It’s interesting that Boston not only led Philadelphia 3-0 in this series, but 3-0 in Game 7, before falling 4-3 in both.  Of course, Bruins fans might use a different adjective to describe this.  Whatever word you use, however, tonight’s loss represents the culmination of a monumental collapse that has now only happened four times in the history of North America’s major pro sports.  And what was the reaction of some of the Bruins’ most senior players?

Well, it was the refs’ fault.

Philadelphia’s winning goal was scored on a powerplay that came of a too-many-men call midway through the third period.  To a man, those in the Boston dressing room admitted that the call was technically correct, but it was the spirit of the rule that seemed to come into question.  “That’s not the appropriate call at this time in the game,” said forward Mark Recchi.  “You don’t call it in a 3-3 Game 7.”  Shawn Thornton seemed to agree, telling reporters that “it was a very, very, very gutsy call with seven minutes left, with all the other shit that’s going on out there.”  Two problems with that one, Shawn: 1) there were almost 9 minutes left, and 2) it’s not like this is a new rule that caught everyone by surprise.  

Of course, you started to get into the question of whether the rules should stay the same towards the end of regulation or in overtime, but this was a tie game with almost half a period left to play, and as coach Claude Julien pointed out, calls like this have been consistent throughout the playoffs so far. 

So here’s what you do. 

You’ve got a tie game in the third period of Game 7?  Keep your stick down, keep your hands to yourself, keep your cool in scrums, and don’t be the sixth man on the ice.  It’s not complicated.  Recchi, Thornton and other like-minded individuals: don’t pin this one on the zebras; pay attention on the bench instead.  And here’s a thought: even if you could somehow make the claim that the winning goal was the referees’ fault, what about the other 14 goals that Philadelphia scored en route to winning four straight games?

The biggest disappointment here isn’t that the officials didn’t put their whistles away.  It’s that a veteran like Mark Recchi, who has a ton of playoff experience under his belt, is passing the buck rather than taking a leadership role and taking some responsibility.  If the Bruins want to go deeper into the playoffs next year, an attitude adjustment for a few of their players couldn’t hurt.