More on the dirty plays
When I did my game recap last night, I went into detail about the three dirty instances concerning Langkow, McLennan, and Iginla. I’m not going to repeat what I said, but I did want to gather up what others are saying about last night’s dirty plays and link to them here. If I missed someone’s reactions, please let me know!
Does anyone else find it ironic that the Flames’ coach has the last name of “Playfair?”
Game Reaction from Detroit
You know things got bad when GM Ken Holland is yelling at an official (via Daily Tribune).
Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland lost his cool after the Calgary Flames lost theirs.
Holland screamed at an NHL official following Detroit’s 5-1 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, a contest that turned testy in the final minutes on Saturday at Joe Louis Arena. …
After the game, an angry Holland confronted NHL executive Frank Brown in the hallway outside the Red Wings locker room.
“You tell us to pussy-foot around the media,” Holland yelled. “Give them some (expletive) suspensions.”
Bruce MacLeod at the Macomb Daily shared a little more about the encounter:
The blowup happened in the hallway between the Wings locker room and the coaches offices. The only two media members who were there were myself and John Hetzler (who works with me at my paper), making our way back to the press box.
As Red Wings fans, let me tell you, you would have been proud of Holland. He was hot. And Frank Brown (NHL VP) handled it very well. I think the message Holland was getting across was that the Red Wings are a good company team, that they don’t go to the media to try to make changes … but that the league needs to hold up its end. It was like an analogy to the game itself … if the officials take care of the calls, then the players don’t have to get rough. There were no decisions made at that point. Brown told Holland to wait and see what happens and Holland said something better happen. Again, as Red Wings fans, if you weren’t a Ken Holland fan before this, you should be now.
General manager Ken Holland spoke about the incidents to NHL official Frank Brown after the game, a move seconded by the Wings.
“I think the league has to take a look at a few things that happened in the end there,” Henrik Zetterberg said. “I don’t think that’s part of the game. It’s lack of respect, I think.”
Wings coach Mike Babcock refused to talk about the physical play. Calgary coach Jim Playfair said he pulled Kiprusoff to rest him and called the last five minutes an “emotional part of the game. … We can debate about if it was right or wrong, good or bad, forever.”
The Langkow Suckerpunch
Langkow gets hipchecked by Brett Lebda. Hipchecks are allowed in the game, but I was okay with a penalty on that because it was a pretty low hipcheck. Both players go down. Langkow kind of sits up, grabs Lebda, suckerpunches him in the face, and then goes back to lying down and draws the penalty for Lebda. Sick.
Ansar Khan at MLive.com:
First was Daymond Langkow’s sucker-punch on Brett Lebda with 8:35 left in the third period. Initial reports indicated Lebda has a concussion, but he might have also injured his knee. He missed three games late in the season with a concussion after a hit from behind by the Blues’ Ville Nieminen. It was a stupid move by Langkow, who the Flames can’t afford to lose for Game 6. All Lebda did was upend him with a low hip check, possibly worthy of a penalty, not a punch.
Daymond Langkow’s uppercut to a the head of a fallen Brett Lebda is surely going to draw some attention, too. Yes, Langkow had been low-bridged by Lebda scooting down the boards but, really, what a way to react.
Megan and Sarah at On the Wings:
This was not a weak little love tap. He pulled back and hit Lebda with all the force he could muster. It was reminiscent of Tootoo’s gloved punch to Robidas. Lebda suffered a concussion as a result of the cheapshot, and was also assessed a minor penalty for clipping. When the camera first went back to the play, Langkow looked seriously injured. Upon replay, we see that he was able to lift Lebda up, punch him, and hold on to him before he curled up in the fetal position. Also, Langkow finished the game and did not receive a penalty for the play. If there is any justice in this league whatsoever, Langkow will be suspended for this disgusting display of cowardice and goonery.
Kyle at the Real Deal Hockey (a Flames blog):
Good for you. I thought the hit you took was by far the most intentionally dirty play of the series, and perhaps post season (Burrows slash aside). You weren’t near the puck, weren’t expecting a hit, and definatley weren’t expecting to get clipped on the knees. The irony is that your little sucker punch didn’t do nearly as much damage as the boards did to the Detroit player’s knee. That looked bad.
The McLennan Slash
Flames backup goalie Jamie McLennan is called into action after Kipper is pulled. 18 seconds later, he slashes Johan Franzen twice in the leg and is called for a penalty. During the stoppage in play, McLennan slashes at Franzen’s midsection like he was a lumberjack and Franzen was just a tree.
Franzen’s reaction via Detroit Free Press:
“I was more shocked than hurt,” Franzen said. “It took my wind out.”
Asked if he thought McLennan was sent out to deliberately hurt a player, Franzen said, “I hope not. I didn’t talk to the goalie before then; I didn’t bump into him or anything. It was a weird play. It doesn’t belong in hockey, but I’m fine.”
Told the Flames had complained about the bumping going on in their crease, Franzen said, “not on that goalie, that’s for sure. I don’t know how long he played — 18 seconds? I don’t think anybody bumped him.”
Kyle at the Real Deal Hockey (a Flames blog):
what more can be said? Obviously you were told to go raise some hell, I think you were trying to create room for Kipper, and quite honestly, I thought you gave Franzen a love tap. I saw Smytty get a real two hander from Turco to the FACE and he got two games, so either he got a severe underpunishment or you got an overpunishment. It really doesn’t matter either way because you did your job and I’m sure the team is proud of you. Oh, and Don Cherry and the rest of Canada saw you take the jab to the neck which was a cheap shot too, so we know you were at least moderately provoked.
Ansar Khan at MLive.com:
Then, with minutes remaining, in a move that might have been premeditated, Flames backup goalie Jamie McLennan took a two-handed whack to Johan Franzen’s midsection well after the whistle. McLennan had just replaced Miikka Kiprusoff, prompting speculation by Canada’s TSN analysts that he was inserted into the game specifically to deliver a whack to a Wings player, after they had been crowding the crease all game. Franzen is fine, but McLennan is likely to get suspended for at least a game. If the league really wanted to punish McLennan it would force him to start Game 6.
Don Cherry at CBC and then what Nick Lidstrom said to a ref after the slash:
On CBC, Don Cherry called Jamie McLennan’s hit “a little tap” and noted Franzen’s stick caught him in the mask earlier. He said the goalie might be suspended, but “What’s the difference, he’s not going to get in anyway. Get another backup. What’s he going to do, take over for Kiprusoff?” …
“Don’t let ‘em hit our goalie after the whistle. They’re whacking at him.”
Megan and Sarah at On the Wings:
Franzen fell to the ice as the jaws of the entire audience (including us) collectively dropped. McClennan was given the original two minutes for slashing, five minutes for intent to injure, and a game misconduct. Pretty impressive for 18 seconds of play. We’ve all heard of sending out the goons in the closing minutes of a losing game. We never expected this goon to come in the form of a back-up goaltender. There is little question in our mind that McClennan will receive a suspension.
Backup goaltender Jamie McLennan will be suspended. That much is certain. His machete-style naval-high slash on a Johan Franzen, completely out of character and utterly indefenceable, was shocking. Oh, well, he made his 18 seconds of actual ‘playing time’ memorable.
The Iginla Butt-end
This one is the hardest to prove because he certainly looked like he made the motion, but NBC didn’t show it close up so I can’t be certain if the stickend was even exposed. I do know that he was playing dirty as he backchecked, made that buttend motion, and then crosschecked Mathieu Schneider as he was trying to get up the ice and was not even near the puck or play.
Ansar Khan at MLive.com:
Jarome Iginla tried to light a fire in his team by getting in Nicklas Lidstrom’s face midway through the third period. It worked in the 2004 playoffs, when he fought Derian Hatcher near the end of a Wings’ blowout victory in Game 2. It won’t work this time. Iginla also took several whacks at Mathieu Schneider’s hip late in the game.
And an extended mugging by Iginla on Mathieu Schneider could be under review, too.
Post-lunacy, Captain Iginla was obviously concerned about possible repercussions after his extended tete-a-tete with Schneider as he hounded the Detroit defenceman down the ice (before launching himself off the top rope at Kris Draper, stationed behind the Calgary net, by the way). He sought out a cluster of media to clear up a TV description of his initial transgression as a possible butt-end.
“I never butt-ended him. I’ve never butt-ended anybody in my life. I’ve cross-checked guys and punched guys in the face. I cross-checked (Schneider). But I didn’t butt end him.”
Megan and Sarah at On the Wings:
It’s no wonder Calgary is so quick to lose their composure. And it’s no wonder they are so immature, given that they are lead by Jarome Iginla. Apparently Mr. Iginla subscribes to the Slapshot version of hockey. After game four, there was already a question of Iginla’s integrity. At the end of this game, and in his comments after the game, he showed his true colors. He was left on the ice purely and admittedly to start fights.
Kyle at the Real Deal Hockey (a Flames blog):
Pierre asked what you were doing killing off a 5-3 with only a couple minutes to go, but I knew. You were there to start shit, and you did. I have no doubt that you gave Schneider a bit of a butt end, but it was a love tap. And yes, you deserved a penalty for that AND the crosscheck, but lets face it, the physics of that crosscheck were all wrong for him to fall that way. Another embellishment, but thats ok, you had to do what you had to do, and he had to do what he had to do.
Overall Game Reaction
Duncan at Flames Blog:
To summarize: Everything about that was embarrassing, including the bush league shit at the end of the game. They looked like a bunch of petulant children who couldn’t take the fact they were wildly outplayed. Can’t wait to hear the explanation for this entire debacle.
Dave at Open Ice Hits (a Flames blog):
Ladies and gentlemen, today’s game was beyond embarrassing. The play is bad enough — it was just bad hockey. But towards the end of the game, when it descended into goonery, thuggary, and downright unsportsmanlike behaviour, I was completely ashamed of my team.
Langkow’s undercut…
McLennan’s slash…
Iginla’s butt-end…Shame on you guys, because you have shamed us all.
Kyle at the Real Deal Hockey (a Flames blog):
Regarding Calgary’s goonery. Well, I wholehartedly support it. I know I may be a dinosaur in terms of my opinion, but sometimes a team just has to do things like that. It’s something that happens in every level of hockey, and it is not ’suprising’ as my boy Pierre and the other NBC commentators tried to sell it.
It was interesting comparing the coverage of the game from the NBC crew (selling it primarily to Detroit fans and an American public thats pretty ignorant) and the CBC crew (selling it to primarily a Calgary crowd). The NBC crew tried to downplay the violence as dispicable, dire, and unmotivated by Detroit. The CBC crew tried to sell it as having utility and perhaps being a necessary evil. Of course, which side you agree with will probably depend on which team you cheer for.
Focus? They couldn’t see the tip of a face shield a couple inches in front of the ends of their noses by the finish, their pupils reduced to tiny dots of red swimming in glassy eyeballs. They were blind with Rink Rage by then. And that’s the truth, too.
Nobody minds a team that plays hard, even physically, in a losing cause, but the Flames deliberately tried to hurt members of the Red Wings and must be held accountable by the league.
Among their many indiscretions, there was backup goalie Jamie McLennan’s three slashes on Detroit’s Johan Franzen, the third coming after the whistle when he slashed the Wing in the midsection. McLennan was brought into the game to replace starter Miikka Kiprusoff, who had to go back in after his backup was rightfully ejected.
Then there was Calgary captain Jarome Iginla butt-ending Detroit’s Mathieu Schneider and then cross-checking him. Iginla was only called for the cross-check, but TV replays clearly showed the butt-end. We’ll see how the NHL handles this one.
Two questions immediately spring to mind: Why the heck was Iginla on the ice in the first place? And what was Calgary coach Jim Playfair thinking? Maybe he should change his name to Playdirty.
The Flames are a very good hockey team, but they showed no class in losing on Saturday.
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7 Responses to “More on the dirty plays”
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April 22nd, 2007 at 11:39 am
[…] Christy over at Behind the Jersey has a nice recap from a couple different perspectives on the plays involving Jarome Iginla and Mathieu Schneider, Jamie McLennan and Johan Franzen, and Daymond Langkow and Brett Lebda. It’s a good read and includes a good picture just before one of Iginla’s hits on Schneider. […]
April 22nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
Great recap. I’m ready to move on and hopefully see a series-clinching win tonight!
April 22nd, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Playfair is a moron for sending goon Iginla on the ice at the end of a blowout.The whole team is a classless act.They are nothing but a bunch of nappy haired ho’s
April 22nd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Hey, It’s hockey and playoff hockey. All I can say is, regardless of which team you support, you will see dirty play everytime. It’s part of the game. All players try to get one past the ref’s. Although I don’t agree with uneccessary roughness (pun may be intentional!) when you strap on the skakes (cleets/boots/shoes/whatever) in a professional environment every single player is out to win and do it however they can.
Calgary’s dirty tricks? Detroit’s dirty tricks? yep they were there on both sides.
Welcome to pro sports.
April 22nd, 2007 at 2:22 pm
It’s about time someone started complaining about the illegal play being administered against the Wings. I’ve seen playoff series after playoff series where the Wings totally out play the opponent & loss the series because of the officiating. When the Wings lost to New Jersey, the Devils were the better team. When the Wings lost to Colorado, the Avalanches were the better team. The last 2-years the Wings were not good enough to win. But there have been too many other series where by far the better team was the Red Wings but they lost, I think, by the bias officiating.
Tell Don Cherry (& I do like the guy) that I did played some intermediate hockey & if someone did to me what was done to Franzen, that player would find out how my stick tasted.
Thank you for letting me vent. I’m a totally loyal Detroit Red Wing fan.
Oh, by the way, the Montreal Canadians & Toronto Maple Leafs ruin my childhood.
April 22nd, 2007 at 2:31 pm
[…] Alright, by now you know all about the Flames’ meltdown in the third period yesterday. If not, you can read about it here, here, and here, among other places. We’re still waiting to see the full extent of fallout from the incidents yesterday, but we do know that the Wings have probably been forced to make a lineup change, as they’ve called up Kyle Quincey, who will likely replace Brett Lebda in tonight’s game. Lebda got a combination of a leg injury and a concussion from an altercation with Daymond Langkow in the third period yesterday. […]
April 22nd, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Dave- I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game as well. Hopefully, the Wings come out strong and we can just end this series. And now that Iggy and Langkow won’t be suspended, they can’t use any of this as an excuse if the Wings win the series. It’ll be nice to move on to the next round and start thinking about playing San Jose or Dallas!
Terry- While I agree the Flames certainly had their classless moments yesterday, I don’t approve using the phrase “nappy headed ho’s” to describe them. I don’t want to get in a whole different discussion regarding Imus’ comments but I felt they were inappropriate and rude and I don’t want to encourage that statement on BTJ.
PT3- Thanks for the comment (I believe it was your first on BTJ). Obviously, every sports league has it’s share of dirty plays. I just can’t believe that there were 2-3 depending on your opinion that were not clean whatsoever. Whether you think they deserved punishment or not, it was definitely frustrating as a Wings fan to see some Flames’ players conduct themselves in such a manner when the Wings were already up by at least 3 goals (depending on the time of the game). I just hope that tonight we see fair play on both sides and the game is decided on skill and speed and goaltending and not poor plays (by either team).
Paul- Thank you for your comment as well. I don’t think yesterday was any indication of biased officiating (although we haven’t seen great officiating for either team this series). It was just letting the game get out of control and certain players conducting themselves poorly. Hopefully, we won’t see any of that tonight! Go Wings!