Gary Bettman discusses the officiating; yada yada yada...

I am going to say Barbra Streisand on that one Gary. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman must think the NHL hockey fans are complete and utter morons. In reading various fan sites, media blogs and on line newspapers, it does appear to be a reoccurring theme.

I agree the officiating has been really poor in all of the series. There has been no consistency in the way that games are called in any of the games that I have watched this spring. The best officiating that I saw was game seven between the Canadians and the Capitals. I will also admit that I have seen my Boston Bruins be the benefit of some really poor calls.

The officials: Bettman was also asked about the officiating in the playoffs -- a sensitive topic judging from ESPN.com message boards -- and whether the games are being called differently in the postseason.

"It's not the case," Bettman said. "They haven't been given a different set of instructions. The game is played a little differently, and the officials have to react to that. And there are adjustments that go on in the course of a series that you don't see over the course of the regular season, two teams will play and play different teams the next night.

"The games now are probably a little more intense. ... But no, they're told to call it just the way they did [in the regular season]. I also think the scrutiny tends to be even a little greater and the passion involved in every call is probably greater because every call is important. Our goal is to have the officials get it right and overwhelmingly they do. Are they perfect? This is a game of mistakes. Coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes and, occasionally, even an official might." [ESPN.COM]