Montreal Canadiens: Too Many Angry Zebras On The Ice

Sep 14, 2013; Belleville, Ontario, CAN; CBC television commentator

Don Cherry

(right) and Ron MacLean (left) during the first period intermission at Yardmen Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not sure what year it was, or who the Habs were playing at the time, but I can distinctly remember hearing Don Cherry talk about how the referees put away the whistle in the playoffs and for the most part, let the players settle it on the ice.

My friends, that time is over. It’s behind us, in the rear view mirror, waving with tears in its eyes and a wave of a sad hand.

Front and centre now in the game are none other than THE ZEBRAS.

The very guys we all came to see, right? I know every Habs fan out there spends money for jerseys, tickets, t-shirts, and hats just to cheer on the zebras. I always see a ton of black and white striped shirts in the crowd, with fans cheering as they hit the ice.

Not so much, and this time it’s for good reason.

An over-refereed game, which is what we witnessed in Game 2, never used to have a place in the NHL. I’d love to say that it still has no place in today’s NHL. After all, this is not a special teams league, it’s the NHL. Let the boys play. There’s no need to call every shove, hit, cross-check, slight hook, and bullying attempt. It slows the game down, makes it boring to watch, and frustrates fans and players alike.

OTTAWA SERIES VS TAMPA BAY SERIES

I’m not sure why things changed and what took place between the Ottawa and Tampa Bay series. I remember that series being smooth flowing, with very few whistles. There was one period where I counted 6 whistles in the entire period, and I loved it. The flow was great, the hits were just as hard, and sure, there were a few close calls for penalties, but many weren’t called and it provided us with a better product overall. A NHL product. A Playoff NHL product. Not a special teams game that’s entirely ruined by an angry referee.

And that’s all after the disaster of Game 1 and P.K. Subban‘s controversial stick work on Mark Stone. Now, some people will point to the ouster of Subban in that game as another over-refereed game, but based on Mark Stone’s acting skills, who could blame them. The picture here showing Alexei Emelin crushing Curtis Lazar is case and point. There was no call on the play, and in my opinion, it was twice as bad as the penalty called on Subban for cross-checking Ryan Callahan.

The refs let more close calls go in the Ottawa series, and as a result, the series anger that existed after Game 1 went away entirely before Game 2 was over and what we saw instead was great hockey. Not referees making calls each time a Sens player went down.

Montreal vs Tampa Bay: Game 2

May 3, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward

Brandon Prust

(8) fights with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman

Braydon Coburn

(55) during the third period in game two of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

The real score of Game 2, when you take away the goals created by penalties each team served, was 2-2. That’s what happened while 5 on 5. The other goals, 4 for TB, were all created by questionable refereeing and on penalties that could just as easily been called on the player being “abused”. I counted at least 3 instances where the Lightning did worst things than what the Habs did and no call was made.

Is this based on history? Are referees angry at the Habs in general? Are they allowed to be? After all, they’re supposed to be neutral parties in each game. I’m entirely aware that the Habs play a prototypical gritty playoff style which used to be what gets you to the next round. But apparently, when you set up your team in that manner, you gain a reputation and refs will be more likely to finger point you as you head to the penalty box.

Brad Watson, the referee in question had NO right to do what he did. I know refs have emotions as well, but to target Brandon Prust the way he did in 100% unprofessional and something that is directly addressed in the training of referees throughout their progression. Antagonizing an emotionally charged player who is full of adrenaline gets everyone nowhere fast and only adds fuel to the fire.

KERRY FRASER SAYS PRUST BROKE SOME CODE, I SAY WAKE UP KERRY

In an article written by ex-referee Kerry Fraser for TSN, he states the following:

"“Regardless of what was or wasn’t said, Prust exercised very poor judgement by taking these allegations against referee Brad Watson to a public forum. The slogan, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is traditionally a ‘code’ within the game of hockey. It serves no useful purpose to wash the dirty laundry in the public arena.”and adds“Once those allegations from Prust became public, the NHL was not only forced to conduct a formal investigation but to make their findings public to some degree as well. The league will make their best effort at ‘damage control’ but nobody wins in this situation. Aside from obvious interviews and statements from Prust and Watson, Campbell’s investigation will include camera footage and audio that might have been caught on microphones placed in and around the penalty box. A professional ‘lip-reader’ might even be solicited. Statements will be taken from the league employed members of the off-ice crew that man the penalty box (especially the individual that sat beside Prust). Any and all information will be gathered to arrive at the “truth.””"

Can you believe he wrote this and didn’t see his own error? Didn’t he re-read it?

OF COURSE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING FOR PRUST TO DO KERRY, THE NHL SHOULD BE “FORCED” TO CONDUCT A FORMAL INVESTIGATION AND TO MAKE IT PUBLIC.

May 3, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens right wing Brandon Prust (8) takes a double minor penalty against Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn (55) during the first period in game two of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Not only is it the right thing to do, but just as the players can be kicked out of games when they behave inappropriately, so should referees. Brad Watson should have been taken out of the game after the period ended and have been replaced by another referee. If I’m the NHL watching refs finger-pointing and yelling at players, I’m not happy. I see a ref that’s out of control and could ruin the game, series, and focus of the playoffs as a whole.

We should all be talking about hockey, not some Angry Zebras that took the game into their own hands and called 8 penalties on one team and only 3 on the other. There is no code between the referees and players. Nor should there be. Each has to be held accountable, and I can’t fathom the NHL withholding the fact that players are being interviewed in the process of a possible suspension, so why not the refs? What makes them so special? They need to be held accountable as well. There is no code.

Now, in no way am I excusing what Brandon Prust did. But that penalty should have been 2 minutes, it’s done, we move on with the game. Instead, it set off a debacle of penalties and angst against the refs that really seemed to have an impact on Habs players.

The problem is, what’s the solution? There isn’t one that I’m aware of, and although the allegations he made against the refs may end up in something being done to the ref in question, this has been an ongoing issue in Montreal for a very long time.

MAURICE RICHARD AND THE RIOTS

The most famous case against Montreal dates back to my personal favourite Habs player of all-time, Maurice Richard. The videos below are really worth watching:

After watching these videos, can you blame fans in Montreal for being a little touchy when it comes to refereeing? These events resulted in a complex feeling that both the league and the referees conspired against the entire franchise and the French population of Quebec. That’s quite the impact, and in my opinion, it carries on to this day.

MONTREAL CANADIENS: TOO MANY ANGRY ZEBRAS ON THE ICE

Oct 9, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien (L) argues with referee Rob Martell (26) after a disallowed goal against the Washington Capitals in the third period at Verizon Center. The Canadiens won 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The referees are there to officiate the game. There should be no emotion from them. The calls should be swift and effective, and no show of force, or wagging fingers, should come from them. Let the players decide the games. It’s who we want to see on the ice, and the fierce playoff play is expected. We don’t want to watch soccer like diving – which both Ottawa and Tampa Bay showed traits of so far in the playoffs. We want gritty players who will fight through a playoffs and wind up beaten up and deliriously happy when they hoist the cup. They’d know that they won the fight, not the acting contest meant to draw support from the zebras.

I sincerely hope that Kerry Fraser is wrong and that something will be done to stem the flow of penalties we’ve seen them give the Habs so far in the playoffs. It’s really a black eye for the NHL, and it’s ruining what could and should be a wonderful series.

After what Brandon Prust layed out, all we can do now is wait for the NHL to act – or not. Either way, the series goes on and sadly has the refereeing performance in the spotlight, instead of 2 great teams being the focus. Let’s hope refereeing focus ends soon.

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