John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Three Stars of Comedy
The second star: Brad Marchand – He's tweeting out video games memes and pumping the tires of the next generation.
The first star: Kings vs. Karlsson – Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty are good here, but the real star is Dustin Brown.Wait. Do we… do we like Brad Marchand and Dustin Brown now? I know it's 2017 and nothing makes sense anymore, but that feels like a bridge too far.
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Outrage of the Week
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But there isn't, because the protocol rules are trying to strike a balance between enhancing player safety and minimizing disruption. That why goalies are so tricky; they throw the equation out of whack. And it's why they seem to be treated differently when it comes to concussions—remember Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury taking a knee to the head, finishing the game, and then being placed on injured reserve?Again, maybe the answer here is to just enforce the same rules for everyone and live with the consequences, even if it means that goalies have to come out every now and then. Given what we know about the long-term impact of head injuries, that seems like a pretty reasonable position. Just remember that if that's the standard you want to apply to Jonathan Quick in the first period on Monday, it also applies to your favorite team's goalie in overtime of a game seven.
Obscure Former Player of the Week
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Be It Resolved
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Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown
- It's the 1985-86 season, and the NHL is looking for ways to improve its officiating. They've got a half-million dollars to spend, and one of their ideas is instant replay review. But it's still experimental, because the league wants to get it right. After all, the worst thing you could do is bring in a new replay rule and find out everyone hates it.
- I have no idea who this anchor is, but I like him. He seems earnest. And I like how he's going old school and just reading his intro off a piece of paper in front of him. He's no Sugar Joe Tilley, but he's alright.
- I'm also enjoying the NHL logo, superimposed on a background of NHL logos. I think this story might be about the NHL, you guys.
- We start off with a cool clip. It's a disputed Mike Gartner goal, and referee Dan Marouelli is wearing a mic so we get to hear the entire conversation between officials and captains as they try to sort out what happened. Special credit to veteran linesman Gord Broseker, who is clearly trying to tell Marouelli he messed up without using those specific words.
- Marouelli is pretty confident the puck was in, even telling Brian Sutter he had "perfect vision." When Sutter keeps chirping, Marouelli hits him with "Why would I lie to you, I was in perfect position." Maybe don't oversell it here, Dan.
- Hey, we all thought that Dan Marouelli kind of looked like David Bowie, right? That wasn't just me? Cool.
- Our reporter is Brian MacFarlane, who must have caught up with John Davidson for most YouTube section appearances by now. He serves up a slow-motion replay of the Gartner goal, which shows that it wasn't a goal at all. It clearly rings off the crossbar, meaning Marouelli did lie to Sutter. But why?
- NHL VP of Officiating Ian Morrison is here to outline some of the league's concerns, including camera positioning. He explains that it's crucial to have working cameras in every building in the league, before adding "Although I suppose we could probably get away with not having them in Buffalo during the Stanley Cup final, right?"
- There are other concerns, including the time it would take to get the call right. I can't decide if it's reassuring or not to hear the same arguments being made in 1985 that we still have today. But we do get a neat look at hockey's first ever replay review, from an exhibition game between Team Canada and Michigan State. "The replay showed the referee's decision to be absolutely correct." Was that so hard, Marouelli?
- We cut to an interview with Toronto captain Rick Vaive, who supports the idea. Then comes a fantastic clip of the Leafs getting screwed over by a goal judge in New York, which leads to goalie Don Edwards going over to bang on the glass and point at his eyes. Sadly, he does not break out this move.
- Referee Kerry Fraser ends up counting the goal, one of three scored by Bob Brooke in a 7-3 Rangers win. Years later, the Leafs would get some payback against Brooke. Fraser, not so much.
- MacFarlane ends his report with an extended sequence of furious players and coaches, highlighted by a leaping Chico Resch. I miss when guys would have full-on meltdowns during NHL games. I think every team should get one per game. And if you turn out to be right about the call, you get it back, just like your challenge.
- Sadly, we never circle back to Marouelli. I really wanted to see what the final call was, and what kind of closure he got with Sutter. Even if it counted, it's still not the worst disputed goal call the Sutter boys will ever see.
- And we end up with our earnest anchor, who informs us that a final decision on using replay is still to come. But he can assure us of one thing: The league will only ever use replay to determine if the puck has gone in the net. That makes sense. After all, if you started reviewing other calls, you might screw it up.