Look: Sidney Crosby and the Penguins not happy after controversial non-goal
Success in professional sports often begets hatred.
The New England Patriots have consistently won at the highest level of professional football, and yet people would struggle to find anyone who has anything nice to say about the Patriots outside of Foxborough. The Golden State Warriors could be embarking on a dynastic streak of NBA championships, and most basketball fans can’t stand them. The New York Yankees are never more reviled than when they start winning World Series rings.
A common theme among all of the aforementioned teams? Fans love it when they lose.
Case in point, the Pittsburgh Penguins found little sympathy after a litany of bad calls and breaks cost them Game 2 of their second-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. On a completely related note, the Penguins are vying for their third straight Stanley Cup.
Perhaps the most egregious call that seemed to get spectators up in arms was a very close goal by Patric Hornqvist that ultimately didn’t count.
The Capitals had just killed a Pittsburgh power play while nursing a 3-1 lead midway through the third period. The Penguins responded with what, to the naked eye, almost assuredly was going to be a goal.
you're the ref…goal or no goal, what's your call? pic.twitter.com/FEvTK0YBK2
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 29, 2018
Now, being a referee in any sport is a thankless and difficult job. That’s doubly so if you have to referee on skates.
But this play was reviewed, and the non-goal call ultimately stood — despite the broadcast producing a fairly definitive look of white ice between the puck and the red goal line.
https://twitter.com/AGWilson/status/990707880969064448
By the rules, it’s almost impossible to not call that a goal. But the referees claimed to not have definitive proof, thus the non-goal call on the ice stood.
“It’s 100 percent a goal,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan told reporters after the 4-1 loss, per ESPN. “When you blow it up, you can see the white. It’s behind the post. Whether you use deductive reasoning or you can see the white, whatever it may be, that’s how we saw it. So we respectfully disagree with the league and their ruling, but that’s not anything we can control.”
“I understand what they’re saying. They don’t have a clear view of the puck over the line,” Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby added. “But you can clearly see that if the puck is on its edge, behind the post, it’s not possible for it to touch the line. I don’t know what angles they have, but the one I saw made it pretty clear that it had to be a goal.”
Sidney Crosby on Patric Hornqvist's no-goal: "It's impossible for that not to be in. Impossible." pic.twitter.com/k0k3jxspUJ
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 29, 2018
The non-goal wasn’t the only issue the Penguins raised. They were none too happy with a hit to the head of Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Brian Dumoulin takes a hit to the head from Tom Wilson and then gets rocked by Alex Ovechkin pic.twitter.com/TYbJCrvHx5
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) April 29, 2018
Capitals forward Tom Wilson has a knack for this type of behavior, having been suspended twice this season by the Department of Player Safety. The NHL ultimately decided not to suspend Wilson for the hit.
The Penguins and Capitals suit up for a pivotal Game 3 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
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