- Incidental contact: Martin "Greg Millen's favourite person ever" Brodeur could just as easily have been called for interference on Fisher, because it was simply two players hitting each other.
- Skating path: Devils defenceman and former Prime Minister Paul Martin guided Fisher through the front of the net, and so Fish-the-Dish had no choice but to skate along the path he was in.
- Outside the blue: Can a goaltender just skate anywhere on the ice and still be protected by an interference-with-the-goaltender penalty? No. If he's outside the blue paint and there's incidental contact, there's no reason he should draw a penalty.
- Plenty of time: Brodeur had plenty of time to get set up after the contact. While that isn't a reason to look past a penalty, it takes away any excuse Brodeur had on the play.
- Poor positioning: Brodeur simply didn't think Tom "Tommy Gun" Preissing was going to shoot as well as he did. The playing style Brodeur employs on short-side shots like that is to drop down on one knee (in this case, the right knee), hug the left knee against the post, and assumes any shot Preissing would take should either hit him, should easily be caught with a quick glove, or miss the net. Preissing proved him wrong.
Okay, I can hear some Devils fans saying, "You guys got to complain in game two about the late goal, why deprive us of our right to bitch?" I think the goal in question, while shitty, was legit. I don't blame the timekeeper--even if it would have been nice if he started the clock properly. Instead, it was more the combined faults of Jason Spezza, for not tying up his man until the buzzer went, as well as Ray Emery, for slacking back in the net and not keeping the angle cut down, and the defencemen on the ice, for not clearing that puck away.
On an unrelated note, if anyone plays NHL.com's Quest for the Cup, I need a few cards: 21. Mark Recchi; 32. Vincent Lecavalier; and 49. Detroit Red Wings Vs.San Jose Sharks. If anyone wants to trade, my name is TorPeteO. Much appreciated.
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