Up 4-1 in game seven of a series the Bruins put the puck in an empty net with .2 seconds left to make it 5-1. No one on the Leafs cared. No mention of padding stats by the announcers.
The baseball equivalent would be squeezing in a run in the 9th up 8-0 with the third baseman back and the pitcher winding up. Would you want to be the next hitter coming to the plate?
Before anyone states otherwise NHL players man for man are the classiest acts in pro sports.
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Sorry, the two are not remotely close. No one on the Leafs cared because scoring an empty netter has always been expected when the opportunity is there. Hockey players are the best guys..You have that right.
Having played and coached both sports I would suggest that they are not equal scenarios. The baseball scenario is a premeditated act, whereas the hockey scenario happens in the moment and flow of play. Moreover, it's not showing any kind of disrespect to anyone on the other team to pop an empty netter. That said, if the game is well in hand, you will see hockey players make several passes (usually to a guy who either hasn't scored in awhile, or needs 1 more for a hat trick), before shooting on the empty net. Illustrating as stated above, that hockey players are the best guys. Now, I will say that in baseball I think pitchers are way too thin skinned, and that throwing at a guy (potentially injuring him) because he or someone else hurt your feelings is out of line. There are other ways of curtailing bad sportsmanship.
2019&21 Dad posted:Having played and coached both sports I would suggest that they are not equal scenarios. The baseball scenario is a premeditated act, whereas the hockey scenario happens in the moment and flow of play. Moreover, it's not showing any kind of disrespect to anyone on the other team to pop an empty netter. That said, if the game is well in hand, you will see hockey players make several passes (usually to a guy who either hasn't scored in awhile, or needs 1 more for a hat trick), before shooting on the empty net. Illustrating as stated above, that hockey players are the best guys. Now, I will say that in baseball I think pitchers are way too thin skinned, and that throwing at a guy (potentially injuring him) because he or someone else hurt your feelings is out of line. There are other ways of curtailing bad sportsmanship.
Played and coached both. Agree with all of the above.
My point is hockey is different and getting upset about teams playing hard to the end is foolish.
In three other sports it would have been seen as pouring it on causing retaliation. The player could have pushed the puck around the boards of held it on his stick standing their wide open with three seconds remaining.
In baseball you stop hustling for scores or stop being creative (squeeze). In football teams take a knee. In basketball they dribble out the clock rather than shoot even if they turn it over for the last ten seconds. These are all unwritten rules of etiquette. In hockey just play the game.
Understand your point, and sparks an interesting discussion. The open net is usually open because the team who pulled the goalie is seeking the advantage of the extra man, and still trying to tie the game or at least still be competitive. That said, the defending team is disadvantaged and has to play competitive defense that will often lead to chances on the empty net. If they hadn't pulled the goalie, that wouldn't occur because teams wouldn't be pressing for extra goals up 4-1.
There are unwritten rules in hockey also however. Don't shoot the puck on net after the whistle. I marvel at basketball players who shoot well after a foul is called and play is dead. Why? In hockey, you'd be "confronted" about that. Don't "spray" the goalie - that will get a smelly glove in your face quick!
The Leafs did pull the goalie at 4-1. They pulled the goalie at 3-1. With two minutes to go in a game seven they were desperate.
A pissed off group has been discovered .... Everyone who bet the under on total goals scored.
