For the second straight year, the referees` decision-making has become a major part of the Blackhawks` first round. It scares coach Mike Keenan to think the series could be taken away from him by whistleblowers, not the St. Louis Blues.
His review of Friday night`s Game 4 film, when the Blues skated 19 minutes, 17 seconds on the power play compared to just 7:29 for the Hawks, left him feeling cheated, despite winning 5-3.
”Quite frankly, some penalties given weren`t penalties,” said Keenan.
”Hard to understand why. Maybe some referees haven`t seen us play for two or three months. Whether they go into games with a certain perception, I don`t know.”
Keenan pointed particularly to a charging call on Brian Noonan, claiming it was a phantom foul.
”That was a fair hit, just a good body check,” he said.
Just to show he is trying to be impartial, Keenan added he thought referee Ron Hoggarth slapped the Blues with some tough penalties in Game 3 after opening the night showering the Hawks with infractions. ”He was trying to even up,” Keenan said.
The Hawks believe Minnesota influenced the officiating in last year`s first-round loss. Associate coach Darryl Sutter also implied the printed complaints of Blues General Manager Ron Caron last week may have affected the officials.
”He`s the professor of refereeing,” Sutter said of Caron. ”It shouldn`t make a difference (what he says). But I don`t know.”
Keenan added: ”Referees read the newspapers.”
Game 5 at the Stadium Sunday night will be overseen by referee Terry Gregson. Keenan has said Gregson calls more minor penalties than anyone else in his profession. With the Hawks` sore over their treatment by Hoggarth and Bill McCreary in the last two games, Gregson`s judgments will have magnified importance.
– The Hawks returned to the Stadium in this same position last April, tied 2-2 with the North Stars. They proceeded to have one of their worst games of the season, getting whipped 6-0. That lapse cost them the series when Minnesota won Game 6 on its home ice.
”So far the team that`s been best prepared in this series is the one that`s lost the last game,” Hawks associate coach Darryl Sutter noted. ”We didn`t get ready to play last year (for Game 5). We breathed a sigh of relief. We can tell when that happens. First sign is frustration. And with us, that leads to penalties.”
– The most surprising lineup scratch for the Hawks in the series has been winger Rob Brown, who has been benched the last two games after going scoreless in the first two. Keenan`s tactics often are to motivate by elimination, to prove to Brown no one is indispensable.
”The worst thing would be for me to be negative and worry about it,”
Brown said. ”I`m staying positive and believing good things are going to happen for the team and me.”
One of Keenan`s constant shouts at Brown concerns his slow skating.
”I feel I`m going as fast as I can,” he said. ”But maybe I can go faster than I realize. I think I`m fit. I`m lighter than I`ve ever been. Maybe it`ll all be for the good.”
