In the wake of last night’s 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and the uproar over the major penalty and game misconduct imposed on Brandon Dubinsky for his hit on Saku Koivu, emotions have been running high in the Twitterverse and elsewhere over the hit, the call and the hockey community reaction to both. Some similar sniping has emerged concerning the fact that the Blue Jackets are a game below .500 and the attendance at the Anaheim game wasn’t where it should be. As is seemingly necessary a few times each year, it’s time to take a brief reality check and put things in perspective.
The Dubinsky Hit
For those who have not seen it, here is the video from You Tube — which is the Anaheim feed of the incident:
http://youtu.be/MTSsQ7UwnZ0
A few things to note here, which may not be apparent from the video, but were evident in real time at the arena. First, the referees made no call at the time. Watch the refs in the clip — they are going about their business of cleaning up the scrum in the crease and getting ready for the face-off. Sure, hits like this can be missed, but this crew made a similar no-call earlier in the game on an equally, if not more destructive, hit on Artem Anisimov. It was only after a linesman went to the referees that the officials all huddled and came up with the major for interference and the game misconduct. Of course, as everyone knows, Anaheim managed one goal in the five-minute power play, which eventually represented the winning margin.
There are a lot of points to be made, but I’ll try to confine it to a few key aspects. First, even if you assume that two referees totally missed the hit occurring in the wide open area of the offensive zone, immediately after Koivu passed the puck, I find it troubling that a major and game misconduct can be initiated by a linesman, whose primary job is to watch feet and lines. To subject a team to that drastic penalty, and the player to potential supplemental discipline, based upon what really amounts to hearsay, violates all notions of fairness. As it turns out — confirmed by both Bob MacKenzie of TSN and the Jacket’s Jarmo Kekäläinen — there will be no NHL hearing, nor any supplemental discipline for the hit. The league found what the real time impression was — a body to body hit with incidental contact to the head.
Reading all of the reactions is amusing, as it reminds me of witness statements after an accident. Everyone saw everything clearly, but no two versions are alike. The majority of those looking for Dubinsky’s head characterized it as clearly being a direct shot to the head, with most asserting an elbow to the jaw. What I see on the slow motion view is a shoulder hit to the body, which causes Koivu’s upper body to go backwards as his feet continue to go forward. As that happens, part of his chin may come in contact with Dubinsky’s shoulder, but Koivu’s stick definitely hits him in the face. Dubinsky’s arm and elbow come up only after the initial contact, and does not seem to make any direct contact at all. Koivu bangs his head on the ice. It was a hockey play, pure and simple.
Finally, I don’t recall ever seeing a major for interference. The hit in real time sure seemed to be within the allowable time after the puck was passed, so arguably the call should not have been made at all. But if you are going to make a call, are you objecting to the fact of the contact, or the nature of the contact? The NHL has disposed of the latter issue, and that apparently was not a concern for the officials, as they did not even call roughing. If the former, it was certainly within the arguable time frame, so how can you impose a major for interference, much less a game misconduct. I have a real problem with referees being able to impose that kind of sanction for a penalty they either did not observe or chose not to call.
At the end of the day, it was one of many bad or missed calls in last night’s game. It won’t be the last time that happens. Move along, nothing to see here.
Scattergun Whining
I never cease to be amazed by how some folks can take a small bit of adversity, massage it a bit, and magically convert it into a tidal wave of negativity. While I’ll admit that I am not a pessimist at heart, I also disagree with those who charge me with unreasoned optimism. I’m really more of a pragmatist — the glass is neither half full or half empty — it’s just twice as big as it needs to be. I’ve also seen a lot of sports seasons come and go over the years, so I think I have a pretty good sense of when the panic button needs to be pushed, and it is not even close to that point with the Blue Jackets.
My take on the first ten games was published Sunday, and nothing in that night’s game changed that assessment. Sure, there’s lots of room for improvement, but also lots to be happy about. A lackluster beginning to the second period, two freaky bounces and a really rotten call sunk yesterday’s effort, but there were positives as well. The Blue Jackets showed tenacity and skill in the comeback effort last night, and but for the bounce onto Perry’s stick, would almost certainly have garnered at least a point. A win last night would have put them in 2nd place in the Metro, so we need to keep things in context. It’s a long season, and there are going to be ups and downs — for every team.
Insofar as the attendance is concerned, the 10,542 was small, no doubt. However, it’s not the result of disappointment over the beginning of the season, nor is it a foreboding omen for the rest of the season. To be sure, the sins of past seasons will not be fully forgiven until the club makes a deep playoff run, so that is a given. However, more relevant to yesterday is the fact that October (other than Opening Night) is traditionally slow, and Anaheim is one of those Far West teams that has never been able to independently draw fans. Combine the two, and you end up with a small crowd. Consider that the last time October hockey was played in Columbus, it took three games after the opener before the crowd got above 10,000. When the Blue Jackets squared off against the Ducks in October of 08-09 — the only playoff year — only 10,494 showed up. In 2010-2011, the two Anaheim visits drew 11,700 and 9,802. Sure, there have been times where a decent crowed showed up for Anaheim, but it’s just not a big draw.
November is always better, as high school football and the college season winds down, and attendance gets to full vigor after that. Such is the way of the world. This is one of the big reasons that the move to the Eastern Conference is huge. With the possible exceptions of Florida and Tampa Bay, every opponent is a potential rival, and the attendance will show it — in due course. Rome was not built in a day, and it’s going to take the casual fan some time to get used to the new rivalries, the new playoff structure, etc. It will happen. Season tickets saw a big boost over last year, and win, lose or draw, this is an exciting club to watch, and one that is putting forth full effort. Those of us closest to the team sometimes forget that a lot of casual fans don’t really understand that the NHL has started up again. Imagine that . . .
Opinions & Civility
As I alluded to at the top, there has been a surprising amount of turmoil and virtual sparring in the wake of yesterday’s events. I had some rather pointed and personal darts thrown my way, and others in the blogging community experienced similar slings and arrows, to one extent or another. Now, I’m not complaining about that, mind you, as that’s a risk we assume by engaging in the pastime of blogging, tweeting and otherwise making our opinions known to a larger audience. I expect that people will disagree with me, and in fact relish the opportunity to debate the issues. Debate shows that people care, and caring is almost universally a good thing. So, I have no problem if you think I’m all wet in my view on Dubinsky’s hit.
You see, at the end of the day, it’s all a matter of opinion. I’m not Mike Priest, John Davidson or Jarmo Kekäläinen. None of us are. Even here at The Union Blue, we can disagree on lots of things. I like to think I do my homework and base my opinion on facts, but this is not arithmetic, where there is only one right answer (Note that I said arithmetic, not mathematics, nor theoretical physics where I understand that the realm of imaginary numbers and multiple dimensions can theoretically yield multiple correct answers. So, no snarky comments along these lines, please.)
What I think I do have the right to expect is that if you have a problem with my opinion — or the opinion of anyone else, for that matter — that you bring it up in a civil fashion, preferably also supported by facts. The latter is optional, of course, as Congress repeatedly demonstrates, but it does tend to add weight to one’s argument. I am not an “idiot” because I disagree with you, nor should the legitimacy of my birth be questioned. (I use “I” here, but it applies to anybody). Being a fan should be an enjoyable experience, and I shouldn’t have to read things about people abandoning Twitter, or Facebook or blogging because of the abuse they take.
I’m a whole-hearted advocate of social media and the communications channels that technology has opened for mankind. However, as is so often the case, there is a greater tendency to embrace the freedom offered than to accept the responsibility that comes with that freedom. A few years ago, I wrote a two-part series on some of the issues of responsibility arising from emerging media, and the conflict with traditional media (Part I, Part II). While Part II is more relevant to the issue at hand, both remain relevant today. The point is that I continue to see people tweet and post things that I presume they would never have the guts — or bad taste — to say to someone in person. The anonymity of virtuality vests cowards with courage, and it’s sad to see. I try to never, ever say something in a tweet, post or article that I would not say to a person’s face. A good general rule is : “If you wouldn’t want it read in open court, or sent to your mother, just don’t say it.”
Disagree and debate from here to Christmas. That’s part of the fun of being a fan. However, when the lack of civility starts driving people away, then the pendulum has swung too far. It’s just hockey, folks.
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