Kerry Fraser Admits NHL Refs Have Player Biases...and Brendan Gallagher Confirms It

[RGM81]

I've personally long believed that NHL referees are incompetent. But it turns out they also have a little bit of bias and indeed their own internal "hit lists" for players: http://www.tsn.ca/c-mon-ref-has-the-...agher-1.139254 That comes from Kerry Fraser.

It's been plainly obvious for a while that they have it in for Brendan Gallagher. Last Saturday against the Flyers, Gallagher was engaged with the defender at (where else) the front of the net in front of Ray Emery. They were in a battle for position. Gallagher got knocked down, and fell into the crease. Emery, seeing who it was, did a little flop and as a consequence, a perfectly good goal (as signalled by the referee three feet from the net) was waved off the official at centre ice. Habs fans in the crowd and in front of their TV's went nuts. It was a completely atrocious call...this in the same game where an official was looking in a pile of players while another skated the puck out and popped it into the net. Never mind that Sean Couturier was on top of Carey Price moments earlier, or that nobody knew where it was...the official had lost sight of the puck. He was not even close to looking in the direction of the player that fished it out and scored. But that was pointed as a good goal even though the official is supposed to blow the play dead when he loses sight of the puck.

So let's flash ahead to last night versus the Blues. Gallagher is going after the puck behind the net, gets taken down. No call. He asks the ref what was up with that obvious trip not resulting in a penalty...and then he shared the response with a national audience:
http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/20...ed-against-him

I'm sure that Gallagher's going to get fined for calling the refs out on this.

But it's a little insulting to know that not only are the refs out there operating with different standards but the NHL won't do anything to hold them accountable.

[mq13]

I did not see the game against the Blues but did watch the Flyers game. Both he & Emery should have embellishment calls. As for the goal Read scored the ref was right there in front of the Flyers player that the puck was below. It was not covered up as Carlo make himself a tent to guard the puck.

[RGM81]

Oh I agree that it wasn't covered - great camera work by the Sportsnet guys on that. But as you watch Read fish the puck out, skate across the front of the net, and deposit it, the ref's head doesn't move at all. He thought it was still at the bottom of the pile. It wasn't. Which means he lost sight of it. By rule he's supposed to blow the play dead at that time. No matter in the big scheme of things as the Habs won big, but still that shouldn't have happened. Not because the puck was trapped (it wasn't) but because the ref didn't know where it was.

[mooneyes]

This issue is much bigger than one player or incident. If you have a reputation for diving, essentially a cheater, of the Game, and the Fans, you should be on a list, at least until you clean up your act. Diving not only "makes" the ref's look incompetent, but it makes the GAME look incompetent and corrupt. As long as they keep our great game from becoming anything like the joke known as professional soccer, than do what you have to do!

[mikecole141]

Gallagher was engaged with the defender at (where else) the front of the net in front of Ray Emery. They were in a battle for position. Gallagher got knocked down, and fell into the crease. Emery, seeing who it was, did a little flop and as a consequence, a perfectly good goal (as signalled by the referee three feet from the net) was waved off the official at centre ice. Habs fans in the crowd and in front of their TV's went nuts. It was a completely atrocious call...

Funny, but Price is famous for making incidental contact and flopping in the very same way. Was even a big thing back in the TB/Habs 1st round series last year. Killorn got pushed into the net, Subban interfered with him getting out and on his way out Price made the contact that the Ref used to disallow the goal using the infamous rule 69.3. Habs Fans were certainly not upset at that last year. And there should of been an Interference call against Subban regardless of how 69.3 had played out.

As for the call you are calling atrocious; I would be more appalled at the way Gallagher went down after he and the defenseman had separated, he looked like a Spanish soccer player. But the reason the goal is disallowed Gallagher is being called for holding as he clearly wraps his arms around Coburn and pushes him down and that is when the sniper attacks he makes a really, really, bad dive. So not only does the goal get disallowed, not only does Gallagher get a penalty he deserved, but he is also a little lighter in his wallet following the fine he probably got behind the scenes for diving. And also why he doesn't get the benefit of doubt when it comes to borderline calls in other games.Heck this far into November he is probably going to be making Michel Therrien's wallet lighter too; it is too bad the League doesn't publish that list.

this in the same game where an official was looking in a pile of players while another skated the puck out and popped it into the net. Never mind that Sean Couturier was on top of Carey Price moments earlier, or that nobody knew where it was...the official had lost sight of the puck. He was not even close to looking in the direction of the player that fished it out and scored. But that was pointed as a good goal even though the official is supposed to blow the play dead when he loses sight of the puck.

When you watch the overhead footage you can watch the ref watching the puck and as read moves it to the other side and puts it in you can watch the refs head turn. He did not lose the puck so the play was not stopped. There is no interference for rule 69.3 as the players clear the crease and the only contact with Price was other Habs.

So let's flash ahead to last night versus the Blues. Gallagher is going after the puck behind the net, gets taken down. No call. He asks the ref what was up with that obvious trip not resulting in a penalty...and then he shared the response with a national audience:
http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/20...ed-against-him

I'm sure that Gallagher's going to get fined for calling the refs out on this.

But it's a little insulting to know that not only are the refs out there operating with different standards but the NHL won't do anything to hold them accountable.[/QUOTE]

I need to see the play in order to comment on it and as that game was regional, I couldn't see it. But considering it is Gallagher you are talking about, it probably is being overblown as nobody seems to be posting the actual video footage; just their outrage over the man keeping the little guy(figuratively and literally) down.

[adamslogik]

Not really worth your time to point out anything that makes sense if it involves the Habs Rich.

Most fans just can't remain impartial when it comes to the most hated team in the NHL.

The worst part is, as an anglo who comes from there but has lived in just about every province since, I can attest to the fact that the hate is as much because of the intolerance of the french culture as much as it is about the winning history of the team. People can't help but hate what they don't understand, and there are alot of people out there who don't care to understand anything but what they already know.

I have literally never had a conversation about Montreal with anyone in the rest of Canada, or the USA in which the other person did not inform me about some problem they had with "all the french" in Quebec.

Anyways, it kind of seems like you could tell fans of half the teams in the league that a cross check to the face should be called and they would disagree with you if the missed call was against the habs.

[RGM81]

Not really worth your time to point out anything that makes sense if it involves the Habs Rich.

Most fans just can't remain impartial when it comes to the most hated team in the NHL.

The worst part is, as an anglo who comes from there but has lived in just about every province since, I can attest to the fact that the hate is as much because of the intolerance of the french culture as much as it is about the winning history of the team. People can't help but hate what they don't understand, and there are alot of people out there who don't care to understand anything but what they already know.

I have literally never had a conversation about Montreal with anyone in the rest of Canada, or the USA in which the other person did not inform me about some problem they had with "all the french" in Quebec.

Anyways, it kind of seems like you could tell fans of half the teams in the league that a cross check to the face should be called and they would disagree with you if the missed call was against the habs.

So it seems eh? C'est la vie, ouain?

[mikecole141]

Not really worth your time to point out anything that makes sense if it involves the Habs Rich.

Most fans just can't remain impartial when it comes to the most hated team in the NHL.

The worst part is, as an anglo who comes from there but has lived in just about every province since, I can attest to the fact that the hate is as much because of the intolerance of the french culture as much as it is about the winning history of the team. People can't help but hate what they don't understand, and there are alot of people out there who don't care to understand anything but what they already know.

I have literally never had a conversation about Montreal with anyone in the rest of Canada, or the USA in which the other person did not inform me about some problem they had with "all the french" in Quebec.

Anyways, it kind of seems like you could tell fans of half the teams in the league that a cross check to the face should be called and they would disagree with you if the missed call was against the habs.

So it seems eh? C'est la vie, ouain?

Really? Of the three non-Habs fans not one is bashing the Habs, and not one made any comments about Francophone Quebecers.

One commented that he could clearly see the puck on the Read goal which I added that on the overhead view you can see the Ref's head turn as it moves across which calls into doubt Richard's opinion that he obviously lost sight of the Puck.

Mooneyes talks about all divers, he doesn't specify Gally specifically. He goes out of his way to specify more than one player and more than one incident.

While I call out Gally's holding penalty which is obvious, his dive is even more obvious. As for the claim that Emery flopped, How is it any different from what Kerry Fraser has even said that Price is known for when he defended the Ref's enforcement of rule 69.3 in the Playoffs last year. In the crease the goalie has that weapon available. In this case it never got to that as the trailing Ref was already hands up over the hold. If anything Gallagher was lucky he got away with the dive and that they only had a 2 minute minor instead of a double minor.

But I didn't bash the Habs, French People and I did little more than talk about Gallagher's dive after he figured he got caught and made a joke about his Wallet and potentially Therrien's being lighter.

In the case presented here it is no different than Marchand, Burrows, and many others do, when they are trying to draw a penalty or draw attention away from a potential penalty against them. Fraser doesn't bash the Habs he presents that there are players on the Canadiens as well as around the League where extra attention is given.

[30ranfordfan]

lol.

Sorry, but it's news that referees are biased against some players? This has been going on, in all sports, since the invention of referees.

I don't know the plays you guys are referencing specifically, but if you (the player) has done something to embarrass or annoy the ref..... it's going to take a lot more to get a call your way (or to get let off on doing something).

Reasonably close pitches, who is throwing and who is hitting have as much to do with the Strike / Ball count... as it's actual placement. No different here.

I mean, if refs actually called the rules by the book.... and gave out minor penalties for each hook, hold, slash, etc: Most games would be a perpetual game of 3-on-3. They don't. They call what they feel are the most egregious infractions, and let the rest go. Who is committing the crime has a lot to do with how the ref perceives the seriousness of it..... as is who is on the receiving end.

[adamslogik]

But I didn't bash the Habs, French People and I did little more than talk about Gallagher's dive after he figured he got caught and made a joke about his Wallet and potentially Therrien's being lighter.

Just like you pointed out about Mooneyes never directly making reference to Gallagher, I never actually made reference to EITHER one of you. I was simply making an observation, based on my experience(Unlike your observation, which makes direct reference to Gallagher, and to my comments). My observation, and my opinion are both based on decades of personal experience, gained all over the continent, and those experiences are uniquely mine, as is my opinion.

Please do not presume to tell me that my observation is wrong, unless you have had the exact same experiences that I have had, then you are in no position to do so.

The fact is that the Habs are the most hated team in the league, and have been for decades. Since the ownership, the administration, the coaching staff, the players and the system itself and even the building have all changed countless times during the last 60 or so years, we have to look at what remains the same to understand where the hatred comes from. The only things that remain are the fact that the Habs are the winnigest franchise in NHL history and the fact that they are the ONLY NHL team with a deep francophone heritage.

So pick your Poison, Jealousy or Prejudice, but whatever the reason, the hatred felt toward the habs can not be attributed to the Preds, the Devils, the Rangers or the Red Wings.

Like I said, Lucic could 2 hand Carey Price across the mask tomorrow, or Phaneuf could take off his skate and stab Subban Happy Gilmour style and Bruin/Leaf fans(along with most of the rest of the league) would find a reason why they deserved it and it isn't a penalty. THAT is not normal, that is a special kind of hate, the kind that transcends logic and crosses into the emotional realm. Hatred THAT deep, is the kind that closes peoples minds.