I think the biggest story in hockey that is being swept quietly under the rug is the recent ‘Burrows vs. NHL official Auger’ match up. Alex Burrows, of the Vancouver Canucks, took a professional chance and spoke up for himself and his team and took the bullet for them when he claimed that NHL referee Stephane Auger made a premeditated threat at the pregame skate in a recent game. According to Burrows, referee Auger made a call on another team, when Burrows was tripped on the ice. Auger, according to Burrows later felt that he took a dive and was not hurt, like he thought he was initially. The next game, Auger when up to Burrows and allegedly told him he made a bad call and that Burrows made him “look bad,” and would get him back during the game. Burrows went on to receive special attention by the officials and after one penalty, as he skated past Auger was told “if you say one word I’ll throw you out.”
So the big question is….who do you believe?
Since then I have been reading that people in the NHL don’t believe Burrows entirely, and one NHL writer goes as far as saying the Vancouver Canucks are “making a mountain out of a mole hill.. [like they always do].” I understand the purest want to protect the integrity of the game, and a reckless claim like this can get out hand and turn ugly, but is it not possible for officials to be bias?
Recently the NBA faced a scandal on a larger scale when disgraced referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months for illegal gambling and fixing of NBA basketball games. He spoke when he got out of prison about how the officials are like any other team that looks out for one another. In one example he said that if someone tried to make an official look bad in the media by saying something, or argued too much during a game, the other zebra striped team members would make that players life miserable in another game. Tim Donaghy said he would not know who was going to win a game before hand, but could influence the pace and momentum shift, with calls at crucial moments.
So why can this be possible in the NBA, and not in any other sport? Referees are human right?
If you, the reader, were to think back to a playoff game, a championship, or anytime a team plays a Canadian team or the Red Wings (just kidding), I think you can count on more than both your hands the times you felt your home team was being slighted by the referees. That is where the “ref you suck” chant came from. It goes without saying that referees on occasion do make bad calls. I believe they’re accidents. On the other hand I also believe in implied pressure from people up top, looking out for the preservation of legendary franchises, and big money players as well. When you have players like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Sidney Crosby, and Kobe Bryant, just to name of few, you do everything to exploit their marquee value so that everyone in that sport benefits from it financially. That is just the name of the game. And what would competition be without bad boys like Alexander Ovechkin, Tiger Woods (did you see what I just did?), Barry Bonds, or Terrell Owens, so that fans can come to the arena and root against them? It would be boring, that’s what. Throw into the mix some human drama, and human error, and you have yourself a sell out!
I’m a diehard fan and I find myself during certain games feeling as if something is influencing momentum. I can even recall when certain penalties are called in favor of other teams (in my opinion) and feeling as if the balance of the game is intentionally being shifted. After all, professional sporting events, aside from being competition, are also entertainment. The more dramatic a game, the higher the odds that fans will want to come back. Now I am not saying every official in every game is making bad calls on purpose either, but home teams know ahead of time which games will not draw a sell out, and try to remedy this with giveaways, or special promotions. So why not spice things up some more with some drama? In closing, some will say I tend to be too much of a cynic, to those people I say remember what the number one rule of entertainment is…always keep them coming back for more!
So the big question is….who do you believe?
Since then I have been reading that people in the NHL don’t believe Burrows entirely, and one NHL writer goes as far as saying the Vancouver Canucks are “making a mountain out of a mole hill.. [like they always do].” I understand the purest want to protect the integrity of the game, and a reckless claim like this can get out hand and turn ugly, but is it not possible for officials to be bias?
Recently the NBA faced a scandal on a larger scale when disgraced referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months for illegal gambling and fixing of NBA basketball games. He spoke when he got out of prison about how the officials are like any other team that looks out for one another. In one example he said that if someone tried to make an official look bad in the media by saying something, or argued too much during a game, the other zebra striped team members would make that players life miserable in another game. Tim Donaghy said he would not know who was going to win a game before hand, but could influence the pace and momentum shift, with calls at crucial moments.
So why can this be possible in the NBA, and not in any other sport? Referees are human right?
If you, the reader, were to think back to a playoff game, a championship, or anytime a team plays a Canadian team or the Red Wings (just kidding), I think you can count on more than both your hands the times you felt your home team was being slighted by the referees. That is where the “ref you suck” chant came from. It goes without saying that referees on occasion do make bad calls. I believe they’re accidents. On the other hand I also believe in implied pressure from people up top, looking out for the preservation of legendary franchises, and big money players as well. When you have players like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Sidney Crosby, and Kobe Bryant, just to name of few, you do everything to exploit their marquee value so that everyone in that sport benefits from it financially. That is just the name of the game. And what would competition be without bad boys like Alexander Ovechkin, Tiger Woods (did you see what I just did?), Barry Bonds, or Terrell Owens, so that fans can come to the arena and root against them? It would be boring, that’s what. Throw into the mix some human drama, and human error, and you have yourself a sell out!
I’m a diehard fan and I find myself during certain games feeling as if something is influencing momentum. I can even recall when certain penalties are called in favor of other teams (in my opinion) and feeling as if the balance of the game is intentionally being shifted. After all, professional sporting events, aside from being competition, are also entertainment. The more dramatic a game, the higher the odds that fans will want to come back. Now I am not saying every official in every game is making bad calls on purpose either, but home teams know ahead of time which games will not draw a sell out, and try to remedy this with giveaways, or special promotions. So why not spice things up some more with some drama? In closing, some will say I tend to be too much of a cynic, to those people I say remember what the number one rule of entertainment is…always keep them coming back for more!
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