Look, I hate whining about officiating (most of the time) - if a team puts itself in a position where a referee can decide the game, they often deserve what they get. I prefer holding players culpable for giving the stripes the opportunity to make the horrendous calls they so often make, so I'll leave the full-on ref bashing to others.But I will point out that this isn't the first time this season that one of today's referees, Boston's own Chris Rooney, has, for lack of a better term, screwed the pooch (which shouldn't be surprising, considering that he has been calling regular season games since 2000 and, based on his performance, has gotten a chance to officiate all of three playoff games). A brief look at his 2007-08 greatest hits:
- December 11 - Rooney and Bill McCreary let things get way out of hand in a Pens/Flyers game.
- February 4 - Rooney's whistle is... somewhere other than in his mouth, allowing Phoenix to score in overtime to beat Colorado. "It was a ridiculous non-call and I'm upset," said Avs coach Joel Quenneville.
- February 10 - Rooney and partner Dan O'Halloran repeatedly botch the Avs/Wings game.
- March 8 - Today's game. Ugh.
Finally, while this next quote is a little older, it's classic Ron Wilson, so it gets included:
"No practice tomorrow -- what we'll do is maybe call a practice and practice our diving. I'm dead serious. Chris Rooney calls a penalty on us on an obvious dive from Paul Kariya, so if anything, it should cost Paul Kariya $1,000 [in a fine for diving] to win the hockey game. [The NHL] put out a memo on dives and divers, and he's right at the top of the list for taking dives. ... Plain and simple, that's a dive."So that's a bit of the Rooney file. Take it for what it's worth... maybe more than he's worth as a referee.
14 comments:
He's refereed NHL games for seven years and he's only worked three playoff games. The league knows he bites. The question is: Why is he still around?
I was thinking to myself that the refs must be from Boston. Little did I know...
The Brash penalties had to be called. I thought the one against Erskine was not worth putting a team down 5-3 since they were already killing a triple minor. I also thought the call on Poti was suspect because it sure looked like one of the Caps was interfered with along the boards just before they whistled Poti. I thought it was going against Boston, but what do I know.
We'll remember this game if the Caps fail to make the playoffs by two or less points. What a waste.
Great research, and I agree with tyler. Why is this guy still working he obviously bias is his calls and has been for a while. That was the most frustrating game ever.
That was a horrible loss because it looked like a sure win. But it's almost impossible to handle two 5 on 3. I wanted to go out and hit someone. :) I did go out, but luckily nobody got hurt. :)
I know Brash's penalty was undisciplined, but I am 100% behind him. I only wish he could've knock out Hnidy for good. The guy was hunting for Ovechkin, he really did. People like Hnidy should be beat up every freaking time they try to hurt someone.
BTW, Hnidy is a slavic last name meaning ROTTEN. The guy who was driving Konstantinov's limo the night he was injured was Hnida.
Brashear is all about the team, too bad he didn't send Hnidy to coma.
Long live Brashear!
I want him to be around as long as Ovechkin.
More three point games.
Lovely.
It matters not. The Caps have failed to put together any meaningful winning streak this year. (Now is the time for one).
We missed Bryzgalov and Samsonov (24 points in 27 games) this year. We'll miss the playoffs as well. Could we stand watching the Caps play like this in the first round of the playoffs? No. No, way.
@hotdog88gt
If we miss the playoffs it will have more to do with our start (6-14-1) than anything we're do now because Bruce's team is 26-15-7 and quite honestly this team is playing some pretty good hockey.
Pretty good? assuming they had played this well at the beginning of the season, and won the same percentage of those first 21 games as they have the last 48 games, they would have somewhere in the neighborhood of 97 points... that would put them at the top of the league. Damn that would be nice!
You guys are so lucky Hossa isn't playing today...Maybe if you're lucky BB will scratch Brashear so he doesn't have to take his customary beat-down from Big Georges Laraque.
I agree with whomever said you can't blame the refs if you put yourself in a situation where they can win the game, but boy this hurts. Caps came out intense, silenced the crowd, played solid defense, then...the power in my house literally went out as Brash decked the Boston goon. I ran to find a radio with working batteries (thank God for all those emergency preparedness ads..) and listened in disbelief as the penalties stacked up. I can't bring myself to watch the highl...I mean lowlights. Wish I could be there today.
Hooks, that was cold.
@ the last Anon,
The poor refereeing in yesterday's game wasn't just in the closing minutes with the Erskine call. There were missed calls for a late (and high) hit on Green (who didnt have the puck), Chara for playing Ovechkin rather than the puck, the Bruins b/c the officials didn't like seeing Ovechkin get hit and on a B's player for punching Nick Backstrom in the head several times. IMO, the major on Cooke was undeserved as well. Also IMO the refs did the worst thing the you can do - let themselvs make calls because they were intimidated
Anyone, anywhere who says that refs are to call every penalty, no matter when, no matter what the consequence, is smoking crack.
The Brashear penalties were warranted, as he was such an idiot. I think that's acceptable. But a 6 minute penalty, on 1 guy, is pretty unusual, and you have to have discretion at that point if you're a ref. I mean Boston (would have) had 6 minutes of PP time (maybe less) to do something with. The Erskine call may have been neccessary, but the Poti call as well? That was frikin ridiculous. You can't make a call at that point unless it is so gross a foul, that you'd be suspended for NOT calling it.
Late to the party, so I doubt anyone will read this, but it doesn't matter.
Yet again my suspicious ring true. There is a serious lack of good officials to go around.
Yes, Brashear's penalties were warranted, but as someone else mentioned... punching backstrom in the HEAD IS A FUCKING PENALTY. Gordon got reamed into the boards as they called poti.
The Erskine call was 100% not a penalty.
It's not just the calls on us that were made, it's the lack of calls on the bruins, who late in the game wee playing REALLY FUCKING DIRTY, that really make this the giant shitstorm it is.
Shame on anyone who doesn't think this shit is ruining hockey.
THANK YOU!!! After watching this jerk-off, Chris Rooney, let the Flyers rape Capitals players all day during Game 2, I felt like jumping over the barrier and beating him in the head with my free pom-pom.
I sat behind the goal and watched Backstrom have his jersey AND shoulder pads taken clean off his body - no call . I watched Huet get steamrolled over and over - only one call by someone OTHER THAN f***-face Rooney. AND, I watched Ovechkin get crosschecked in the back in front of the Flyers goalie (and watching him go face first into the ice) while watching Chris Rooney watch it all happen and not say a frickin word.
I started watching this currupt son-of-a-b*** closely and remembered ol' #5 from the Boston games. He almost cost us the last Bruins game at home, too! Thank goodness Koslov bailed us out in the shootout.
Including the playoff game today, I've only been to one other game this year that included a nice loud chant of "Ref you suck" to the one and only #5 - Chris Rooney.
Why is this guy still around???
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