“I am so tired of the officiating in this league. I can’t find it on the tape, I can’t find it. I asked my player honestly, ‘Did you touch him?’ He said, ‘My stick was up, I didn’t touch him.’ You’ve got a guy at the red line calling it, the guy in the corner doesn’t call it. The first (penalty) of the game they grab our guy’s stick and fall. The officiating has got to get better, it’s atrocious.”
– Steve Konowalchuk, Seattle Thunderbirds coach
I was hoping to do this post after finding out about any kind of fine levied against Konowalchuk, but it’s now past noon and there’s no news, so I’m tired of waiting.
Konowalchuk’s comments came in the wake of Seattle’s 2-1 overtime loss to Everett on Saturday night. He was particularly unhappy with a high sticking call on his captain, Justin Hickman, that carried over into overtime and ultimately led to Everett’s game-winning goal. However, it’s evident that Saturday’s outburst against officiating didn’t come just as a result of that one call, but had been building to a boil.
Konowalchuk isn’t the first person to question the quality of officiating. This happens with coaches, players and fans, and it happens at in every sport at every level. But I’m curious what the consensus is at the WHL level. So I’m petitioning your opinion:
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