TAMPA, FL – Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Cooper held a brief, tense press conference after losing in the Stanley Cup Final 4 on Wednesday night, during which he questioned the legitimacy of Colorado Avelanche center’s winning goal Nazem Kadri in the sequel.
Cooper pondered for a minute his love of the NHL and his team’s path to another Stanley Cup title before focusing on Kadri’s goal in the 12:02 overtime, giving Avalanche a 3-1 lead in the series.
“This one will sting a lot more than the others, just because he took over … it was potentially … I don’t know … it’s hard for me. It’s going to be hard for me to talk. I will have to speak. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, “he said.” You’ll know what I mean when you see the winning goal. And my heart breaks for the players. Because we probably still have to play. “
With that, Cooper apologized for a single question.
Post-match speculation was that Lightning thought Avalanche had six skaters on the ice before the winning goal was scored. There were camera angles that showed six Colorado skaters on the ice as Kadri collected a pass, slid into the area and beat goalkeeper Andrei Vassilevski to a 3-2 victory.
2 Related
The question was whether Nathan McKinnon was close enough to Avalanche’s bench to be considered a “retired player” when his teammate jumped on the ice and joined the game. Skaters must be 5 feet off the bench and out of the game before making a change.
“Too many men on the ice is an estimate that can be made by any of the four officials on the ice,” a statement from NHL Hockey Operations said. “After the match, Hockey Operations met with the four officials, as is their normal protocol. In discussing the winning goal, each of the four officials advised that he had not seen too many men in the icy situation of the game.”
Too many men on the ice violations are not subject to review, even when a goal is scored.
Fostering Conspiracy Theories: The NHL released a report to the media that included six skaters for the winner of the Cadre game, and then edited that sheet to list five skaters online.
The NHL has said that an additional player, defender Eric Johnson, may have ended up in the original protocol because of players jumping off the bench in celebration after Kadri scored.
Kadri seemed puzzled by Cooper’s complaints after the match.
“I’m not quite sure what he really was, what he thought he shouldn’t count. This confuses me a bit, “said Kadri, who played in his first game in the series after undergoing thumb surgery in the Western Conference finals. “The puck hit the back of the net, the end of the story, so I’m not sure why he would say that.”
Cooper began his press conference by talking about his team’s quick start before quickly realizing how difficult the Lightning Champions League was, while criticizing the NHL’s salary cap system.
“You know, I love this league. This is the greatest league in the world. The people who run it are amazing. Everything for her. It’s like a dream come true for me, especially to be a Canadian child growing up and everything that happens, “he said.
“You know, I was part of some heartbreaking losses and defeats from the teams that took us out, and I was with a group that just fights, fights and fights. And they made their way to the third consecutive Stanley Cup final. And in the age of hats, when … when it’s so damn hard and the rules are set against you because the league wants parity. And I love that in the league. And that makes it harder. And just watch this team, what they went through and the battle that continues. And we are all in this together. Players, coaches, referees, everyone. “
Game 5 is Friday night in Denver. Teams leading 3-1 in the top seven hold the record for all 298-31 (.906) series, including a 2-1 (.667) clip in 2022 and a 35-1 (.972) final Stanley Cup.
Add Comment