Opinion | Stanley Cup Musings: Refs missed a Colorado too many men penalty on winning goal in Game 4. What next?


This should be a day to celebrate Nazem Kadri.

Instead, the fretting will be all about the officiating in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. Not just what happened on Kadri’s amazing game-winner.

But that’s the catalyst. It appears the Colorado Avalanche had six players on the ice when Kadri took control of the puck. Kadri had come on for Nathan MacKinnon, who was still on the ice when Kadri was in over the blue line. (I reviewed the play on SN Now.)

In Toronto, we’ve seen the too-many-men call more than most, I think. Even one where the player leaving the ice had one skate already on the bench. So the evidence is: the league takes it seriously.

But it was missed, maybe because one of the Avs — Bowen Byrum — was beside his goalie while the play went through the neutral zone. The Lightning, for that matter, appear to have had seven players on the ice though two were clearly out of the play by the bench and Tampa didn’t have the puck. Either way, that’s a lot of players for a 5-on-5 game.

Even the score sheet — the hard-copy handed out to ink-stained scribes right after the game — suggested 4, 6, 13, 35, 42, 62 and 91 were on the ice. That’s Bowen Byrum, Erik Johnson, Valeri Nichushkin, Darcy Kuemper, Josh Manson, Artturi Lehkonen and Kadri.

The “official version” — online now — removes Erik Johnson. It’s not unusual for the official version to differ from the hard-copy. Usually it’s shots, and maybe assists, that get changed. But the evidence suggests the leagues eyes in the press box counted too many men for Colorado. The refs missed it.

This on a night where the refs put away their whistles. They let the players play. Or they let the cheaters cheat. Kadri was one of those robbed of a scoring chance, so maybe there’s karma. But so was Victor Hedman and Nick Paul.

This is usually the standard of refereeing witnessed from Game 1 of the playoffs. The league changed that this year and the first rounds were filled with all sorts of power plays. No one was going to be able to complain the stars weren’t drawing penalties and weren’t able to show their skill at 5-on-4.

Now it’s got another issue. By the end of the night, the league called it a “judgment call” that can be made by any of the four on-ice officials, but one that is not subject to any sort of video review.

Surely now there will be calls for a coach’s challenge for a play like that. Or maybe an official review of every overtime goal in the playoffs.

Or like Brett Hull’s foot in the crease winner in 1999 — a year you remember that sort of thing was forbidden — the league will simply move on.

I’ll guess the latter. But for players sacrifice all sorts of body parts in the name of the Cup, it’s a shame.

questions please

If you have a question, email me at [email protected] and I’ll answer it in the next Mailbag. Now let’s get to Kadri in the Seven Stanley Cup Musings.

1. Kadri looking Bobby Baun-like

If — in some alternative universe — Kadri was still a Leaf and scored a goal like that in overtime in the playoffs the name Bobby Baun would come up. He scored an OT winner against Detroit on a broken ankle, or so the legend goes. He was taken off on a stretcher after blocking a Gordie Howe shot. The Baun story lives on today. That’s why so many players block shots. Because it’s the Cup, they say.

2. Ex-Leaf glory with Cups

I’ve got a feeling folks around here really want to see Kadri win the Stanley Cup, the next in a long line of Maple Leafs who have gone on to greatness they couldn’t achieve in Toronto. Lanny McDonald is the reason the Calgary Flames were one of my favorite teams growing up. Wonder how many folks have followed Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak to their successes in Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Don’t forget Tomas Kaberle in Boston. The list goes on.

3. Kadri an ‘inspiration’

I don’t want to take anything away from Kadri. It was a great goal, great play. And it will be part of Cup lore. As teammate Andrew Cogliano put it: “It’s an inspiration for everyone else to see a teammate like that try to come back and fight every day and try to get better. He finally he was back in the lineup tonight. It was exciting for us and gave us a different look, different line combinations and whatnot matchup wise. You can’t make that stuff up.”

4. Tough start for Tampa

When Tampa managed 17 shots in the first period, and only got one by Darcy Kuemper, you had to know they would live to regret that.

5. Cooper’s sigh

No one sighs better than Jon Cooper. And you gotta love how Cooper can really get his digs in with a smile on his face.

6. What Cooper Said

Here’s the full transcript of what he said post-game. Clearly emotional. Clearly not wanting to get fined:

“I thought we were really strong first, we had the lead. (LONG PAUSE). Hmm. You know. I love this league. It’s the greatest league in the world. The people that run it are amazing. Everything about it. It’s like a dream come true for me, especially being a Canadian kid growing up and everything that’s gone on. And a lot of times when you’re ahh (PAUSE).

You know, I’ve been part of some heartbreaking losses and defeats to the teams that took us out and been with a group that just fights, fights and fights. And they fought their way to a third Stanley Cup Final in a row. And in a cap it was when (PAUSE) when it’s so damn hard and the rules are put against you because the league wants parity. And I love that about the league. And that’s what makes it tougher.

And just watch this team, what they’ve gone through and the battling that’s gone on. And we’re all in this together. Players, coaches, refs, everybody. But this one is going to sting much more than others, just because it was taking on… it was potentially… I don’t know… It’s hard for me. It’s going to be hard for me to speak. I’m going to have to speak. I’ll speak with you tomorrow. You’re going to see what I mean when you see the winning goal. And I my heart breaks for the players. Because we probably still should be playing. I’ll be available tomorrow.

7.Cooper gamesmanship

Or maybe this is all part of Cooper just trying to get a call or two to go his way in Game 5. If so, well played. Well played.

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