Fallout

I promised I wouldn't bitch about NHL officiating anymore this season, but there has been a couple of interesting things resulting from the debacle in St. Louis last week.

From the PD:

GOOD-BYE TO MR. MCGEOUGH?

The hapless work of referee Mick McGeough came to the attention of the NHL after he denied the Blues two legit goals against Ottawa. Here is an item Ottawa Sun scribe Bruce Garrioch recently published:

“Referee Mick McGeough, who has been getting plenty of heat for blown calls this season, likely won’t work in the playoffs. If that’s the case, there’s a strong chance the veteran official may not be back next year.”

That would be a real shame.

Interesting, very interesting.

There was also this comment from an eye-witness watching from the cheap seats:

As a student at a University in Tennesee, I rarely get to see a Blues hockey game. I was happy when I learned that during my spring break, I would be able to attend one. Unluckily, that game ended up being the one last Tuesday night. The Blues didn’t play amazingly well; I didn’t expect them to. I also didn’t expect the horrendous officiating. The college hockey and minor league hockey games that I have attended were never as poorly officiated as this game was. Following the game, Chris Kerber made many insightful comments about the pair of McGeough and LaRue [a rhyming couplet?]. Kerber was shocked and dismayed over the failure of the referees to understand the rules. Bob Plager chimed in, calling Denny LaRue an “out and out liar.” I was extremely disappointed in this aspect of the game.

I viewed the game from Section 315. At the end of the game, everyone in the upper bowl took issue with the officiating, voicing their opinions loudly. One fan, a seventy-odd year old man, was shouting in the first row of section 314. At the end of the game, the man overexerted himself. He had a heart attack and died. This was extremely difficult to watch. And it underscored even more the utter failure of Denny LaRue and Mick McGeough. They should feel guilty, they should apologize, and they should send flowers to this man’s family. And they should go back to working minor league hockey, where some fans might give them more leeway.

I tend to doubt they would find more leeway in the minors, but I understand the sentiment.