The Whalers Hurricanes narrowly blew a 3 goal lead against the New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of their First Round series. Instead of losing in historic fashion (they nearly blew a 3 goal lead), the Canes evened the series in thrilling fashion. Jussi Jokinen redirected a point shot by Dennis Seidenberg with .2 seconds left to send the series back to Jersey tied at 2 games apiece. But it’s not just the goal that will be talked about tomorrow. Here’s the video, and the ensuing fireworks:
How is Martin Brodeur’s reaction here acceptable? If this was any other player in the NHL, there’s no way the referees (or the league office) would sit back and watch a player show up the officials with a temper tantrum of epic proportions. It’s hard for me to say this, but if this was Sean Avery or Chris Pronger, there would be a public outcry. Over the years, Brodeur and his unbelievable talent has earned him respect all over the league. But that doesn’t change the fact that he threw a fit like a little child after the game. When interviewed after the game, here was his explanation:
“(The referees said) That I had time to reset myself. That’s always the same answer. It doesn’t matter which referee it is. It’s the easy way out for them. It’s hard. You want to play your game and you want to do what’s right and be in the best position you can. That’s guys, that’s what they do. They get to the net and they play hard. I’m not complaining about how Carolina’s playing. They go to the net. It’s the referees, they have to do their job.” –Martin Brodeur
Gotta love the double-standards in the playoffs!
Just stop and think for a second, if this was Sean Avery criticizing the referees after a game, what would the NHL’s reaction be? Let me be clear—I’m not comparing the two individuals; I’m comparing Marty’s actions after Game 4. If this was almost any other player, Colin Campbell would take a long look at suspending the player for a game. If it was Avery, Campbell would think about suspending him for the rest of the playoffs! But rest assured Devils fans, Brodeur won’t be suspended, won’t be fined and won’t even be warned by the league office.
The only thing that will result from Brodeur’s exploits is that the Canes will just crash the net even harder in Game 5. If it bothers him this much (which it clearly does), Paul Maurice will have his team even more aggressive in front of the Future Hall of Famer in Newark. We’ll see how closely the referees choose to call the play in front of the net. Don’t be surprised if you see a Goaltender Interference call early!
(Full disclaimer: I have no problem with Brodeur—but not a huge Avery or Pronger backer.)
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
