Blackhawks Have Confusing Response To Bad Penalty Call
The Chicago Blackhawks were beaten by the New Jersey Devils at United Center on Wednesday evening. It was a game that the Devils led from beginning to end, but the Blackhawks always stayed close.
A very definitive point of the game came in the second period when the Devils were given a controversial power play. The play started with Devils defenseman Simon Nemec cross-checking Blackhawks Connor Bedard into the ice while on top of him.
Landon Slaggert came to the defense of Bedard, which is what any good teammate would do for their star payer. Slaggert was the only player in the mix to get a penalty during this sequence.
We've seen NHL referees give the "third man in" a penalty before. The calls can go either way, but the Blackhawks didn't act even a little bit upset about it. The coaching staff and players on the bench acted like nothing happened.
You'd like to see the head coach say something to the referees in response to a situation like that. Most coaches would be irate, but Sorensen just watched.
After the game, Sorensen was asked about his mentality when it comes to issues like this with the officials.
"I just don't know what to gain out of it," Sorensen said of barking at officials when questionable calls are made. "They've made their call. They're probably not going to change it. You can try to talk to them in TV timeouts to get an explanation that way instead. Coming across yelling is probably not going to help the situation, right? Try to build a relationship and talk to them. I think that will go a longer way down the road."
There is some truth to what Sorensen is saying but it's hard to watch the replay of the Blackhawks bench appearing to be fine with Slaggert going to the box for defending their star player in Bedard as he was getting shoved into the ice.
On the TNT broadcast of the game, former Chicago Blackhawks full-time color commentator Ed Olczyk was on the call. He had some harsh opinions on this.
"If I'm sitting on that Blackhawks bench, I'd be absolutely livid right now, considering how the Devils got a power play."
Olczyk has been a coach in the NHL before. He's also had young superstars like Sidney Crosby on his bench. He's been around the game for a long time as a player, coach, and broadcaster. Hearing this from him speaks volumes.
Is Sorensen and his staff wrong for the way that they handled this? Not necessarily, but it isn't a good look. The Blackhawks need a coaching staff that fires everyone up, no matter how they are performing in the standings.
Connor Bedard is a budding superstar in the NHL, and Chicago must protect him at all costs. Slaggert did the right thing, then he was punished for it, the team allowed a power play goal, and no emotion came from it. That's not ideal.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
