Criticism May Be Disallowed Because Pencil Was in Crease

Top 10 reasons why the L.A. Times had such poor coverage of the Stanley Cup final game:

10. Thought NHL season was over when Wayne Gretzky retired.

9. A.J. Foyt didn’t have a team in the finals.

8. Michael Jordan decided he didn’t want to be part-owner of either the Dallas Stars or Buffalo Sabres.

7. Wrongly assumed that Brett Hull got The Times’ e-mail asking him, since he was hurt and wouldn’t be playing, to take a few pictures as a freelance photographer.

6. Truly didn’t believe that hockey fans would be interested in anything the players or coaches from either team had to say. (Hey, it was late. Nobody’s perfect.)

5. The USGA issued a phony press release to NHL reporters that Game 6 was going to be played on the eighth hole at Pinehurst.

4. Helene Elliott was overwhelmed with joy after receiving flowers from new King Coach Andy Murray and missed her flight to Buffalo.

3. Special assignment reporter Dennis Rodman thought the NHL was a new wrestling organization and showed up at TNT offices in Atlanta.

2. Phil Jackson cast a secret spell on Times sports reporters at Beverly Hills news conference and they all turned into eagles over the weekend.

1. U.S. women’s soccer World Cup supporters hired WNBA public relations team and managed to convince Times sports editors that first-round game against (I forget the country) was more important than male-dominated Stanley Cup final game.

BRIAN M. KOWALCHUK, Los Angeles

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Who do Gary Bettman and Brian Lewis think they are fooling when they say Brett Hull’s goal was reviewed immediately after it was scored? Everybody knows that is a lie. The fact of the matter is no one had the guts to say they were too caught up in the excitement instead of doing their job.

It’s nice to see the NHL can give the Stanley Cup to whoever they want, whether they earned it or not.

RYAN DUNN, Long Beach

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Any NHL fan will tell you the problem is Gary Bettman. He wanted the “in the crease” rule for 1999. He made sure it was enforced over and over during the regular season.

Suddenly, during one of the most exciting Stanley Cup games in recent memory, the rule isn’t enforced, isn’t even considered.

I’m embarrassed to be a hockey fan.

MATT SHERIDAN, Los Feliz