Overstepping Their Bounds

I ran across a Newsday article that Rodent posted on his message board earlier today that really scares me.

During last night’s Islanders-Senators matchup, Alexei Yashin and Richard Park were called for simultaneous minors late in the third. Isles coach Ted Nolan complained to referee Eric Furlatt, saying “It’s a — call.”

Nolan recounted to Newsday, “He asked me what I said. I said, ‘It’s a — call.’ He asked me again, and I told him again. He asked me a third time, and I told him a third time. He asked for it, and I just told him what I said.”

Furlatt then tacked on a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

We’ll probably never know how much of Nolan’s story is true. Unless someone at ice level was mic’d, everything anyone else says happened is hearsay.

If it’s true, it’s terrifying to me that a ref can get away with that. Baiting a coach is not an official’s job. If he heard the initial comment and wanted to call the bench minor, he could have, but he chose to have Nolan repeat himself several times.

Furlatt had the chance to make the call right off the bat and the chance to walk away. He did neither, instead instigating a conflict with a coach and abusing his power and influence over the game.