After advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, the Phoenix Coyotes clearly harbor some contempt for the way the series went and didn’t hesitate to lash out on several topics, including the officiating, after losing Game 5 and the series in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings last night.
“The calls that were made and not made down the stretch, that just saps the life out of you,” said Phoenix goalie Mike Smith. “They said we’re complaining a lot about calls, but we’re complaining because they’re calls that have to be made in these games.”
Further illustrating Smith’s point perhaps was the no-call on Dustin Brown’s hit on Phoenix defenseman Michal Roszival. The Coyotes felt that Brown deliberately made contact with Roszival’s knee on the hit.
“How do you miss that when it’s after the whistle and it’s a knee? How do you possibly miss that?” said Shane Doan, captain of the Coyotes. “I don’t know how you miss it. I don’t understand it. I’m sure they will have a great explanation for it.”
Smith chimed in on the hit as well, stating that Brown’s actions deserve a lengthy suspension – especially when compared to other recent suspensions handed down by the league.
“If Raffi Torres gets 25 games for his hit during the play then this guy (Brown) ought to be done forever,” Smith said.
Evidently the refs felt differently about the play as Brown was not penalized for the hit. The league came forward today and said that Brown will not have a disciplinary hearing for the hit either.
“Rozsival was cutting to the middle and I cut across and made contact,” Brown told reporters after the game. “Obviously, they thought it was kneeing. It happened at high speed. I felt like I got him with my shoulder and my left side and his right side all made contact from toe to shoulder.”
Check out video of the hit below and let us know what you think: Was this a dirty hit by Brown or was it a clean, open-ice check?
No fan of Brown but Brown’s left elbow – headed for Roszival’s head – was the potential cheap shot culprit, not Brown’s left leg – knee. The latter was unintentional at worst, period. Brown was not intending to knee Roszival. Watch it and see. But again, it’s Brown left forearm and elbow that screamed cheap shot.
I tend not to favor teams, playing no favorite, but the manner by which Phoenix (Team Bettman) played against Chicago and the endless cheap shots they manifested such as that to Hossa……… I have no love lost for Team Bettman and was glad to see Los Angeles (who will win the Stanley Cup) put them away.
^ thank you Chicago got a barrade of cheap shots and other dirty plays but this was clean all the way through I will disagree there was no elbow shoulder to shoulder that’s it