Montreal Canadiens Veteran Brendan Gallagher Calls for NHL Officials in Toronto to be Fired
Photo credit: Montreal Canadiens on YouTube
Following the team's loss in a crucial game for their Wild Card race, Montreal Canadiens veteran forward Brendan Gallagher called out NHL officials' inconsistency, urging for their replacement.
After ending last season 28th in the league, the Montreal Canadiens have come a long way from the bottom to a Wild Card holder in the Eastern Conference with less than one month remaining before playoffs.
However, with four teams within a few points of taking their spot, last night's game against bottom-dwelling team the Philadelphia Flyers was almost a must-win for the Stanley Cup hopefuls.
Unfortunately, even with the trailing team working with interim coach Brad Shaw after Flyers management fired John Tortorella, the Habs could not pull out a victory, losing 4-6 and making their path ahead much narrower.
Though much of the failures of last night's game can be attributed to poor playing across the board, one veteran Canadiens forward pointed fingers elsewhere on the ice.
During postgame media availability, 32-year-old Brendan Gallagher was asked about his take on officiating in the game, and he called out inconsistency in goalie interference.
Moreover, sharing the ire of players across the league and their fans, he urged for the league to rectify this by replacing the current game officials with those who actually understand the game.
"We watch, we see what's going on, you know. The Palmieri goal, the goal we had call back. He skates in the crease on his own, he gets in Dober's way, that's what they've been calling; that's the standard. And then, you know, it seems to go against us every single time. It's incompetence. We need someone in there who can show consistency. Let's players are asking- I mean, I don't know who's making the decision- Its players are frustrated all over the league. It seems like there's zero consistency and it needs to change. We got to get people in there who understand the game and um you know, we're not getting that right now."
The Montreal Canadiens have eleven games left in the season, six of which are against teams currently ahead of the in the standings.
While many fans and players agree with Gallagher's take on the current state of NHL officiating, his complaint will likely do little to help them secure their seat in the Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.
Hopefully, the league takes his cue and begins to reassess the future of calling games with more consistency, and less incompetence.
| POLL | ||
MARS 28 | 414 ANSWERS Montreal Canadiens Veteran Brendan Gallagher Calls for NHL Officials in Toronto to be Fired Is Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher right about officiating in the NHL? | ||
| Yes, completely | 324 | 78.3 % |
| Yes, partly | 70 | 16.9 % |
| No, not at all | 15 | 3.6 % |
| Unsure/No opinion | 5 | 1.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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