We’re 30 minutes to puck drop and the story all day today has been about the referee. After facing a controversy for “allegedly” telling Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows that he was going to get him during Vancouver’s game against Nashville on Monday, Stephane Auger is set to don the stripes and orange armband for tonight’s Flames vs Penguins game.
Auger has a long history of controversial calls (thanks to the super-biased jonno for sending me this link on Twitter last night) and has taken flack from many fans in the past. But that didn’t change the league’s perception of Monday’s accusation by Burrow. The NHL officially released this statement on the matter today:
“We have determined that Mr. Burrows’ account of referee Auger’s comments to him before the game and specifically Burrows’ suggestion that these comments indicated bias against the player of the Vancouver team, cannot be substantiated. While referee auger engaged the player in a brief conversation prior to the opening face-off, I firmly believe that nothing inappropriate was said and that referee Auger’s intentions were beyond reproach.” – Colin Campbell, Executive VP of Hockey Operations
I believe that Auger will be under the microscope tonight and will call a perfect game as a result. If you don’t agree (or even if you do) leave a comment and let me know why.
Greg is the founder of Red Mile Blog has been following the Flames through good times and bad since they arrived in Calgary in the early 80s. He has written hundreds of articles on the Flames since 2005 and considers himself an expert on hockey inconsistency and frustration. He shoots right and usually plays defence, but has been known to jump up in the rush. He is a 2-time CAHL men's league champion and knows the sweet taste of beer from a Cup.
