Been awhile

Yes, it's been a bit. I took some time recovering from my Flyers depression. But now it's back to the ice. Did some officiating at a little kids tournament. Things went real well. This weekend it's an adult tournament. Adult leagues are quite different. Try and reason with a hot-headed 20-something or an over-the-hill 35-year-old who thinks they know it all. Not fun at all. But not everyone is like that. There are plenty of guys who play the sport for the right reason -- because it's actually a tremendous sport. So I am looking forward to this weekend. I will check in over the weekend to keep you posted.

July 4 holiday

Last Sunday I officiated a championship game at the squirt level. It was my first championship game and I will admit to being very nervous. Even in a spring season, a final game is a final game. I tried to be very focused and make all the right calls. I missed an offsides or two which is tough but being the lone official on the ice is just as tough. The game was a very good game. It was 2-2 late in the third period when I called one team for two penalties late in the period. It did lead to the other team scoring the winning goal but a penalty is a penalty. A lot of players for some reason believe that because a game is close at the end that the officials shouldn't make a call. Wrong. A penalty is a penalty no matter what the situation or point in the game. So stop all the screaming at the officials and talk to your kids about taking bad penalties. So now we have a break or two before the next season starts. I like the rest but I'm ready to get back out there.

Things were going fine when...

It was an uneventful weekend of referee duties ... that is until today. High school kids play 4-on-4 games where play virtually goes unstopped for 45 minutes. There are three periods naturally, but no penalties are called unless there is something major going on. Offside plays are called when they're obvious. But for the most part the intention is to keep the kids playing non-stop. It's a conditioning exercise for the most part. And all was fine. Until a second game this morning. One team was crushing another team -- I mean a 25-1 crushing. It was ugly. So the officials at that point just try to keep the game moving in order to end the ugly affair. Well, it only got ugly after the game when an irate parent went overboard and starting yelling and screaming and ranting and raving. When the explanations weren't sufficient, the parent -- a local attorney by the way -- decided to call the official -- me -- a "moron." Very classy act by the way. I suppose he thought he was in court. Geez, I hope not because he's not likely to win many cases calling the "judge" a moron. In any event, the man -- who also plays for a men's team and is terrible and a dirty player -- simply embarrassed himself anyway. People were staring. Some were actually laughing at him. I just looked him in the eye and thanked him...And people wonder why officials would like to see empty stadiums for kids to play their games? It's parents and fans like this that ruin it for everyone. That's OK. I'm sure he feels good about himself, that as an attorney he argued his point. Problem is he was definitely "out of order," or more likely out of his mind...

Silly comments

Turns out some bush league Chicago reporter asks one of the healthy-scratch Black Hawk players about Chris Pronger and basically the guy makes an idiot of himself by trashing Pronger. Now there are a couple of things wrong with this picture: the guy, who I refuse to identify because he's such an idiot, has never accumulated more than 9 points in any NHL season; he is trashing Pronger, a future Hall of Fame player; and he tosses this stuff out AFTER the finals are over thus eliminating the chance of Pronger ripping out the guy's tonsils. Well, there's always next year, that is, if the guy is even playing...And people trash Philly? C'mon, you'd never hear a Philly athlete trash someone like that.

Flyers lose

Oh well, what a great run. The Flyers were great in the overtime but it wasn't meant to be. Goalie Michael Leighton lost his starting job for next season with that soft goal in the OT. That shot from Patrick Kane never should have slid under him or past him. Well, I had the right score -- but the wrong winning team.

Unreal

The Flyers managed to tie the game at 3. Now we're headed to OT. The Flyers are not a good OT team but I'm not sure the Hawks are any better. Here we go...

Tonight's game

So far not so good. The defense is letting Leighton down again. Bad clears, bad passes, allowing the Hawks to be in front of the net. Leighton is actually playing very well. I still think at 10 p.m. that the team will pull it out.

Tonight's the night

Well, something has to give tonight. It's Game 6. Win and live to play another day. Lose and it's time to break out the golf bag. It's all about tonight. If Chicago wins tonight, obviously they win it all and it's over. If the Flyers win tonight, they will win the Cup. And it's my humble opinion that the Flyers WILL will tonight and WILL win a Game 7. I maintain that Chicago expended too much in Game 5 to ever bring the level of effort back to such heights. Game 5 was their Game 7. And the Flyers are in the best position. The team has its back against the wall and they seem to rise up when cornered like this. So, Michael Leighton will be in net and the defense will come out very strong. People like Jeff Carter and Michael Richards should have big games. I am liking the Flyers to win tonight -- 4-3 with a late goal by the Black Hawks to make it closer than it needed to be. Stay tuned for any Game 7 prediction.

Leighton is the man

According to reports, Michael Leighton will be the starter tomorrow night. Good decision. The defense has to be strong and the offense needs to play its game. If everyone plays their game, the Flyers will win Games 6 AND 7. It's only when they let the other team dictate the play, the tempo, etc., that the team gets into trouble. The coach has made most of the right calls all along the way. I have confidence he knows what he's doing.

Tension building again

And why not? Game 6 will determine the winner of the 2010 Stanley Cup. Obviously if Chicago wins, it's all over. If the Flyers win, I predict they go into Chicago and beat them at home. The reason? In my opinion, the Black Hawks exhausted themselves in the last game. I believe that game took more out of them than it did out of the Flyers. The Flyers throttled it back if you ask me. I just don't think they went all out. Not sure of the reason. In any event, I stand by my prediction of Michael Leighton back in net for Philly. And that's all for now. You will have to wait for tomorrow for my game prediction...

So what's the goalie question?

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette apparently has his mind up as to who will be in net for the Flyers Wednesday night. It's all about Wednesday night folks. Lose and it's over. Win and it's back to Chicago for Game 7. The problem is the coach hasn't told anyone yet who his starting goalie is for Game 6. Personally, I think Michael Leighton should get the chance to more or less finish what he has started. And I say that for a number of reasons. First, it's the fair thing to do. He has played some huge games for the Flyers with all of the goaltending woes this season including injuries. And second, Brian Boucher is what he is -- a backup on the tail end of his career. If you're also thinking about next season, this is the perfect time to see what Leighton has going on. If he plays huge at home and it goes back to Game 7 then he has shown you he has what it takes to be a starter in the NHL. If not, then he is a solid backup and then the search really begins for your starter. If it's me, it's Leighton back between the pipes. And third, if you start Boucher and he gets crushed, then what? Bring in Leighton? What message does that send out through the organization?

Bad officiating

Not the reason the Flyers will lose this game but how can an official miss a high stick to Briere that left his eye swollen and giant cut underneath? I am an official now and can see how I could miss something. But these guys get paid big dollars NOT to miss the call...I guess Roenick is happy now. And I like how they show Pronger throwing a cross-check on a Black Hawk. Funny, no clips of Black Hawks tossing cross-checks, slashes, elbows and the like. The officials, however, didn't lose this one. Bad goaltending did. Time to get ready for game 6.

Just plain stupid

Why do the networks trot out these guys to do play-by-play and color -- especially the former players? I have found that very few of them have any ability. Take Jeremy Roenick for example. Between periods 1 and 2 he said one of the dumbest things I've heard come out of the mouth of a commentator. Chris Pronger took a good hit by a Black Hawk. So what does Roenick say between periods? That Pronger deserved it. Uh, why is that? Because Pronger plays hard, old school hockey? Does Roenick say that about everyone -- or because he holds a grudge against his former team? He just sounded so childish. Pronger had been slashing and cross-checking the entire series...Has Roenick ever watched a defenseman play? It's their job to slash, cross-check and/or do anything necessary to move the man out of the crease or from in front of the goalie. Dude, grow up and stop being such a Flyer hater...

-0-

Saturday's squirt game was uneventful. Good game between the two teams. I called one penalty. Of course I took a spill pretty much in the same spot I have gone down in the past -- right near the blue line. I try and reverse to move out of the zone and try to watch the kids (we work these games alone) to make sure nothing occurs to warrant a penalty and boom -- down I go. Nothing more than a sore butt and hurt pride.

Just another night

Well, this is the initial post for my blog. I am totally positive about the Flyers. Obviously the fourth game is the key. If you're down 2-1 and lose, it's 3-1 and tough to come back. If you make it 2-2 then it's all about winning the best of three and the Flyers can do it. I love how the Chicago writers all whine about how Philly treats them. Grow up. Who the heck told you to wear your colors anyway? And by the way Philly fans treats the outsiders better than most despite what's said out there. Well, today is another squirt game to ref. Did a men's game last night. Missed one bad offsides. Well, today's another day.