Paul Maurice accuses a referee of fixing the game against his team
The Florida Panthers made the trip to Toronto to face off against the Maple Leafs last night. The exciting game saw the Maple Leafs capture the victory by a final score of 5-4, off of a William Nylander overtime game winning goal. The game featured a fast pace and physical style that you might not expect from these teams.
The game also featured 16 penalties and 10 powerplays. 7 of those powerplay opportunities were given to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the game Panther's Head Coach, Paul Maurice addressed the officiating and how he felt it went against his team.
Well, it'll always be penalties that you take in the game you earn, and there's a whole bunch of (penalties) you're not gonna like it all. I thought we had the inordinate share of those.
I don't know what the hell those guys were doing tonight. But it wasn't Florida Panther�friendly.
I don't know what the hell those guys were doing tonight. But it wasn't Florida Panther�friendly.
But Maurice didn't stop there going even further and claiming one of the officials has it out for him and is intentionally trying to hurt his team.
I just explained to 'em, it had nothing to do with my players; it had to do with me and a relationship that I have with one of the referees. That's what that was all about. So, just go out, keep your mouth shut, and play the game.
The official in question is likely Francois St. Laurent. During a game in 2016, St. Laurent ejected Maurice and according to Maurice he has had issues with the official ever since. At the time Maurice was fined $5,000 for his comments, but he can expected to be fined a lot more for tonight's comments.
| POLL | ||
Does the NHL have an overall issue with their referees? | ||
| Yes, they have major issues | 351 | 72.7 % |
| A few bad refs but for the most part it's good | 111 | 23 % |
| No, the refs are good | 21 | 4.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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