Legwand hides puck in game 4

[UP Wings Fan 0]

In game 4 Legwand covers the puck with his hand in the crease and then takes it to the bench, the refs don't see it and then lose the puck. Should have been a penalty shot in the game and I don't understand how the league doesn't suspend or fine a player, or team, for doing this. This same video was also on NHL.com. Hockey Night in Canada showed it during game 5 and had a much better video of it, but I can't find a link to that video.

Edited April 21, 2012 by UP Wings Fan

[T.Low 1,011]

That is cheating, plain and simple. It's not a cagey veteran move, it's cheating.

Edit: Don't get me wrong; it would not have changed anything. Nashville had their way with us. They were able to score whenever they needed to, and able to stalemate our (n)offense.

Edited April 21, 2012 by T.Low

[Nyquistfan14 489]

That is cheating, plain and simple. It's not a cagey veteran move, it's cheating.

Edit: Don't get me wrong; it would not have changed anything. Nashville had their way with us. They were able to score whenever they needed to, and able to stalemate our (n)offense.

I agree we probably still lose, but that could have changed game 4 completely because with a penalty shot if we score, we get a lead and the game could be totally different.

[UP Wings Fan 0]

That is cheating, plain and simple. It's not a cagey veteran move, it's cheating.

Edit: Don't get me wrong; it would not have changed anything. Nashville had their way with us. They were able to score whenever they needed to, and able to stalemate our (n)offense.

I agree, this would not have changed anything! The Wings did not play up to par this whole series! I just think that this deserves a fine or suspension for outright cheating! And it seems odd that the league would post this video on their website, kind of saying it's okay to cheat as long as you don't get caught! Where did the refs think the puck went?

[cprice12 117]

I fail to see how this should warrant a suspension or fine. Kind of overreacting here guys.

It's an unsportsmanlike play and could have drawn an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but that's about it.

If I'm a Wings fan, I'm pissed. If I'm a Preds fan, I'm laughing. But I'm neither...so I'm just impressed that he was able to get away with it.

[gcom007 1,465]

I'd be laughing if one of our guys did it, and I'm kinda laughing at Legwand doing it. Cheating? Sure. Fine. Whatever. Lots of little things happen, and I have to say I'm somewhat amused when a player finds a way to cover his ass in the heat of the moment. You've got to give him credit for thinking fast on this one.

I fail to see how this should warrant a suspension or fine. Kind of overreacting here guys.

It's an unsportsmanlike play and could have drawn an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but that's about it.

If I'm a Wings fan, I'm pissed. If I'm a Preds fan, I'm laughing. But I'm neither...so I'm just impressed that he was able to get away with it.

I'm a Wings fan and I'm laughing. I'm right with you. Anyone who wants to make this into a bigger deal is just throwing punches underwater. We got beat and some. This little play had absolutely no bearing on the fact that Nashville was the better team and bound to win this series.

Edited April 21, 2012 by gcom007

[Guest irishock]

You could have given us 5 penalty shots and we wouldn't have converted on any one of them.

[MabusIncarnate 5,355]

I get the reason for the post, but it's all water under the bridge now. There's always would of could of should of issues lingering after being eliminated but it isn't going to change the result.

It is odd that there wasn't really any attempt from the refs to track down the puck before resuming play, but this isn't a suspendable offense imo, just a bit of dumbassery on behalf of Legwand.

[sureWhyNot 19]

Come on now - I think this is grasping at straws. Chris Osgood was the absolute master of knocking the net off its mourings to get a stop in play and Kris Draper was notorious at cheating on face offs but by his own admission "hid it very well".

We lost the game and the series because they were the better team - end of story.

[Firehawk 305]

I fail to see how this should warrant a suspension or fine. Kind of overreacting here guys.

It's an unsportsmanlike play and could have drawn an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, but that's about it.

If I'm a Wings fan, I'm pissed. If I'm a Preds fan, I'm laughing. But I'm neither...so I'm just impressed that he was able to get away with it.

I agree with this guy.

It's whining over spilled milk. The NHL is sissified enough. We don't need to go down the road of handing out fines and suspensions for an automatic penalty that the ref didn't see. The refs don't see alot during the course of a game.

Another thing that's absurd, when coach Quenville got a 10,000 dollar fine for 'COMMENTS' about the Hossa hit, yet Weber got 2500 for deliberately smashing someone's head into the glass LMAO. How was that player max fine ever negotiated? Unbelievable. I'm over the incident, it's just the hipocrasy in this league.

[55fan 5,133]

I want to *****-slap him. Laughing all the while, of course. Kind of like when someone plays a practical joke on you and you get pissed, but not really angry, and you call him a bastard and smack him. (Or at least that's what you do if you're a girl, as I am.)

He pulled it off. It was a ***** move, and one that is certainly not within the rules, but ***** move or not, he had his wits about him.

Watch out, Legwand. Kharma's a *****.

[UP Wings Fan 0]

I appreciate everyone's reply. I wasn't whining or suggesting this cost the Wings the game or the series! The Wings did that with the inability to handle Nashville's forecheck and their inability to apply any type of forecheck of their own! My main point is that it is outright cheating and the NHL showcased it on their own website as humorous. In my honest opinion, it would not be a suspension worthy act, but I do feel a fine would be warranted, and the NHL had video of it. Was just curious how everyone else thought! I guess I should have known better, this board is pretty notorious for believing everyone is whining when they post something after the Wings lose! And this act is quite different than getting an edge on the face off or knocking the net off, IMO!

[55fan 5,133]

Just to clarify: Had it happened in a game seven overtime situation, and we lost, I'd be clammoring for his balls on a stick.

[GoalieManPat 1,007]

That is cheating, plain and simple. It's not a cagey veteran move, it's cheating.

Uhh 95% of "cagey veteran moves" are cheating.

[GSBrooks13 204]

I don't care that much that he did it, like the majority I don't think it changed much and definitely doesn't warrant any kind of suspension.. it just seemed kind of childish to me.. I mean it's one thing to get away with covering the puck but to go through that much effort to hide it is just silly, he could have just slid it under his body and when he got up the ref just would have thought he fell on it..

I also agree with BlazeYoungblood.. I'm not sure how the referees could have just given up on finding the puck.. I believe in the CBC video they showed them checking the goalies equipment.. but seriously, did they think it just disappeared?

If anyone is pissed I would think it would be whichever referee was standing behind the net watching the play.. I know if a player goes through that much effort to trick me I might just be inclined to give him a bit of a harder time next time I referee one of his games.

[13dangledangle 968]

Uhh 95% of "cagey veteran moves" are cheating.

80% of people will tell you that 85% of the time that's true.

[drwscc 212]

Ha ha. Cheating is awesome! We should really encourage it, so you see more players disrupting rushes from the bench and stealing pucks. Can the league publicly congratulate him on his "cagey" move, so more players take notice?

[rrasco 1,312]

Sure it wouldn't affect anything, but it was definitely a ***** move. If they are willing to pull a stunt like this, what's to prevent them from smuggling another puck on the ice?

[b.shanafan14 733]

Holy s***, I just saw this... I don't even know what to say. There's unsportsman-like things, or missed calls, gamesmenship. But this was just cheating. Plain and simple.

[KillerB14 2]

Ha ha. Cheating is awesome! We should really encourage it, so you see more players disrupting rushes from the bench and stealing pucks. Can the league publicly congratulate him on his "cagey" move, so more players take notice?

I still can't fathom how that play didn't get Clowe a suspension, fine, review, whatever. There's videos of it, the league knows it happened, the NHL network was celebrating how awesome it was that he did it. I can't imagine that's within the rules to not draw some punishment after the game.

80% of people will tell you that 85% of the time that's true.

77% of percentages posted online are made up.

[esteef 2,679]

This wasn't nearly as bad as Franzen hiding his work ethic.

esteef

[RedFX 48]

Could have helped us in Game 4. Wouldn't have helped us in Games 1, 3, or 5. Non issue

[GMRwings1983 8,802]

The sad thing is that it's the biggest moment of Legwand's very average 15 year career.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Some players will do anything to get a bigger playoff share.

[Rhah 195]

I agree with an earlier poster that its unfathomable that the Refs didn't do more work to figure out what happened. In fact, don't they sit there and almost make goalies undress sometimes to find a lost puck? Because they don't want random extra pucks flying out of someone's pants in the middle of a play? If they had made Pecker Rinay undress, it would have demoralized team or else made them admit they had puck on the bench thus allowing Refs to figure out something fishy went on (as in somebody picked up the puck, even if they weren't smart enough to know it was picked up in crease, even though that would be only reason for someone to... or would only Matlock figure this out?)

I think its obvious that Pho-Chi refs and Nash-Det refs are going to be playing some golf early this year...