Campbell Admits Holmstrom is a Marked Man

The Vancouver Sun (found via George Malik) has a quote from NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell where Campbell admits that refs have been instructed to watch Tomas Holmstrom closely.

“Babcock said we were watching for it. Listen, we’d be fools if we didn’t meet before games to talk about Holmstrom. He crowds the crease. You don’t have to be Sam flippin’ Pollock to figure that out,” the NHL’s senior VP of hockey operations, Colin Campbell, said in a telephone interview with The Vancouver Sun.

The Sun didn’t push further, choosing to focus on the need for video review in plays like the one we saw Wednesday.

He’s my question for Campbell: Who else is marked? Is Ryan Smyth watched just like Holmstrom? Are the officials on the lookout for slashes by Marty Turco or elbows from Chris Pronger or holds by Steve Ott?

Yes, Holmstrom crowds the crease. But when Pronger plays a highly-physical game it’s praised and referred to as playing on the edge. Holmstrom plays on a different edge but it doesn’t mean he should be treated any less leniently.