2022 Stanley Cup playoffs thread

They all mean “have another doughnut, you fat pig!”

 

They had Koharski on between regulation and overtime talking about Lafreniere ripping the helmet off Pettersson's head and I immediately heard Jim Schoenfeld's voice in my mind.

 

“Jim Schoenfeld, who as an NHL head coach, once told a referee to eat a doughnut, died yesterday …”

 

Must have been the other channel. They had ref expert Dave Jackson and he said something we've never heard. Since the helmet rule was put in, everybody has said that the player HAS to go directly to the bench, can't pick up the helmet, etc. Jackson said that if the helmet is next to you, you CAN pick it up. You don't have to attach the chin strap and you can keep playing. The experts on set, Melrose and Chelios, looked surprised. Both said they didn't know that. Everything they knew was, you had to go to the bench. Chelios said it's the Olympics rules and that's what everybody knows. Obviously, Pettersson didn't know, Sullivan didn't know. The announcers didn't know.
Who knew?

 

I once sat next to Jim Schoenfeld in a press box and it took every single ounce of restraint not to ask him for a donut.

 

I was watching and I'm pretty sure it was Koharski. The female anchor, sorry, don't know who she is, knew the rule but the guys didn't.

 

Jackson is on ESPN; Koharski on Turner. They both correctly addressed the issue at different times during different intermission reports. Jennifer Botterill (former Canadian National Team member) is the Turner female analyst. She sat in Gretzky's seat and offered tremendous insight. She was superior to the obvious blah, blah, blah offered by Tocchet, Carter and Bissonnette. Turner has got to expand her role.

EDIT: I will give Tocchet credit for saying a couple of days ago that Sullivan would play Jarry in Game 7. Of course, he knows what's going on over there.

 

Koharski talked about the same rule, but some of the announcers already knew they could put the helmet back on. The problem with that is if it pops off, but the chin strap stays on. Honestly, I don't think that mattered, anyway, except that Pettersson was right in thinking that should have been a penalty.

 

I'm certain I was on the ESPN game and the studio panel was Buccigross, Melrose and Chelios, with an inset of Jackson as the ref analyst. Maybe Turner did the same thing. I know they were using Koharski and had Jen Botterill on their panel.

Regardless, the point is: What's the rule? If the players, coaches, media and fans don't know, how the hell can that happen?

But this brings up another problem. Two networks, rotating studio panels. It is hard to keep track of it all. Tocchet did a pretty cool fake skit where he pretended to be pissed off, threw his notes in the air and said, "What's with this Gretzky guy? He shows up whenever he wants?"

 

Agreed. She was very good, and seemed to have a better understanding of the rule they were discussing than the guys.

 

Here's the rule: