FSN Pittsburgh Suspends Producer for Replay Exclusion

↵Credit FSN Pittsburgh for coming clean. We noted on Tuesday that the NHL was investigating a replay review during last week’s Penguins-Flyers game in which the network did not send all available angles to the league office for official review. Most importantly, the league never saw the angle that clearly showed the puck crossing the line and thus, ruled no goal, when in fact, the Flyers should have been awarded a goal. ↵

↵

↵
↵Now, the play in question didn’t change the outcome of the game, but it did seem rather suspicious that FSN Pittsburgh had the conclusive evidence cued up seconds after the ruling came down that video replays were inconclusive in order to overturn the on-ice call (video below). Per NHL.com:↵↵⇥Tuesday, FSN Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ local television rightsholder, concluded its investigation into the matter, suspending the production crew member. According to reports in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the producer suspended was Lowell MacDonald Jr., son of former Pittsburgh Penguins player Lowell MacDonald.↵↵The producer is the son of a former Penguins player? See, he was just trying to make dad proud and help out the ol’ squad any way he could. Does that count as a shift? What’s his plus/minus now after this ruling?↵

↵↵⇥“There is nothing more important than the integrity of the game,” FSN Pittsburgh said in a release. “During last Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a definitive replay of a Flyers goal was not aired prior to the conclusion of the official review and, as a result, a Flyers goal was not awarded. Fortunately, this did not change the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, FSN Pittsburgh’s failure to provide video to the League officials in a timely fashion was wholly unacceptable. FSN Pittsburgh has addressed this matter and has taken steps to ensure that such a failure does not occur again.”↵↵A good job by FSN Pittsburgh, and the NHL, to deal with this situation quickly and smartly. Obviously there’d be a slightly different reaction if the goal impacted the outcome of the game. Nonetheless, expect copious “you’re all cheaters” directed at the Penguins TV crew should they staff the matchup in Philly on Jan. 24.↵