why do the refs let Chara get away with so much stickwork?

[icefields]

is it because he cant keep up with the play?
i have watching the leafs/bruins series and after EVERY stoppage in their end Chara crosschecks/slashes/shoves a leaf player. AND THE REFS NEVER CALL ANY OF IT.
heck the guy is a monster already, does he need this advantage as well. its obvious he cant keep up with the game anymore, most of his contact comes after the whistle AND FROM BEHIND.
so why? throughout the regular season this stuff is not permitted, the interference when a guy dumps it past him and yet he is allowed to slow down the player by grabbing or just getting in the way, and dont give me "its the playoffs" crap - that is what has led to so many suspensions, & injurys. call the fouls, the game will speed up and the better HOCKEY team will usually win, but for some reason in the playoffs the refs let the more physical - less talented teams have the advantage. just like a few years back in game 7 of the finals when the bruins mugged the c'nux all night long. and won the cup. the best hockey team didnt win. the goonies did.

IMO Chara already has a huge size advantage, maybe the refs feel sorry for him becasue he is not a bonifide NHLer anymore. if he wasnt huge, he wouldnt be playing anymore.

[Savard18]

Good point....

It seems like all these teams and players have been taken over by imposers... Columbus, Chara, Pittsburgh?

Don't show EMOTION.

[30ranfordfan]

It's not just Chara.

It's the playoffs, so the NHL referees are supposed to throw the rule book in the garbage, and let players do whatever they want.

Playoff hockey is totally different from regular season hockey. It's when hooks, holds, and slashes are expected at every turn. A cross check? So long as it wasn't to the other guy's face, it's cool.

Wouldn't want the refs to decide the outcome of games with their whistles. Maybe the problem is that the league doesn't want too many high scoring games? Letting everything go means that we get to see a higher percentage of games turn into a 2-1 grind.

[sparty07]

Why would Chara ever need to leave his feet to make a check?

[creasecollector]

If i was a ref, I'd be afraid to give Chara a penalty, too.

[RGM81]

Marc Bergevin was bang on a few years back when he talked about there being two kinds of players that can make it in today’s NHL: guys who get you *to* the playoffs and guys who get you *through* the playoffs. At this latter stage in his career, Chara is the latter. Much like a Joe Thornton, he’s been around forever and is exactly the kind of guy that the refs give additional leeway to in these situations. So yes, as long as that ogre is merely doing some mundane stickwork post-whistle and not attempting to maim anybody (there’s no Habs this playoffs so no worries there) he will continue to get away with this stuff—and woe be upon anybody on the ice who takes umbrage.

[30ranfordfan]

Marc Bergevin was bang on a few years back when he talked about there being two kinds of players that can make it in today’s NHL: guys who get you *to* the playoffs and guys who get you *through* the playoffs. At this latter stage in his career, Chara is the latter. Much like a Joe Thornton, he’s been around forever and is exactly the kind of guy that the refs give additional leeway to in these situations. So yes, as long as that ogre is merely doing some mundane stickwork post-whistle and not attempting to maim anybody (there’s no Habs this playoffs so no worries there) he will continue to get away with this stuff—and woe be upon anybody on the ice who takes umbrage.

The sad part of it though: Chara would be a monster of a liability for the Bruins if the refs were actually directed to call the the rules in the rule book. He's slow. His big advantage is his size - he ties up other players as well as anyone in the league.... except that shouldn't be allowed to happen.

I get that there's a bit of an art to those cross checks after the whistle, make your opponent hurt - but get away with it (i.e. the refs don't call it). TBH that stuff, which Chara also excels at, bothers me less. It should be called, but rarely ever does (and usually offsetting if a call is made). That's not the stuff that's gumming the play up though.

[piper1]

I have seen the Leafs take the feet out from several Bruins players including Chara and they seem to get away with it but in the championship for whining about missed calls they have no equals.

[30ranfordfan]

I have seen the Leafs take the feet out from several Bruins players including Chara and they seem to get away with it but in the championship for whining about missed calls they have no equals.

No doubt the Leafs are getting way with a lot too.

This isn't a Leafs thing / Bruins thing / Chara thing (though I think Chara is one of the worst offenders for it.)

It's an NHL thing, that's amplified during the playoffs. For many years - I would have said "the refs suck at their job, they let everything go". I don't really think that's the case though. They're DIRECTED by the league to let things things go, and I don't get it.

[icefields]

"I have seen the Leafs take the feet out from several Bruins players including Chara and they seem to get away with it but in the championship for whining about missed calls they have no equals."

if you wanna talk whiners keep your eyes on the little piece of crap Marchand. excellent skilled player but he is forever yapping/whining at the refs, except of course when he licks someone.

we all tend to see what we want to see.

everybody whines when the calls arent made. they figure thats how to get future calls, doesnt always work in your favor tho.