Puck Daddy On NHL Review System: 'It's Just Stupid'
BOSTON (CBS) --There's no further review needed: The NHL's replay system is very, very flawed.
While it certainly looked like Patrice Bergeron snuck one by Roberto Luongo in the third period, which would have brought the Bruins even with the Panthers 2-2, the ruling on the ice was a no-goal and after a lengthy review, the suits in Toronto couldn't find definitive evidence that the puck crossed the line.
Judge for yourself:
Greg Wyshynski, better known as "Puck Daddy," joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Friday morning to discuss the NHL's replay system, and agrees that a lot of work needs to be done to improve the process.
"The NHL basically relies on the feeds that are available to all of us. It's just stupid," said Wyshynski. "There are two basic problems with what happened last night. The first is in an age where everyone has a Go-Pro camera – you have moms in supermarkets wearing it around their heads and putting it on YouTube -- you can't put a tiny camera somewhere in the net to record a puck crossing the line? It's a shame to think we can't get that. The other problem is the NHL is so held up – it's like watching a criminal case – on reasonable doubt that it supersedes logic. Anyone who looks at that play last night, logic says it was a goal. They're saying you don't know where it was in regard to the goal line."
The league actually had a good idea that would have solved Thursday night's issue, but balked at implementing it for fear of "confusing fans."
"They had an idea a few years ago that was pretty smart; they were going to put a tiny red line behind the goal line and if the puck touched that line, it was far enough behind the goal so if the puck touched that line, you'd know it was a goal," explained Wyshynski. "They never did it because too many general mangers thought it 'would be too confusing for fans at home to have two lines behind the goalie.' That's why they never did it."
At least the horrible logic is consistent in the NHL offices.
As for Boston's playoff chances, they took a big hit with Thursday night's loss. The Bruins are still hanging on to a playoff spot but have the Flyers and Red Wings just one point behind them, and both teams have played fewer games than Boston. But Wyshynski thinks the Bruins should be able to hold them off and make the postseason.
"They are [flawed teams]. The Flyers are basically a one-line team with that Claude Giroux line. Their leading scorer has been Radko Gudas. With the Red Wings, it's a team that can't get out of their own way. The legacy and weight of keeping that playoff streak alive, you see it on their shoulders every shift they take," he said. "Both of these teams are ripe for the picking. They both have flaws and you would think the Bruins should be able to keep their head above water with one of them, but it's getting tight. They do have a game left against Detroit and a game in hand, so they have that four-point swing in their back pocket if they can pull it out."