Defending my choices

So a couple of days ago, @TheOilKnight & @DirtbagDonny on Twitter, had asked us Oilers fans about our top 3 pet peeves in today's NHL. Naturally I replied with this

"Jeez there's so many things. Here's my 3.
1. Officiating. It's been beaten to death, so I'll leave it at that.
2. Pre-game stuff...particularly with Vegas' being so damn long. It's a hockey game, not a friggin talent show!
3. Social media and how it impacts players and coaches."

And this is a decent list that they went through in Episode 7 of their show, "Late Night with the Oil Knight". And they agreed with me on 2/3 of these, which I don't mind. However, I feel the need to now go more in-depth on them.

1. Officiating:

Originally, I meant how the officiating has become a joke. How the coaches challenges have taken the "flow" out of the game, as well as how they enrage fan-bases because of a) how they're done, b) how long they take; and c) how they seem to get it wrong 75% of the time. This past weekend I was talking with my uncle on Canada Day about officiating and I mentioned how it seems kind of unfair to the refs when it comes to making a mistake. It's like the league won't allow them to go back on a decision or admit they messed up. A good example of this would be Game 5 between Toronto and Boston these past playoffs. On the play, Boston recieved a delay-of-game penalty because the puck went out of play. In real-time speed, it does look like it didn't hit anything going into the stands. However upon review, it was shown that the puck hit the glass before it exited the rink, therefore nullifying the penalty to Boston. However the refs didn't change their mind, even though the evidence was quite clear. I maybe in the minority on this, but how come a ref can't go on the PA and say "I made a mistake"? If the NHL thinks it'll make the game go longer, keep in mind that the coaches challenges already do that. If the NHL thinks it'll make the officials look incompetent, again, the coaches challenges already do that. Again, it would be nicer for them to a) get calls right and b) admit to making a mistake when things are clearly shown to them.

2. Pre-game stuff:

This one I take issues with heartedly. As I stated above, it's a hockey game not a talent show, although you could argue that the"talent show" is the actual game itself. No what I meant by this was two things. Anybody who follows me on twitter, knows I was pretty pissed at all of Vegas' pre-playoff game shenanigans. The actual presentation itself wasn't bad, but it just took too long, to the point where I would tune in at the time the puck is supposed to be dropped, and yet I'm sitting there watching a GOLDEN KNIGHT SLICE A CF-18 HORNET IN HALF! The second thing I meant by this was that some teams, *cough Oilers cough* don't do much for the pre-game show. Some teams *cough Oilers cough* come out onto the ice, PA guy announces the starting lineups, they sing the anthems and then drop the puck and game on. Yes it's short, but it's not sweet and it's quite dull. I mean what happened to the flaming oil derrick? Bring that shit back! Do SOMETHING to make it better. I like simplicity, I like quick and easy, but when you make it too quick and easy, it's not fun and quite boring.

3. Social media and how it impacts players and coaches:

Okay this one I'm going to have to explain, big time. Social media has made our lives better. We can connect with people easier, get news updates as they happen, and follow along with current events easily. But at the same time, it's also allowed for more cyber-bullying, more people to spread their hate and nastiness, as well as the posting of incriminating photo's, videos and e-mails. When I wrote down this as a pet peeve, I was thinking about that picture of Gerard Gallant after he was fired by Florida. I hate seeing that because it's so embarassing for him to see. That picture is never going to go away. And yes he absolutely redeemed himself with how Vegas performed, but for the few months he was without a job, that picture probably haunted him. A picture that would've NEVER have surfaced 12 years ago. Social media has made it easier for people to spew hate towards a player (just look at the amount of people who said f*** you to John Tavares yesterday). Yes social media probably helps teams, coaches and players. But it also makes it easier for those coaches and players to receive hate online. Something that I can't personally stand.