Actually... this would be more of a Saturday thoughts.
TBirds played for 10 minutes on Saturday and then decided to go home. I just don't get it... what additional motivation do you need. In your own building, against a hated rival, making a push to get into playoff contention, riding a recent hot streak (maybe warm streak) and the players showed up for the first ten minutes and went away.
The got the go-ahead goal with the power play marker at the end of the first period but Everett had controlled the action up until the end of the period. After that... it was all Silvertips.
A disappointing result especially considering that Kelowna, Kamloops and Spokane all also won. All teams Seattle will need to hunt down in the next 4 months and they lost ground to all of them.
If this team has turned the corner... I'm not convinced. I've watched some road games but I haven't attended them so I don't have a crystal clear picture.... but the two games I saw at home Friday looked like the same old team that doesn't want to work, gets intimidated and backs down to opposition when they start to come at them hard.
As for this "attendance debate"....
I'm going to come back tomorrow and put together some stats breaking down the situation but I don't think it will really change my opinion on the subject. We all wish that more fans were coming to the game. We all wish the new building were sold out every game like Medicine Hat... but it isn't. There are reasons all over the place why this "might" be true but nobody really knows why the team isn't gaining more traction in the community.... lack of wins? lack of reader-board? lack of marketing?? I've seen a lot of marketing attempts by the team lately so I don't really think that is the reason.
We know the situation isn't as good as it could be... but I honestly don't know how to fix it, so I'm not going to spend much time worrying about it. Quite frankly... I like being able to park easily at the arena, get a beer easily, hit the restroom easily, etc. Is is fun when the building is packed? Sure... but I would enjoy watching hockey even if 500 people were in the stands so if anyone is looking for me to be a launch pad for criticising the front office... well simply put, I just don't see the point.
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11.23.2009
11.22.2009
Winterhawks Trade Mucha
I'll have more on the Saturday game tomorrow but I noticed tonight that Portland traded Kurtis Mucha to Kamloops for a pick in the 2010 Bantam Draft.
This is both a weird trade and a sad trade for me.
Sad because as a hockey fan we had to watch Mucha for several years play hard behind Winterhawk teams that quite frankly sucked... Now Portland has a good team again for his 20 year old season and he gets traded... that is just sad. I feel bad for Kurtis Mucha.
Also weird... because why would Kamloops make this deal? I'm not saying that Groenheyde is awesome but he doesn't really strike me as the problem in Kamloops and that Blazers team isn't going anywhere. Why waste a Bantam pick to pick up a veteran goaltender when you are probably better off giving your 18 year old goaltender the vast majority of the playing time. Can Bonner possibly think his team was only a "goaltender away..." from turning things around?
This is both a weird trade and a sad trade for me.
Sad because as a hockey fan we had to watch Mucha for several years play hard behind Winterhawk teams that quite frankly sucked... Now Portland has a good team again for his 20 year old season and he gets traded... that is just sad. I feel bad for Kurtis Mucha.
Also weird... because why would Kamloops make this deal? I'm not saying that Groenheyde is awesome but he doesn't really strike me as the problem in Kamloops and that Blazers team isn't going anywhere. Why waste a Bantam pick to pick up a veteran goaltender when you are probably better off giving your 18 year old goaltender the vast majority of the playing time. Can Bonner possibly think his team was only a "goaltender away..." from turning things around?
11.20.2009
Tbirds skate past Blazers 3-1
Solid effort from Seattle tonight... benefactors of NINE power play chances tonight, converting on two of them on their way to the 3-1 victory.
Tbirds definitely could have played a better game tonight but they also deserved the victory and was the better team tonight.
Blazers leading scorer Tyler Shattock received a boarding major and a game misconduct in the first period giving Seattle a 5 minute power play. I have to tell you... I think Shattock got jobbed here. I really didn't the hit was that bad and it was just extremely unfortunate that Chaffin was injured as a result of the hit. I'm not sure Shattock deserved more than a minor penalty and I'm sure the "result" of the penalty was the reason why a major was handed out. This is just plain wrong... and I see more and more of this going on in hockey these days. Referees should not be calling games based on the result of the hit and based on the actual infraction. I need to get the game footage tomorrow and take some more looks at the hit to see if maybe I didn't see it right.
The Tbirds scored on the resulting power play but quickly gave the lead back when Shane Wiebe stole the puck from Acolatse and Jacobs and made a nifty play to poke the puck between them and beat Pickard with a backhand at the far post. Great effort by Wiebe to give Kamloops a net even on a 5 minor penalty kill... but they weren't really able to build on that momentum.
Lindsay Nielsen got his second of the game throwing a shot in off the back of the leg of Blazers goaltender Jon Groenheyde in the second period and Seattle never really looked back. The Blazers spent so much time killing penalties (right or wrong) they really never really had many good chances to get back into the game.
Sena Acolatse finished the scoring emphatically with another rocket into the back of the net on the power play to finish the scoring. Acolatse has really grown into that spot and wow is he on fire right now. Eventually teams are going to see video and adjust to the shot from that spot and it will be up to Sena to adjust and exploit when teams finally start coming out to stop the rocket.
I really hope Steve Chaffin is ok... he was clearly shaken up from the hit by Shattock and if he doesn't have a concussion... well I would be shocked. I have no idea how many concussions Chaffin has had but this has to be at least his second significant one and I would be surprised if he wasn't out at least a couple of weeks... a real shame.
Seattle is back to action tomorrow night at home against the Everett Silvertips who were smashed by the Americans tonight 6-0 in Kennewick. Another chance for the Tbirds to show their progress.... they will need to play better against Everett than they did against 'Loops to come away with the victory.
Tbirds definitely could have played a better game tonight but they also deserved the victory and was the better team tonight.
Blazers leading scorer Tyler Shattock received a boarding major and a game misconduct in the first period giving Seattle a 5 minute power play. I have to tell you... I think Shattock got jobbed here. I really didn't the hit was that bad and it was just extremely unfortunate that Chaffin was injured as a result of the hit. I'm not sure Shattock deserved more than a minor penalty and I'm sure the "result" of the penalty was the reason why a major was handed out. This is just plain wrong... and I see more and more of this going on in hockey these days. Referees should not be calling games based on the result of the hit and based on the actual infraction. I need to get the game footage tomorrow and take some more looks at the hit to see if maybe I didn't see it right.
The Tbirds scored on the resulting power play but quickly gave the lead back when Shane Wiebe stole the puck from Acolatse and Jacobs and made a nifty play to poke the puck between them and beat Pickard with a backhand at the far post. Great effort by Wiebe to give Kamloops a net even on a 5 minor penalty kill... but they weren't really able to build on that momentum.
Lindsay Nielsen got his second of the game throwing a shot in off the back of the leg of Blazers goaltender Jon Groenheyde in the second period and Seattle never really looked back. The Blazers spent so much time killing penalties (right or wrong) they really never really had many good chances to get back into the game.
Sena Acolatse finished the scoring emphatically with another rocket into the back of the net on the power play to finish the scoring. Acolatse has really grown into that spot and wow is he on fire right now. Eventually teams are going to see video and adjust to the shot from that spot and it will be up to Sena to adjust and exploit when teams finally start coming out to stop the rocket.
I really hope Steve Chaffin is ok... he was clearly shaken up from the hit by Shattock and if he doesn't have a concussion... well I would be shocked. I have no idea how many concussions Chaffin has had but this has to be at least his second significant one and I would be surprised if he wasn't out at least a couple of weeks... a real shame.
Seattle is back to action tomorrow night at home against the Everett Silvertips who were smashed by the Americans tonight 6-0 in Kennewick. Another chance for the Tbirds to show their progress.... they will need to play better against Everett than they did against 'Loops to come away with the victory.
4 straight at home...
Seattle starts a 4 game home-stand tonight against the Kamloops Blazers.
I always hate when people say games are "must win" and this game isn't... but it will be another measuring stick for this team to see where they are at. Kamloops is now rated 20th in the league and for the first time in a while the Tbirds are favored to win tonight. Massey places win percentage at 70%. It has been a while since the Birds were that heavily favored in a game.
With the Blazers still 3 points ahead of Seattle for the 8th spot in the West this is really a game that the Tbirds have to win. Games at this point of the season are not must win... but they can go a long way towards determining where you end up at the finish line.
The key for Seattle is to play a full 60 minutes. This team isn't good enough to take periods off but they are good enough to beat teams if they play a full game.
Kamloops is led by Tyler Shattock and CJ Stretch. Stattock with 14 goals and 16 assists in 25 games leads the team in scoring. Stretch isn't too far behind with 6 goals and a team leading 16 assists... but defense has been the problem for the Blazers as they have given up a league high 116 goals in their 25 games 4.64 goals per game allowed.
Simply put... if the goal horn goes off 4 or 5 times tonight we should see a Tbird victory.
I always hate when people say games are "must win" and this game isn't... but it will be another measuring stick for this team to see where they are at. Kamloops is now rated 20th in the league and for the first time in a while the Tbirds are favored to win tonight. Massey places win percentage at 70%. It has been a while since the Birds were that heavily favored in a game.
With the Blazers still 3 points ahead of Seattle for the 8th spot in the West this is really a game that the Tbirds have to win. Games at this point of the season are not must win... but they can go a long way towards determining where you end up at the finish line.
The key for Seattle is to play a full 60 minutes. This team isn't good enough to take periods off but they are good enough to beat teams if they play a full game.
Kamloops is led by Tyler Shattock and CJ Stretch. Stattock with 14 goals and 16 assists in 25 games leads the team in scoring. Stretch isn't too far behind with 6 goals and a team leading 16 assists... but defense has been the problem for the Blazers as they have given up a league high 116 goals in their 25 games 4.64 goals per game allowed.
Simply put... if the goal horn goes off 4 or 5 times tonight we should see a Tbird victory.
11.18.2009
Confusion Reigns
I kind of thought last night's game in Tri-City would give us a little bit of insight into whether the Tbirds were just riding a hot streak on their way to their 4 game road winning streak or whether this team had truly turned a corner and were looking to make a playoff push.
Last night did nothing to convince me of either one and I am left as confused as ever. The first 12:25 of the game was just awful with the TBirds regressing back to their old form. Defense took a backseat to players trying to hard to score goals and 3 penalties that lead to 2 American PP goals.
Easily the Tbirds could have folded up the tent. They were down 3-0 and out-shot 11-0 before ending the first period down 5-1 and getting the shots back to 16-14.
Fold they didn't... as goals by Schappert and Parker in the 2nd period cut the American lead down to 2 goals. Unfortunately, that finished the scoring as the Tbirds fell 5-3.
So what can we think?? For nearly 13 minutes, they played like the "old" team... while for the other 47 minutes of the game they outscored the top team in the league 2-0. We can't just look at the horrid 13 minutes and assume "oh the old team is back... the 4 game winning streak was nice while it lasted".... but we also can't just ignore those 13 minutes.
This team is getting closer to "getting it" and losing to the Americans, on the road, in your 4th game in 5 days probably isn't bad enough for me to toss aside the winning streak as a fluke.
This team has to play from the back to the front. When they take care of everything in their defensive zone, everything else will eventually fall into place.
Couple of things to note...
- Tanner Muth is showing his age a little bit. One of our more steady defenders at the start of the year... Muth is now -20 overall and -16 in his last 15 games. I hate to say "I told you so" but... well I told you so. Muth has an extremely bright future as a defender in this league but it's just too difficult to excel as a 16 year old. Very few players can be great in their 16 year old season and we are now seeing our young defender go through some growing pains.
- Quick note on the Dillon "discussion" that was going on. I generally think that numbers don't lie and his +1 one of the best marks on the team. One of the reasons why scouts loved him so much going back to the draft rankings had more to do with some of the technical footwork that Dillon has and not some of the negatives that he has also shown. If you watch how Dillon gets his feet moving he has some raw ability that is very difficult to teach. Obviously scouts also care about things other than footwork which is why you didn't see him get drafted after posting a -11 last season. Point being... some of the raw talent is there, we just need to see some other things as well.
- Jeremy Schappert now has 15 points in 25 games and has already surpassed his career high of 13 points, which came last season. I think it is safe to say that this scoring touch is no fluke and with his 5 goals all coming in the past 9 games I think he has unlocked some offensive ability... not to mention that he is +7 for the month. For all of the Schappert haters out there... is there any doubt who Seattle's best overall defender is right now?
- The curious case of Colin Jacobs. After grabbing a goal and 2 assists in the season opener against Everett, Jacobs now has only 2 goals, 5 assists and a -16 rating in his last 23 games. The strange part is that while I am a guy who thinks that numbers don't lie... I don't really feel like Jacobs has played that poorly. I'm going to predict a breakout for Jacobs in the near future. I think he is doing the right things, playing the right way and the numbers will eventually catch up.
- I might get tired of pointing out how good Brendan Rouse has been. 3 Goals, 11 assists, +2 rating in 15 games... and it feels like he wins just about every face-off.
Tbirds get back home Friday and Saturday with another pair of benchmark games at home against Kamloops and Everett. Two games that Seattle really needs to get if they want to keep these playoff dreams realistic. I was shocked to realize this... but Seattle has already completed over 33% of their schedule. The old adage that "it's still early" is quickly going away.
Last night did nothing to convince me of either one and I am left as confused as ever. The first 12:25 of the game was just awful with the TBirds regressing back to their old form. Defense took a backseat to players trying to hard to score goals and 3 penalties that lead to 2 American PP goals.
Easily the Tbirds could have folded up the tent. They were down 3-0 and out-shot 11-0 before ending the first period down 5-1 and getting the shots back to 16-14.
Fold they didn't... as goals by Schappert and Parker in the 2nd period cut the American lead down to 2 goals. Unfortunately, that finished the scoring as the Tbirds fell 5-3.
So what can we think?? For nearly 13 minutes, they played like the "old" team... while for the other 47 minutes of the game they outscored the top team in the league 2-0. We can't just look at the horrid 13 minutes and assume "oh the old team is back... the 4 game winning streak was nice while it lasted".... but we also can't just ignore those 13 minutes.
This team is getting closer to "getting it" and losing to the Americans, on the road, in your 4th game in 5 days probably isn't bad enough for me to toss aside the winning streak as a fluke.
This team has to play from the back to the front. When they take care of everything in their defensive zone, everything else will eventually fall into place.
Couple of things to note...
- Tanner Muth is showing his age a little bit. One of our more steady defenders at the start of the year... Muth is now -20 overall and -16 in his last 15 games. I hate to say "I told you so" but... well I told you so. Muth has an extremely bright future as a defender in this league but it's just too difficult to excel as a 16 year old. Very few players can be great in their 16 year old season and we are now seeing our young defender go through some growing pains.
- Quick note on the Dillon "discussion" that was going on. I generally think that numbers don't lie and his +1 one of the best marks on the team. One of the reasons why scouts loved him so much going back to the draft rankings had more to do with some of the technical footwork that Dillon has and not some of the negatives that he has also shown. If you watch how Dillon gets his feet moving he has some raw ability that is very difficult to teach. Obviously scouts also care about things other than footwork which is why you didn't see him get drafted after posting a -11 last season. Point being... some of the raw talent is there, we just need to see some other things as well.
- Jeremy Schappert now has 15 points in 25 games and has already surpassed his career high of 13 points, which came last season. I think it is safe to say that this scoring touch is no fluke and with his 5 goals all coming in the past 9 games I think he has unlocked some offensive ability... not to mention that he is +7 for the month. For all of the Schappert haters out there... is there any doubt who Seattle's best overall defender is right now?
- The curious case of Colin Jacobs. After grabbing a goal and 2 assists in the season opener against Everett, Jacobs now has only 2 goals, 5 assists and a -16 rating in his last 23 games. The strange part is that while I am a guy who thinks that numbers don't lie... I don't really feel like Jacobs has played that poorly. I'm going to predict a breakout for Jacobs in the near future. I think he is doing the right things, playing the right way and the numbers will eventually catch up.
- I might get tired of pointing out how good Brendan Rouse has been. 3 Goals, 11 assists, +2 rating in 15 games... and it feels like he wins just about every face-off.
Tbirds get back home Friday and Saturday with another pair of benchmark games at home against Kamloops and Everett. Two games that Seattle really needs to get if they want to keep these playoff dreams realistic. I was shocked to realize this... but Seattle has already completed over 33% of their schedule. The old adage that "it's still early" is quickly going away.
11.16.2009
Notes from a Happy Monday
Calvin Pickard is your WHL Goaltender of the week. This is the second time this season that Pickard has taken home such an award. Hopefully this time Calvin can take home the CHL Goaltender of the week.
I will say again... I don't really get too worked up over these awards but it is nice to see players rewarded when they deserve it.
Also...
Latest Massey Ratings are out and (surprise!) the Tbirds were the biggest mover in the league for the week.
Seattle moves up from 21st to 15th overall.
Offense is still ranked 21st but they have created a gap between themselves and Prince George while closing in on Chilliwack and Lethbridge in that measurement.
Defense moves up to 10th in the league.
Seattle fell all the way to 20th in home ice advantage... but I had better explain that one before anyone gets confused. The "HA" measurement in the Massey ratings is used to show the difference in a team's performance at home versus at home. Thus... being low on this list isn't really such a bad thing. For a while... the Tbirds were #1 in HA, which meant that more than any other team in the league they played better at home than they did on the road. That's what 0-7 on the road to start the season will do that to you.
So a ranking of 20th in home ice advantage now just means that the Tbirds have performed pretty equally at home and on the road.
So far the Tbirds have played the 3rd toughest schedule in the league and if you take the current rankings of their remaining opponents they will have played the toughest schedule in the league by the end of the season.
This is largely due to the fact that the U.S. Division is maintaining as the toughest rated division in the WHL.
Big this week will be to see if the Tbirds have truly become a different team or are merely riding a hot streak. You don't need to win in Kennewick tomorrow, but you need to compete and be close. Then you need to beat Kamloops at home on Friday and probably beat Everett at home on Saturday as well.
More stat dumps...
Seattle has moved up to 16th in Power Play and maintain near the top in Penalty Kill at 3rd.
Amazing... with this 20-3 stretch... the Tbirds have still been outscored 84-59 on the season.
I will say again... I don't really get too worked up over these awards but it is nice to see players rewarded when they deserve it.
Also...
Latest Massey Ratings are out and (surprise!) the Tbirds were the biggest mover in the league for the week.
Seattle moves up from 21st to 15th overall.
Offense is still ranked 21st but they have created a gap between themselves and Prince George while closing in on Chilliwack and Lethbridge in that measurement.
Defense moves up to 10th in the league.
Seattle fell all the way to 20th in home ice advantage... but I had better explain that one before anyone gets confused. The "HA" measurement in the Massey ratings is used to show the difference in a team's performance at home versus at home. Thus... being low on this list isn't really such a bad thing. For a while... the Tbirds were #1 in HA, which meant that more than any other team in the league they played better at home than they did on the road. That's what 0-7 on the road to start the season will do that to you.
So a ranking of 20th in home ice advantage now just means that the Tbirds have performed pretty equally at home and on the road.
So far the Tbirds have played the 3rd toughest schedule in the league and if you take the current rankings of their remaining opponents they will have played the toughest schedule in the league by the end of the season.
This is largely due to the fact that the U.S. Division is maintaining as the toughest rated division in the WHL.
Big this week will be to see if the Tbirds have truly become a different team or are merely riding a hot streak. You don't need to win in Kennewick tomorrow, but you need to compete and be close. Then you need to beat Kamloops at home on Friday and probably beat Everett at home on Saturday as well.
More stat dumps...
Seattle has moved up to 16th in Power Play and maintain near the top in Penalty Kill at 3rd.
Amazing... with this 20-3 stretch... the Tbirds have still been outscored 84-59 on the season.
11.15.2009
Perfect Weekend...
Tbirds just finished off a perfect weekend by beating the Giants on the road 5-0.
I honestly do not know what to say... I am speechless... or wordless. I really didn't think this team was capable of winning 4 in a row on the road against some pretty quality opponents.
Raise your hand if you thought a team that went 0-7 in their first 7 road games was going to go into Chilliwack, Kamloops, Everett and Vancouver and simply dominate. They outscored those teams 20-3 in those games.
I really don't know what to say guys... this is awesome. I have no choice but to revise my opinion on this team. It is pretty early in the season to be looking at standings and placements for the playoffs but this team has already caught Chilliwack for 8th place in the Western Conference. They aren't very far behind Kamloops for 7th and even Kamloops can now see the Tbirds a little bit in their rear view mirror for the 6th spot.
Simply an incredible weekend of hockey for Seattle.
See guys... I know what I'm doing by not going to game in Everett! One day... I'll see a win in Everett.
I honestly do not know what to say... I am speechless... or wordless. I really didn't think this team was capable of winning 4 in a row on the road against some pretty quality opponents.
Raise your hand if you thought a team that went 0-7 in their first 7 road games was going to go into Chilliwack, Kamloops, Everett and Vancouver and simply dominate. They outscored those teams 20-3 in those games.
I really don't know what to say guys... this is awesome. I have no choice but to revise my opinion on this team. It is pretty early in the season to be looking at standings and placements for the playoffs but this team has already caught Chilliwack for 8th place in the Western Conference. They aren't very far behind Kamloops for 7th and even Kamloops can now see the Tbirds a little bit in their rear view mirror for the 6th spot.
Simply an incredible weekend of hockey for Seattle.
See guys... I know what I'm doing by not going to game in Everett! One day... I'll see a win in Everett.
11.14.2009
Wow
Where did that come from??
I wanted to just throw down some quick thoughts after the game last night as the Tbirds crush the Blazers in Kamloops 7-2.
What a game for the Tbirds who are suddenly riding a 2 game winning "streak" after also earning a point down in Portland and playing Spokane tough at home 8 days ago.
I didn't get a chance to see or hear the game last night... the Monkey radio feed was not working and I have seen that more than a few other people had the same issue last night.
This team is starting to put things together... but I'm not quite ready to jump up and down excited just yet. Let's see how they play tonight in Everett and tomorrow in Vancouver. If they win both games on the road and go 3 for 3 for the weekend I might have to change my opinion about this team.
Per usual... I will NOT be going to Everett tonight. As some of you might recall... I have never witnessed a Seattle victory in Everett. No sense trying to jinx the boys now while they are on a little mini roll.
I wanted to just throw down some quick thoughts after the game last night as the Tbirds crush the Blazers in Kamloops 7-2.
What a game for the Tbirds who are suddenly riding a 2 game winning "streak" after also earning a point down in Portland and playing Spokane tough at home 8 days ago.
I didn't get a chance to see or hear the game last night... the Monkey radio feed was not working and I have seen that more than a few other people had the same issue last night.
This team is starting to put things together... but I'm not quite ready to jump up and down excited just yet. Let's see how they play tonight in Everett and tomorrow in Vancouver. If they win both games on the road and go 3 for 3 for the weekend I might have to change my opinion about this team.
Per usual... I will NOT be going to Everett tonight. As some of you might recall... I have never witnessed a Seattle victory in Everett. No sense trying to jinx the boys now while they are on a little mini roll.
11.13.2009
Tough Stretch
Really tough stretch of games for the Tbirds starting tonight in Kamloops.
Tonight's game actually represents probably their best chance to pick up a victory. Kamloops is a strong team, but hasn't played well lately going 2-8 in their last 10 games and going through a coaching change.
Using Massey Ratings... Kamloops is the 16th rated team in the league (Seattle is 21, ahead of only PG) while Everett comes in at #5, Vancouver at #9 and Tri-City checking in at #1.
The good news is that I think the Tbirds come into the game playing their best hockey of the season and if there was ever a time for them to take on the best in the West... I think now is the time.
Pick up a win in Kamloops and you never know what kind of momentum you might be able to take into Everett. Unfortunately, I also think the configuration of these games might hurt Seattle. I don't know this for a fact but I believe they are coming home after the game tonight before the Everett game tomorrow. Figuring time for a quick meal after the game... the Tbirds won't get back into Kent until early morning tomorrow. Sleep in a little before heading back up north to Everett. That is a tough turnaround.
Tonight's game actually represents probably their best chance to pick up a victory. Kamloops is a strong team, but hasn't played well lately going 2-8 in their last 10 games and going through a coaching change.
Using Massey Ratings... Kamloops is the 16th rated team in the league (Seattle is 21, ahead of only PG) while Everett comes in at #5, Vancouver at #9 and Tri-City checking in at #1.
The good news is that I think the Tbirds come into the game playing their best hockey of the season and if there was ever a time for them to take on the best in the West... I think now is the time.
Pick up a win in Kamloops and you never know what kind of momentum you might be able to take into Everett. Unfortunately, I also think the configuration of these games might hurt Seattle. I don't know this for a fact but I believe they are coming home after the game tonight before the Everett game tomorrow. Figuring time for a quick meal after the game... the Tbirds won't get back into Kent until early morning tomorrow. Sleep in a little before heading back up north to Everett. That is a tough turnaround.
11.10.2009
The Great Portland Screwjob of 2009... or not?
I devoted a good chunk of time going over and over and over the video from the Portland game on Saturday night and I think we can address some of the issues that came up from it.
One question Thom got out of the way on the pregame show.
Q: Why did Rob not call timeout when there was obvious confusion by the officials over the time left on the clock.
A: This is a pretty easy one. Timeouts are not allowed to be called back to back... since Portland had called their timeout to set up the face-off, Sumner could not call a timeout.
Ok now let's cover the sequence of events... listed by seconds left in the game.
22.8 - Wells throws the puck at the empty Portland net and rings it off the post. Two inches to the left and the game is effectively over.
19.0 - Portland gains possession and heads up the ice.
14.7 - Nielsen breaks up the rush but Portland maintains possession.
12.0 - Aronson works the puck into the zone.
10.5 - Chaffin gains control and chips off the glass. Aronson puts just enough pressure on Chaffin that he can't get more that a chip out of the zone.
5.0 - Rutkowski has passed the puck to Francis and you can hear PBP announcer Ian Furness say "5 seconds left" but actually by the time Rutkowski releases the puck there is 3.7 seconds left.
3.7 - Puck leaves Francis' stick and heads towards Pickard at the net. 4 Winterhawk players are roughly even with each other just above the circles spread across the zone.
3.0 - Pickard makes the save in the butterfly position. Referee Zalaski can be seen already having the whistle up to his mouth, likely in anticipation of a whistle.
2.6 - This is a very key number for obvious reasons. At 2.6 seconds Pickard has the puck saved in the butterfly position. 3 Winterhawk players are in the high slot ALL 3 players appear to still be slightly above the hash marks which is about 22 feet from the goal and roughly 16 feet from Pickard. Zalaski has the whistle in his mouth but the linesman has not yet made a move.
2.3 - Linesman makes his first stride towards the net. I've been told by hockey people that generally speaking linesmen are like robots, they move when the whistle blows and generally not before so this is a decent indication that Zalaski probably had blown the whistle between 2.3 and 2.6 seconds.
Quick break for a WHL rule check.
Second 32.2 of the WHL Rulebook states... "As there is human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening. In the event of any dispute regarding time or the expiration of penalties, the matter shall be referred to the Referee for adjustment and his decision shall be final. He may use the Video Goal Judge to assist in rendering the final decision."
So... here is what I'm thinking. The clock actually stops at 1.7 seconds and before the puck is dropped the linesman tells Zalaski something to the effect of "we need to check the clock". So Zalaski goes to the video judge and discusses. I'm not sure if he actually can see the video from the ice level but I have to assume that when he looks at the tape he sees that the whistle goes to his mouth around 2.6 seconds and says 'that is where I deemed that the play has been stopped' and decides that 2.6 seconds is where the clock should be placed.
However... the catch here is the Zalaski never looks at anything! He goes over to the scoretable talks to them briefly, then goes and says something to Sumner... Sumner then motions to his team and if I am reading lips correctly says "two" as in Zalaski just told him that they were adjusting the clock to 2.0 seconds. Moments later the clock is actually adjusted to 2.0 seconds..... but the linesman does not drop the puck right away and waits momentarily as the clock is adjusted up to 2.6 seconds. It appears though that Zalaski all along had known the clock would be reset to 2.6 seconds because they all stand around and wait until the clock is moved to 2.6.
So the clock now sits at 2.6 seconds. I stop-watched the time from puck drop to the time Zalaski points at the goal over 20 times yesterday and 7 more times today. Of the 7 trials I did today... my average with the stop-watch was 2.397 seconds. This is from puck drop to right before Zalaski points to the goal. If I wait until Zalaski points... I get around 2.6 seconds. So as far as I can tell the puck goes in before the clock reads 0.0.
I had a fellow fan breakdown the video into individual frames of the video and by conservative measures it appears as though the goal probably went in with about 0.5 seconds left on the clock.
Conclusion...
I think Seattle has a legit gripe on a few things... If indeed Zalaski had blown the whistle with 2.6 seconds left, why was the whistle so quick with skaters still approximately 16 feet away from the net. With Portland calling timeout... why did it take so long to establish what the correct time is? Shouldn't Seattle be afforded the ability to know how much time is left on the clock well before Zalaski finally informs Rob Sumner at the bench... just a few seconds before the actual puck was dropped? With Portland having called a timeout... stripping Seattle of the opportunity to call a timeout themselves and set up their own strategy... the Tbirds were really given the old bait and switch tactic thinking they had 1.7 seconds left on the clock while the timeout was going on only to have nearly a full second put back on the clock and no time to change their strategy.
Having said that... by any honest measurement... it appears to me that the clock was likely correctly set to 2.6 seconds and the goal was correctly scored before 2.6 seconds had expired.
The average auditory reaction time of a human is .14 - .16 seconds and it took the Portland timekeeper anywhere from .6 - .9 seconds to actually stop the clock. This didn't cost the Tbirds the game... but is just simply poor execution.
Fault the timekeepers for a poor job, fault Zalaski (perhaps) for a quick whistle... but from my perspective they probably got the clock right and they probably scored the goal in enough time. Just a fluke goal in a fluke situation that cost the Tbirds a point.
One question Thom got out of the way on the pregame show.
Q: Why did Rob not call timeout when there was obvious confusion by the officials over the time left on the clock.
A: This is a pretty easy one. Timeouts are not allowed to be called back to back... since Portland had called their timeout to set up the face-off, Sumner could not call a timeout.
Ok now let's cover the sequence of events... listed by seconds left in the game.
22.8 - Wells throws the puck at the empty Portland net and rings it off the post. Two inches to the left and the game is effectively over.
19.0 - Portland gains possession and heads up the ice.
14.7 - Nielsen breaks up the rush but Portland maintains possession.
12.0 - Aronson works the puck into the zone.
10.5 - Chaffin gains control and chips off the glass. Aronson puts just enough pressure on Chaffin that he can't get more that a chip out of the zone.
5.0 - Rutkowski has passed the puck to Francis and you can hear PBP announcer Ian Furness say "5 seconds left" but actually by the time Rutkowski releases the puck there is 3.7 seconds left.
3.7 - Puck leaves Francis' stick and heads towards Pickard at the net. 4 Winterhawk players are roughly even with each other just above the circles spread across the zone.
3.0 - Pickard makes the save in the butterfly position. Referee Zalaski can be seen already having the whistle up to his mouth, likely in anticipation of a whistle.
2.6 - This is a very key number for obvious reasons. At 2.6 seconds Pickard has the puck saved in the butterfly position. 3 Winterhawk players are in the high slot ALL 3 players appear to still be slightly above the hash marks which is about 22 feet from the goal and roughly 16 feet from Pickard. Zalaski has the whistle in his mouth but the linesman has not yet made a move.
2.3 - Linesman makes his first stride towards the net. I've been told by hockey people that generally speaking linesmen are like robots, they move when the whistle blows and generally not before so this is a decent indication that Zalaski probably had blown the whistle between 2.3 and 2.6 seconds.
Quick break for a WHL rule check.
Second 32.2 of the WHL Rulebook states... "As there is human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening. In the event of any dispute regarding time or the expiration of penalties, the matter shall be referred to the Referee for adjustment and his decision shall be final. He may use the Video Goal Judge to assist in rendering the final decision."
So... here is what I'm thinking. The clock actually stops at 1.7 seconds and before the puck is dropped the linesman tells Zalaski something to the effect of "we need to check the clock". So Zalaski goes to the video judge and discusses. I'm not sure if he actually can see the video from the ice level but I have to assume that when he looks at the tape he sees that the whistle goes to his mouth around 2.6 seconds and says 'that is where I deemed that the play has been stopped' and decides that 2.6 seconds is where the clock should be placed.
However... the catch here is the Zalaski never looks at anything! He goes over to the scoretable talks to them briefly, then goes and says something to Sumner... Sumner then motions to his team and if I am reading lips correctly says "two" as in Zalaski just told him that they were adjusting the clock to 2.0 seconds. Moments later the clock is actually adjusted to 2.0 seconds..... but the linesman does not drop the puck right away and waits momentarily as the clock is adjusted up to 2.6 seconds. It appears though that Zalaski all along had known the clock would be reset to 2.6 seconds because they all stand around and wait until the clock is moved to 2.6.
So the clock now sits at 2.6 seconds. I stop-watched the time from puck drop to the time Zalaski points at the goal over 20 times yesterday and 7 more times today. Of the 7 trials I did today... my average with the stop-watch was 2.397 seconds. This is from puck drop to right before Zalaski points to the goal. If I wait until Zalaski points... I get around 2.6 seconds. So as far as I can tell the puck goes in before the clock reads 0.0.
I had a fellow fan breakdown the video into individual frames of the video and by conservative measures it appears as though the goal probably went in with about 0.5 seconds left on the clock.
Conclusion...
I think Seattle has a legit gripe on a few things... If indeed Zalaski had blown the whistle with 2.6 seconds left, why was the whistle so quick with skaters still approximately 16 feet away from the net. With Portland calling timeout... why did it take so long to establish what the correct time is? Shouldn't Seattle be afforded the ability to know how much time is left on the clock well before Zalaski finally informs Rob Sumner at the bench... just a few seconds before the actual puck was dropped? With Portland having called a timeout... stripping Seattle of the opportunity to call a timeout themselves and set up their own strategy... the Tbirds were really given the old bait and switch tactic thinking they had 1.7 seconds left on the clock while the timeout was going on only to have nearly a full second put back on the clock and no time to change their strategy.
Having said that... by any honest measurement... it appears to me that the clock was likely correctly set to 2.6 seconds and the goal was correctly scored before 2.6 seconds had expired.
The average auditory reaction time of a human is .14 - .16 seconds and it took the Portland timekeeper anywhere from .6 - .9 seconds to actually stop the clock. This didn't cost the Tbirds the game... but is just simply poor execution.
Fault the timekeepers for a poor job, fault Zalaski (perhaps) for a quick whistle... but from my perspective they probably got the clock right and they probably scored the goal in enough time. Just a fluke goal in a fluke situation that cost the Tbirds a point.
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