| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Guest4178 |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 10:03:43
As the Kings eliminated the Coyotes last night, it was announced that Dustin Brown has drawn 17 penalties so far (at least one a major) during these playoffs.
I don't know if the NHL keeps statistics on this, but I'm pretty sure Brown leads the playoffs in this category.
Players who draw penalties usually play a physical style, and get in the face of their opponents. Drawing a penalty on these terms is held in high esteem, especially in the playoffs when power play opportunities are so important.
But one has to ask to what extent a player like Dustin Brown embellishes to get a penalty call? I'm not suggesting that he did so on all 17 calls, but maybe on a number of those calls?
Players have been embellishing for years (some players more than others, and some teams more than others), and when I grew up, Bill Barber of the Flyers was the "best." He actually wasn't very good – even an 8 year-old could tell he was diving. When playing hockey, we used to actually call it a "Billy Barber" when someone dove.
Things haven't changed much in 40 years. It's not a respected thing to do, but diving still exists, but it's less the "swan dives" of the past. Today, players fall to the ice on a cross-check, or crumple into the boards sometimes. Players also know how to absorb a stick to make it look like a hook. And players also know when to do this in a game. They consider that their team is down a few goals and/or that 2 or 3 consecutive calls have gone against their team, they think the officials will "even things up.
In last night's game, I think embellishment took place on both sides (as it does in most games), so if it evens out, maybe it's not a big deal.
But I've noticed a disturbing trend (more in these playoffs then I've seen in the past), and embellishment appears to be taking place more frequently.
It's very hard for a referee to make an instantaneous call on the ice, and really know if a player is acting or not. I think the referees get it right most of the time, but when considering the skill level (and athletic abilities) of NHL players, a player has the ability and opportunity to turn a collision near the boards into a boarding call, and still come out unscathed. I could do it, and I'm not an NHL calibre player.
Getting back to Dustin Brown, it's likely that he "earned" most of the 17 drawn calls, but if one was to look at the tapes of each and every "infraction," I'm guessing that a certain number of those calls were "earned" by embellishment.
And hey, if you get the win, maybe that's all that counts! Do whatever it takes after all!
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| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alex116 |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 21:42:58
Well, there's been a ton of talk about Brown and his embellishing around these parts. Many Canucks fans are quick to get in an uproar when a guy starts to "flop" considering all the negative talk the Canucks have rec'd over the past couple years in this regards. While i do think all teams do it, there's no doubt some do more than others and obviously individual players are guilty of it moreso than others.
Brown has definitely been guilty of this on a few occasions but that's only some of the calls against him. Others are legitimate calls likely due to his effectiveness where guys are taking extra runs at him, jabs at him, etc. He's no saint, but i'll give him credit in that what he's doing has been effective.
Ray Ferraro was on today pointing out that he's quickly going to earn himself a reputation along the lines of a Claude Lemieux type player. Now, there's no debating that Claude was effective and a very good playoff performer, but he was definitely hated by many! Ironically, It's one of those comparisons that half the people will think is a compliment, and the other half will think it's a criticism!!! |
| mandree888 |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 17:44:56
the biggest problem is that the yotes are owned by the league if the refs start calling the kings for diving or embellishment everyone would start saying that there was bias in the league, as these calls are not common even in the regular season. i think the refs did their job the only way they could have. |
| Guest4377 |
Posted - 05/23/2012 : 17:10:35
Dave Tippett was quoted after the third game of the series, with his team down three games to none at the time (and with his team penalized 17 times compared to the Kings 10), and here's what he had to say about the officiating:
"If I told you what I really think, I think it would cost me a lot of money."
Then he went on to say "Personally, I've talked about this in a lot of meetings with Don (Maloney), our general manager, that the game is turning a little dishonest and it's embellishment by players. When it's done well, it's very hard for the referees, very hard, because if you fall down near the boards or you drop your stick or you throw your head back, you're putting the referee in a very tough situation."
Hmmm. Sour grapes, or does he have a point?
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