TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Maple Leafs were unapologetic and critical of the officiating in the aftermath of what happened Tuesday night in Ottawa.

It still didn't help. The NHL suspended Darcy Tucker for five games and Tie Domi for three following an ugly third period in a 4-1 loss at the Ottawa Senators. Ottawa's Chris Neil and Karel Rachunek were both fined $1,000 each by the NHL. Tucker started a brawl by hurling himself at the Ottawa bench and throwing punches at a seated Neil. Tucker was assessed a major penalty for fighting and two game misconducts.

"The message should be clear: any interaction by players on the ice and on the bench is not acceptable and will be subject to discipline," said NHL executive vice-president Colin Campbell.

The league said it was made clear at the disciplinary hearing that Tucker did not charge the players' bench as a result of being spit at by Neil.

In a later separate incident, Domi apparently broke Magnus Arvedson's nose with a gloved fist when the pacifist centre declined to fight.

"Time and score of the game were among the factors considered when determining the length of the suspension," said Campbell.

Based on their annual average salaries, Tucker will forfeit $80,792 and Domi $31,388.88. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

Leafs coach-GM Pat Quinn said he couldn't understand why Domi had to appear at the disciplinary hearing.

"A guy hit him in the gonads with his stick right off the faceoff," said Quinn. "What do you do, just take it? I know what I'd do."

Referring to an Ottawa player he didn't name, Quinn said, "He likes to run and hit people from behind."

"Some kids use the stick awful bad on the other side," he added.

All Quinn wants is a fair shake for his team.

"If there is a dirty hit and it's not called and then there's a hit 30 seconds later, no worse or maybe not even close to the one that happened, and there's a penalty on it you start saying, 'Hey, we're getting stiffed.' Those are the kind of thoughts that go through your head."

Not everyone defended the Toronto tactics.

Internet sites were loaded with reaction, and a lot of it criticized the Leafs, who are building a reputation around the league as whiners and poor sports.

A sampling:

"Worst display I've ever seen."

"Another disgrace to the game."

"What a pack of idiots."

Most Leafs admit the need for better anger management when referees' calls go against them.

They blew their tops in Ottawa. Frustration got the better of them.

What did it?

They'll tell you it was because they had to play shorthanded 11 times, resulting in four opposition power-play goals including three from five-on-three mismatches, while they got only three power-play chances themselves from referees Brad Meier and Marc Joannette.

Not fair, they say.

"Never, even in the days when I was supposed to have a real rough, tough team (in Philadelphia) have we been down that many times five on three," said Quinn.

While admitting that "you don't belong on the other guys' bench," Quinn objected to so many on the Ottawa side tossing punches once Tucker offered up his head in the assault on Neil. During the melee, Quinn grabbed a hockey stick and pushed it at the barrier between the benches.

"All I was trying to do was get somebody's attention," he explained. "I saw a whole bunch of guys jumping in punching.

"I saw the coach, I saw the trainer, I saw all those people jumping in. It was pretty frustrating. Was our guy supposed to be there? He wasn't but he was being pushed in and held from on the ice as well once it did start. For all those people to be punching (Tucker), what kind of business is that? It's like justifying a gang war because a guy made a mistake. It's pretty distasteful, really."

Goaltender Ed Belfour was under siege during the game.

"It's very frustrating," Belfour said of the discrepancy in power plays. "It seems like it's been happening more and more as of late.

"(Tuesday night) it seemed like one ref had the blinders on and was watching our team the whole night and calling penalty after penalty. After a while it gets frustrating. If anyone is to blame for what happened with Darcy and Tie, it would be that referee."

Added Belfour, "You can't tell me there weren't as many penalties that should have been called on them for holding up, obstruction and all that. I don't know what it's going to take (to get equal treatment from the refs). Maybe we're going to have to send them something before every game to make them be on our side a little bit."

An bystander suggested a fruit basket might serve nicely.

"Something like that," Belfour agreed. "It's almost like if we just play pond hockey out there and don't even touch the other team maybe we'll get by with no penalties."

One-sided officiating has been going on all season, he said.

"You put up with it for so long and after a while something is going to snap and (Tuesday night) was a case where it was so frustrating, Tie and Darcy had enough and, like I said, if anybody is to blame for it, it's the referee. The other referee was doing a pretty good job."

He proceeded to float a conspiracy theory regarding refereeing.

"I've never been on a team where it's been this unfair towards the Toronto Maple Leafs, he said. "I heard it was that way before but I didn't believe it.

"But coming here now I see it first-hand. It's pretty sad and unfortunate. It's almost like sometimes the referees are egging us on, too . . . It's not good for the sport and it's not good for hockey."

Andy Van Hellemond, the league's supervisor of referees, defended the work of Meier and Joanette.

Centre Travis Green said he and his teammates have no intention of playing with less emotion.

"Emotionally, sometimes we get on the wrong side of the fence but I wouldn't take that (away) from any of our players," he said. "We wouldn't have got to the semifinals last year if it wasn't for that emotion.

"It's (a matter of) controlling it."

Being outplayed by a team that was superior surely had something to do with the blown gasket.

"We have to be more disciplined and stay out of the penalty box, especially against teams like Ottawa that have good power plays," said Shayne Corson, who skates on a line with brother-in-law Tucker and Green.

"We've got to be smarter," said left-winger Gary Roberts. "We all realize that."

"We shouldn't yell so much, we shouldn't get so irate at the refs," Green said.

Tucker had cuts on his face during practice.

"One thing about Darcy, he has lots of jam," said Roberts. "He's an emotional guy.

"For whatever reason, whether it was standing up for his linemate or whatever, he answered the bell in a way that 99 per cent of other guys in the league wouldn't. I'm sure it's not something he's going to do every day. He'll put it behind him and get back in the lineup and help us win some games."

No Leaf came forward to say Neil spit at Tucker, as has been alleged. Neil has denied it.

© Copyright 2003 The Canadian Press