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| Canadian ref Kelly Sutherland |
The Swedes are damn angry about the fact that the four referees for Sunday morning’s big game all live in Canada. How did that happen? According to Olympic officials, the four are the best guys available for the job. They are three Canadians and an American who lives in Calgary. All are top NHL referees and no one can really question their skill. Yet, as the Toronto Star is saying tonight (Saturday February 22, 2014) the optics are terrible. Peter Forsberg, the penalty-shootout hero of Sweden’s 1994 gold-medal victory over Canada at the Lillehammer Olympics, reportedly texted an angry (and vulgar) complaint to a Swedish newspaper. The offcials in question are Brad Meier, an American who makes Alberta his home, Kelly Sutherland of Richmond B.C., Derek Amell of Port Colborne and Greg Devforski of Guelph. However odd the officiating crew may seem, they certainly bring a lot more credibility to the sport than figure skating judges. As anyone can tell, it’s simply not possible for referees to fix a hockey game. Even if a ref were prejudiced, the chance of an effective fiddle with the outcome is a huge long shot fraught with the prospect of raging fans all over the ice. Here in South Bayview, we wish you a happy hockey happening. If you are not going to watch through your toes in bed, the doors at McSorely’s open at 6.30 a.m. and you can be settled with a brew and breakfast when the puck drops half an hour later in Sochi for the Canada-Sweden gold medal hockey game. Things are timed nicely for you to get to church right after the game too. Oh yes, you can only have Molson Canadian, not Tre Kronor
