He Won’t Let Referees Off the Hook

When New York Islander right wing Mark Lawrence hooked Teemu Selanne of the Ducks to the ice midway through the third period Saturday, the league’s best power-play unit readied itself for a try at scoring the tying goal.

But referee Stephen Walkom had other ideas. Walkom also sent Selanne to the penalty box, to serve an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for diving with the Ducks trailing, 2-1, at 9:41 of the period.

It would seem to be an impossible situation. Either the player was hooked and fell to the ice or he wasn’t hooked. How could a referee call both hooking and diving?

Good question, according to Duck Coach Craig Hartsburg.

“What bothers me is when they call both at the same time,” Hartsburg said after the Ducks rallied for a 2-2 tie. “It doesn’t seem to happen much in the first period. It’s usually in the third, when they don’t want to give either team a power play.”

Hartsburg was careful to say that was his belief in general, and not specifically about the calls against Lawrence and Selanne. He also believes the diving penalty has outlived its usefulness.

“It was getting to the point a couple of years ago where guys were diving as soon as they were touched [in the hope of getting a call against an opponent],” Hartsburg said. “To me, if it is a dive, then it shouldn’t be a penalty. Don’t call anything on the guy. Let the guy lie there on the ice. He’s just hurting his team.”

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The Ducks played without center Steve Rucchin for the second consecutive game and the fifth time in the last six.

Rucchin, who suffered a groin strain March 20, returned to the lineup Wednesday against New Jersey but was ineffective while playing 22 shifts over 16 1/2 minutes in a 7-1 loss.