So as I watch the Edmonton/Detroit playoff series, I've seen a common theme. Blown calls by the officials. Game Four was brutal!!!! The officiating was horrendous. The thing is that it (the officiating) has been horrible for everybody.

What is Bettman (NHL Commissioner) thinking? To quote a friend of mine, "What the hell does a New York lawyer know about hockey anyways?" Here's what happened to the Oilers.. the game is tied 2-2... in the third..... the officials start calling even more penalties on the Oil.... they miss a couple of calls vs. the Wings.... Detroit is on a 5 on 3 PP... the puck goes to the point .... the Oiler penalty killer, Jarret Stoll goes to pokecheck the puck, but the Redwing defender sets a pick (which is illegal in hockey) and knocks Stoll over which frees up the defensman with the puck... he scores on the play... the crowd boos and litters the ice. While Stoll may have embellished the pick, the fact is that the play was illegal. The blown call resulting in not only a game changing goal but potentially series shifter. As a fan I was furious. The NHL is trying to win fans back? I wouldn't shell out money to go to a game where the officials take center stage.

The Oilers were totally dejected after that blown call.. I think that they were in shock. Kevin Lowe GM of the Oilers and Craig MacTavish coach of the Oilers were looking for some answers from the league... and rightfully so as the Oilers been on the receiving end of numerous blown calls this season. (Remember that missed goal in Minnesota when the league actually called from Toronto to say that the disallowed goal scored by the Oilers was in fact a goal... play had already resumed and the disallowed goal stood.) You mean that the NHL cannot set a precedent and reverse the call? Terrible... and what if that was in a championship game? It's enough to make some question the integrity of the league. C'mon Bettman figure it out.