It's Three Days Later And I Still Can't Fucking Believe This Was Called A Penalty Late In A Scoreless Game Seven

I've made a concerted effort to not shit on the officiating during these playoffs. These guys are also in the bubble and sacrificing the same things as everyone else but without the potential glory of raising the Stanley Cup or being a post-season hero. It's hard work that's probably gotten a bit monotonous by now and they're doing the best they can.

Have they been perfect? No. I just think they've been calling games more like the regular season than a typical 'let them play' post-season style. And it took some guys a little longer to adapt to the more stringent standard. The amount of online crybabying hasn't been commensurate with the quality of the reffing. Fans of every team love to whine and play the victim yet it's been much worse in previous years. 

But THIS?

Game 7. Winner goes onto semis. Score is 0-0. Back-up goalie Thatcher Demko is on the verge of rope-a-dopin' the chalk right the fuck out of the playoffs. And then the stripes decide to insert themselves into a classic affair with an absolute dogshit hooking call. That's a play that happens countless times in an average game. J.T. Miller wasn't trying out for the Sea World water show or didn't take away a scoring chance. Some might even say he was just playing net front defense. 

So to make that call with under seven minutes left in a 'loser goes home' game, to put a powerhouse PP unit on already-tilted ice over such a chintzy call was a tough thing to watch and, believe it or not, I actually felt horrible for the Canucks and their fans. They deserved better and Thatcher Demko sure as hell deserved better.

I didn't even have a (financial) dog in the fight and thus didn't really care who won. I just hated to see such a huge game essentially end in such a nefarious fashion. 

So now here's Robin Lehner's all-time save to cleanse the palate.