Don’t hold your breathe until Referees Stephane Auger and Dean Morton apologize to the entire Ranger organization for the bogus boarding penalty and game misconduct they assessed to Lauri Korpikoski this afternoon. Even though the league rescinded the misconduct, neither official will be sanctioned for their incompetence. That is not Colin Campbell’s way. In Campbell’s world, the teams, the players and their fans take it on the chin while his officials get away without so much as a slap on the wrist.

The league is always tinkering with the rules every season to improve the game. They want to increase scoring chances on the powerplay. This year faceoffs after penalties take place are now in the penalized team’s zone. They want to cut down on injuries by penalizing players who board the player closer to the puck during icing touch ups.  

Today, fans at the Garden had to sit and watch the life be sucked out of this game by the officials. Here’s an idea. How about suspending officials who screw up the games? If indeed they are disciplined by Head of Officials, why not make it public record. Maybe they’ll learn something by their mistakes. I know it would make me feel better to know some remedial action has been taken. Before five minutes had elapsed, these two refs destroyed any enjoyment I may have had in this game. They owe me $70.   

As if it weren’t bad enough that Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers were sucking big time and down two goals when the phantom offense was called, the bogus penalty and the loss of Korpedo threw the game plan into a tailspin from which it would not recover. The whole point of this last preseason game here and the two  ”exhibition games”  in Switzerland is to determine the final three cuts.  Thanks to these two overzealous and incompetent zebras, the Ranger brass have had the”evaluation” water muddied unnecessarily. That is the result of today’s fiasco. The outcome of today’s game is inconsequential.

Here are some observations about this game and the players:

James Dolan should indenture Bobby Holik after his playing days are over and make him sell hot dogs to work off all the money he stole from the Rangers.  

Kevin Weekes was a wall and Henrik Lundqvist was a cheese clothe. Maybe Henrik was contemplating whether or not to bring his velvet collared jacket to Europe. His head certainly wasn’t in the game.

Someone should send Wade Redden a telegram with the address of Madison Square Garden. Maybe he’ll show up to the game next time.  

Nice to see the shorthanded goal by Zherdev. Maybe some fans will get off his case and stop trying to perpetuate the notion that he is a “problem”.

Rissmuller and Sjostrom should go. Voros and Fritsche are better. Someone remind me again why Mara is here. Potter and Fahey have looked better then both Mara and Redden. Hell, Del Zotto looked better then Redden and Mara.

Lastly, the fast and furious play we saw in earlier preseason games didn’t happen today. It took until the end of the third period for the kids to sort themselves and get their legs under them. These boys are tired. This should be a lesson to the “braintrust” never to schedule four games in four nights. Now these players have to fly overnight in an airplane seat to Switzerland and play on a bigger ice surface at a higher altitude on Tuesday. What are the powers that be thinking about? They are putting the team behind the eight ball before the regular season has even started.   

I hope the boys come home in one piece and with four points in the win column. But, like the apology that is due from the NHL Office of Officiating, I’m not holding my breathe.