Getzlaf The Great Wows Calgary Crowd

If Ryan Getzlaf’s hockey career somehow ends early, at least he’ll be secure knowing he has a bankable future as a magician.
The former Calgary Hitmen forward must have known the camera angles at the Scotiabank Saddledome last night, as he single-handedly (pun very much intended) ended the Calgary Flames’ playoff hopes.
In a move that certainly has a bright future in the hockey debate world, Getzlaf appeared to grab the puck off netminder Ray Emery’s blocker, hide it behind his back for a moment after the whistle, then slyly drop it for his Anaheim teammate Brandon McMillan – who promptly ushered out of the crease.
Anaheim, which now has 93 points, went on to win 4-2, sweeping the four-game season series with Calgary and move closer to clinching a playoff berth in the tightly-contested NHL Western Conference.
The Flames stall at 87 points and would need an absolutely perfect scenario, involving them winning all four of its remaining games (at St. Louis, at Colorado, home to Edmonton and home to Vancouver), as well as an inconceivable amount of consecutive losses by Chicago, Nashville and Dallas.
Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen.
But back to Getzlaf the Great, or GTG for short (the nickname I just created for him).
TSN’s James Duthie first made mention of the illegal play in a Tweet, before the panel discussed the play for the majority of the intermission.
The puck was clearly in the net, so it should have been called a goal.
OK, the NHL review board missed that one. Bad decision. One that has a human error element to it, however.
But how did they possibly miss GTG closing his hand on the puck?
That move should have at least warranted a penalty shot.
GTG also must be soaking in the sphere of Los Angeles’ influence in Anaheim, as he pulled a great acting job during a TSN intermission interview, claiming he didn’t see the play and it happened really fast.
Kudos to him for keeping a straight face.
For the Flames’ players, and their fans, it’s time to look at the 14-day forecast on the Weather Network. A traditional southern Alberta Chinook has already wiped out most of the snow in the past few days, so start booking some tee times and warm up the golf carts.