In a strange twist, David Backes was called for a phantom hit to the head and thrown out of the St. Louis Blues-Detroit Red Wings game while John Erskine’s blatant hit to the head on Wayne Simmonds went uncalled.
Backes went to finish his check on Red Wings defenseman Kent Huskins and delivered a crushing, but clean hit directly to Huskins chest. Huskins head snapped back violently because Backes is such a big player, and that is presumably why the referee called Backes for a hit to the head and gave him a 5-minute penalty and a game ejection.
The penalty turned the tide in a 3-3 game, as the Red Wings went on to score on the ensuing powerplay and then added an empty netter.
It’s tough to make calls in such a fast pace game, and referees are trying to protect players as much as possible now, but this is a flat-out terrible call. In the grand scheme of things it may not matter much for the Blues playoff chances, but it absolutely cost them the game tonight. Not only was the hit clean, but it wasn’t even a late hit.
It will be interesting to see what the St. Louis Blues, David Backes and even the NHL have to say about the call. The referees have to be held accountable for their mistakes, just like players do.
[Puck Daddy Blog]