least Harrison would go into the games with a mindset that allows the players to play hockey and determine the game on the ice, and not in the penalty box. He called only the penalties that gave a distinct advantage to one team or the other, and let the nickle and dimers go. That is what has to happen in this league. Or there won't be Elite Professional Hockey anymore.
How about a "Million-Enema Man March" straight toward Richard Brosal. I bet that would send a message loud and clear, or maybe not clear....but loud!!!!
Hit, how long has everybody been complaining about Brosal? What has it gotten you? It's just not effective, a waste of time and energy.
I see alot of "tickey-tac" and alot of embellishment to go along with what are legit penalties. What is irritating is what they miss compared to what they call.
Lets not forget we are 6-1 largely because of our powerplay (and PK) so far. At the rate we are going with our 5 on 5 and our special teams we are getting about 4 goals per game. With St. Pierre added to the mix we will win alot of games. I think having more 5 on 5 play would bring the playing field down to a more level playing field with the rest of the league. Just be careful what you wish for.
Hit, in just about every sport and every league the commish is a puppet for the owners. Even Paul Tagliabue as powerful as he was had to bow to the owners when it came down to it. The owners have the power to hire and fire the commish. He really works for them and not the other way around. I am sure Brosal didn't wake up one day and say "you know what, I don't like the good flow in hockey so lets call 35 penalties a game" I can promise you the officials do not like the way they are being made to call the game. But as an official you have to call the game the way the league wants or you get replaced. It is understandable in some ways. I don't call a Detroit Public School basketball game the same way I call a game in the suburbs. But that is applying simple common sense and at the same time giving the players and fans what they want. In this case, I am not sure ANYONE is getting what they want.
So why the belly-aching from the owners then? If they are the ones instructing Dickie Boy, and then Dickie instructing Brad Jones, and Brad Jones instructing the officials, then why are the Owners so PO'd right now? Is it just to save face with the fans?
And is Adam Fish doing a horrible job by not calling the same crap that Hawthorne, Mondelak, Gallagher, Puke-a-Pile, and the rest of the UHL's finest have been instructed to call? He must be on thin ice if he has been instructed to call everything and only calls 5-10 a game? Where is the consistancy there?
Seems like we are getting a whole lot of lip service and finger pointing, but who is going to fix this crap?
When will we get hockey back and get rid of the endless parade to the penalty box for no apparent reason?
Who knows....maybe we are good 5 on 5...how can anyone be for sure when there is a penalty called every 20-30 seconds. We might be darn good 5 0n 5......I'd sure like to find out.
Super Fan, Sounds like complaining about the owners does no good either. What has that gotten us? Sounds like that might be a waste of our time too. So what is the answer then?
I bet that there will be a huge emergency tele-conference tomorrow that will outline the new instructions for our fearless PUPPET to make sure the officiating is more like that of Adam Fish or George Harrison.
Just like I said, Enema Man will fix that Puppet! Think hard about that one.
My thoughts on last nights game and a few other things:
1) Way too many penalties called.
2) Interesting comments by St. Pierre at the end of the game interview with Kent Horman(who did a decent job last night, IMO) wonder how the league will take it.
3) Way Way too many penalties called last night.
4) Great hat trick for Ruid last night.
5) Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
6) Great to see some pride in wearing the Komets uniform with Richardson and Morency last night. I don't think i've seen that in a long time.
7) Way Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
8) Great defense by the Komets during the 6 on 3's last night.
9) Way Way Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
10) Have to agree with Coach Bingham in thesense that it's not the officails fault that all these penalties are being called. They have a job to do and they have been told how to do it.
11) Way Way Way Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
12) Can't say that I agree with what one of the Frankes had to say about Kelly Miller in the notes section of the Jouranl this morning. Kelly, IMO, didn't want to wait aound for someone to get hurt to get playing time. i beleive that he wanted to earn his time which apparently he didn't and to mock himby saying he thought he knew better, it was ghis choice and the Frankes should let him be.
13) Way Way Way Way Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
14) Blake, the problem as I see it is -if the owners are at fault for the penalty situation, they sure don't seem to take responsibility for it. Someone has to come out and say yes this is our responisbility and we'll workmon the problem, but something has to be voiced somewhere. If Brosal does talk to the Frankes, wouldn't he pass along any complaints that come his way from Komet fans, i would hope that he would.
15) Way Way Way Way Way Way Way Way too many penalties called last night.
I don't know the answer to those questions. Fish and Ian Croft both came out of the USHL where they teach very good fundamentals for officiating. Fish does look like he is out of water in this league (pardon the bad pun) I think that perhaps he believes that his future lies elsewhere and the UHL is just a step. That is why he also officiates the two man system in the WHL this season. He is under 30 and has plenty of time to advance. Look at it this way, if fans notice that his method of calling and managing a game is good, so will those who are looking to advance quality officials.
Greg I have a question....Do you think there were enough penalties called last night? ;-)