Stating the Obvious: The Wings Lucked Out

I spend enough time questioning the officiating when it goes against the Red Wings that it would be hypocritical of me not to do to so tonight.

With Detroit up 2-1 in the game’s closing minutes, Ilya Kovalchuk poked a loose puck past Jimmy Howard. Tie game? Nope. The referee ruled that Howard had been pushed in with the puck.

Replay shows this is clearly the wrong call. The puck was loose and the goal should have been good. But the ref couldn’t have been in position to see that.

This is a case where more replay has to be allowed. Either that or more input from the other officials on the ice.

None of the spots on the ice where that ref should have been would have allowed him to see the other side of Howard’s pad. Based on a strict interpretation of the rules – the kind of interpretation that the Wings get burned on with “intent to blow” calls – the referee can never make the right call because he will never be able to see exactly what’s happening.

The Red Wings lucked out on this one but that doesn’t change the fact that it was a bad call made possible by flawed rules. It’s time to accept the simple fact that the referee can’t see everything on the ice.