Wings vs Flames: Game 5 suspension list
By rabi9634
@rabi9634 (419)
United States
April 21, 2007 7:05pm CST
Anyone who watched the third period during Game 5 of the Detroit/Calgary series, regardless of the team they supported, had to have been disgusted with Calgary.
After two blatant slashes, Jamie McLennan took his stick and swung it like an axe into the midsection of Franzen. He was only in the game for maybe a dozen seconds. He was assessed 2 for slashing, 5 for intent to injure, and a game misconduct. I hope the NHL comes down on him with fury and gives him the type of suspension that kind of an act deserves. More disturbing was that this guy was CONGRATULATED as he left the ice by some of his team, and the coach didn't seem to show any surprise that it had happened.
Earlier in the game, Lebda attempted a hipcheck on Langkow. Langkow somehow managed to lay there looking injured after play died down. Of course, that was after he used one arm to grab Lebda by the helmet, and the other arm to deliver a cheap uppercut. I doubt the NHL is going to give any discipline for this one. It's a shame.
Then to cap off the game, you have Jerome Iginla. He hooked one of the Wings, and while skating alongside he threw what was obviously a butt-end into the midsection, and followed it up with a crosscheck. I truly hope that there's a good enough angle to show the butt-end cheapshot, and the NHL delivers the appropriate response.
Calgary has shown that they are a good hockey team up until today. That's all gone now that we've seen what they're really like.
The NHL needs to keep this kind of garbage out of the league. I hope the backlash for Calgary's behavior matches their actions.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@heatherc (398)
• United States
22 Apr 07
It is being reported that McLennan is the only suspension (5 games). I also read that there will be fines assessed to their coach and the team, which is pre-mandated.
Let's hope that the refs remember yesterday's game and call the game accordingly. The Flames aren't saints, not in Detroit and not in Canada. Some of the calls yesterday were just ridiculous...like the Maltby goaltender interference call when he was checked by a Calgary player into the goaltender, which resulted in a goal for the Wings being disallowed and a Calgary power play. Based on the box score, you would think that the Wings had the power play edge, but the majority of them came when the Wings had the game well in hand.
The best revenge will be eliminating the Flames on their own ice. If the Wings can carry over their dominating play from Saturday's game, that is exactly what will happen.
@rabi9634 (419)
• United States
22 Apr 07
To be honest, I haven't been happy with the officiating through the entire series. For as much as Calgary has been gifted with some pretty weak calls, even Detroit has has their share. Just look at the penalty shot. Cleary did in fact manage to get a shot off. As much as I love that he scored, I don't think it should have been a penalty shot. Other breakaways this series most definitely should have been, but weren't.
I'd much rather see the refs make good calls when the infractions happen, rather than trying to play catchup and give out make-up calls the entire series.
@DarthDub (47)
• United States
22 Apr 07
I don't watch a whole lot of hockey,but what i saw in that game today just seemed like a bit much. At one point Detroit had a 5 0n 2 going i belive it was. That doesn't happen very often does it? I've seen two guys in the box alot,but three! What were they doing headhunting eachother out there on the ice?
@rabi9634 (419)
• United States
22 Apr 07
Actually, I'm pretty sure that 5 on 2 never happens. The most they'll do is 5 on 3. The other penalties don't actually start until one of the earlier ones gets released. In effect, they could be off for like 4 minutes before their penalty time even starts.
But yeah, there were definitely some crowded moments in the sin bin today.
1 person likes this
@inked4life (4224)
• United States
22 Apr 07
I am a huge Flames fan and am a little biased in this but the only one that I thought was really bad was the McLennan slash...Langkow was clipped and responded with a punch that went unnoticed...Iginla was trying to start a fight (although if they deem his first contact to be a butt-end he will receive a suspension), and no-one took the bait...this is playoff hockey and in a blow-out game this is the kind of stuff that goes on at the end, right or wrong, thats the way it has always been.
@rabi9634 (419)
• United States
22 Apr 07
Iginla was quoted (check out the NHL.com game review) as saying that the last few minutes, they were out there to fight. Ironic that such admissions have been grounds for suspensions in the past. It's one of hockey's unwritten rules. You don't say you're out to do it, you just go out and do it.
It's unnerving that even the Calgary news sites have gotten comments on how poorly Calgary handled themselves in the last minutes of the period, yet the sports media have downplayed everything. My concern to all of this is that if the NHL doesn't hand down appropriate punishment, they're essentially giving the green light to the other teams in the league to pull this sort of mayhem when they're on the losing end in a playoff series.
I hope they show more class tomorrow. Even if they were to come back and beat Detroit in the next two games by insane margins, you'd never see that kind of behavior from the Wings, and that's because it simply isn't acceptable.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
22 Apr 07
All this does is rev up The Red Wings. They are a tough team and they will fight if you want to fight. But they are not stupid.They have a great powerplay and they don't usually take bad penalties.I think The Flames that being tough means staring fights. But all it does is get you in trouble. I like The Flames of a couple seasons ago. That team played tough and smart. And they made it to the final. This team doesn't deserve to be in the playoffs.Here'd hoping all this foolishness will stop, one way or another, tomorrow night. Go Wings!
@ironstruck (2298)
• Canada
22 Apr 07
Really, the series is a serious mis-match and I don't know how the flames got this far.
Sometimes teams can just fake their way through it somehow, but then eventually the real class begins to show up.
Some teams just cannot handle losing.
@rabi9634 (419)
• United States
22 Apr 07
Take a look at the stats for the Flames home record. Consider the number of penalties called on them and against their opponents when compared for home and away games.
The NHL is not happy with it, but the Flames 'somehow' see far more penalties called against their opponents when the games are in Calgary than when the games are elsewhere. The atmosphere in Calgary seems to have an effect on the refs. I think that makes a pretty big impact on why they got as far as they did.
