To catch you up if you haven't heard, watch the video below. But basically Burrows accused Auger of coming up to him before the game and saying that Burrows made him look bad in a previous game where a call Auger made on Burrows behalf was overturned and that he would get Burrows back during the Predator game, before the game started.

And get Burrows back Auger did! Weak ass calls were made, nobody who watches hockey can dispute that. Phantom interference call put Burrows in the box which cost us the game. The officiating was horrendous as it has been quite a bit and not just against the Canucks but throughout the league.








Burrows was fined $2500 today for his comments made against the referee, which is standard by the league.  But what gets me is that no disciplinary action is going to be taken against the ref (Stephen Auger) and the players around the league are not backing up Burrows for what he said, pointing it out that maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut.

As a hockey mom, my son loves the game.  The conversations we had was this:

Jake: So any ref can make any call if they want.  That isn't fair.

Me: No it's not but that is how it is.  It means you just have to focus on the game and do your best.

Jake: Yeah but even doing your best mom won't matter.  Not if a ref can call whatever he wants.  It means the ref decides who wins.  Why bother playing?

I can't argue with that.  Nor can anyone else.  Giving the ref the power to decide a game is worthless to us fans who pay to watch one of the greatest games ever played.  I support Alex Burrows for speaking out on an issue that many NHL players face but are too chicken shit to say anything about for fear of targeting themselves during the NHL season.

Many people say Burrows is a snitch and should have conducted himself differently.  Well as an outspoken woman who believes in telling it like it is, I disagree but at the same can understand why painting a bullseye on his back might not be beneficial to the NHL or to the Canucks.

Maybe Burrows should have gone to his coach or GM but who says he didn't?  The bottom line is the league decides and apparently so do the ref's during the game.  If they don't like you and you don't agree with them (look out) because they will just make shit up to put you in the bad boys box.

I think it's sad that the NHL league does not support looking into officials taking things personally and that if they prove Auger did in fact threaten to get Burrows back some sort of disciplinary action should be taken to send a more positive message to not only younger players trying hard to get into the game, but young referees from thinking they are above the laws of the game.

You can read more on this issue here, here and here.