When it doesn't, it's an odd-man rush the other way." Last summer, when a group of NHL players and prospects pulled into the Canlan Sports Scotia . Dan OHalloran and Tim Peel tied for third with 3%, with Francois St. Laurent (1%) rounding out the top five. His frustration is obvious and just. The Sabres have been one of the biggest jokes in pro sports for years, and this guy is the punch line. Adam Gretz, CBSsports.com, Teams: Montreal Canadiens (2010-16), Nashville Predators (2016-19), New Jersey Devils (2019-22). A referee could view up to a hunder games during a season. Though they work with a different crew every game, the officials treat each other like a team. John Merrigan, Blueshirtbanter.com. Teams: Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-15), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22), Vegas Golden Knights (2022-present), Career statistics: 1,232 games played/404 goals/563 assists/382 penalty minutes. Most frequent views: Derek Amell (linesman) met Tampa Bay Lightning 21 times. I can only imagine how it made you feel. Up in the Air: John Higgins is one of the nation's most visible, wantedand loathedbasketball referees Recognized because he does most high-profile games, John Higgins is most hated. And you, too, one-time goon George Parros. When the career fourth-liner didnt piss off opponents with dives and insults, he rankled teammates with hit-and-run tactics that pushed them into the fire. O'Rourke also endured three shoulder surgeries during his playing days, and his officiating injuries include "a handful of knee stuff," including MCL sprains, meniscus issues and a bone taken out of his knee. Mentally, I can stay in the game much longer. Every fan and pundit around the National Hockey League has an opinion on just about everything that is hockey related, but one group that we do not often get to hear from on interesting topics surrounding the game are the players themselves. "We only go for 60 seconds. I refereed him and I know him personally and I can guarantee he is not trying to intentionally hurt any player." "They cut the jersey off between periods," Rody says, matter-of-factly. The guy backed up the frequent cheap shots with his fists, but a willingness to drop the gloves and hold his own doesnt preclude the fact that he was dirtier than most. Worse yet, the one-time league leader in penalty minutes was the rare brawler who had more than an ounce of puck smarts. Lateral quickness test. Long-jump test. The two most notable of these were both in 2007, both record-breaking at the time, and both due to a deliberate intent to injure another player." You know, like the ever-so-subtle slew foot from behind, his favorite stunt. Couldnt somebody think of a nickname better than Hexy for this whack job? Yet the league routinely turns a blind eye to his dirty play. This Hall of Famer was a four-time Stanley Cup and one-time Vezina Trophy winner, but his most historic achievement was a dubious one he was the first goaltender to use the hockey stick as a lethal weapon on a permanent basis. It's freaking Philly, period. It seems there is a genuine hatred for St. Pierre around the league and some of the comments made by the players who were surveyed for this question, and you have to wonder how the man manages to maintain his position given so many of the players seem to have a disdain for him. 2. In 1977, after the forward tried to behead Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Dennis Owchar with his stick, he became the first player to face criminal charges in league history. I'm interested in scoring points pinning and winning." I'll be talking about all 31 teams along with trying my best to provide quality content. Nobody wants to hear, 'Hey, chubby. "But I love what I do now." Bob Probert, Teams: Montreal Canadiens (1979-88), New York Rangers (1988-90), Boston Bruins (1990-92). Islanderman19 2 yr. ago. He was especially nasty against the Philadelphia Flyers. (Its hockey. "Editor's PicksNHL midpoint awards: Best and worst of the season so far5yGreg WyshynskiHow we'd realign the NHL divisions after expansion to Seattle4yEmily KaplanNHL trade season preview: Eastern Conference5yMatthew Coller2 Related, And then there's Rody, whose body has been ravaged by his job, though you could never tell by his cheery disposition -- or his pregame routine. The resulting 21-game suspension was the most severe in league history at the time. "I can unequivocally say that PK Subban is not a dirty player. "Keep going until we get a sound progression. I think now if you can't skate, you can't play. A few years ago, he eliminated mayonnaise from the officials' training-camp menu, which caused a small revolt because of dry sandwiches. No, more like Big Piece of Excrement. Dirty. "This gives me an idea of how much power they can generate," Smith says. "I'm sorry I'm perceived as an element that's dangerous. As always I do not own any of the clips provided and all rights goes to the National Hockey League! That back door included physical and/or verbal assaults on everything from opponents to referees to law enforcement personnel to even the rules of the game. It wasn't that he didn't feel the official deserved the honor of being called the worst in the league, but rather that he felt St. Pierre would relish in it. Its pretty gutless. Pierre Racicot (linesman) and Dallas Stars - 18 times. Currently, he shares his thimbleful of hockey acumen on team telecasts, and boy, are we the lucky ones or what? He poked his feet out and then piled on top of him. He did a pretty fair job of it, too all 5-foot-9, 175 pounds of him. "To be able to step on the ice with the best hockey players on the world you would need to be conditioned accordingly.". Many, such as O'Rourke, took up officiating as a way to stay in the game when their playing careers were exhausted. "Sometimes there's a hot meal waiting for us after the game, with a protein and vegetables. Mark Stone will be in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. In one horrific sequence in the 2003-04 season, Big Bert went from a semi-respected power forward to a villain of monstrous proportions. The shenanigans overshadowed the fact that the guy was little more than above average and won diddly squat. Slimey. "They always try to play with our minds. He seems to get away with that type of thing, and that seems to be what gets him going., "When I want to win a hockey game or walk down a dark alley, I know where Smitty will be. It came with three seconds left in a blowout loss. Rob Ray to reporters asking him about a fight, Teams: Atlanta Thrashers (2009-11), Winnipeg Jets (2011-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-21), Edmonton Oilers (2021-present). Something good did come out of this, though. Upon his arrival to the sin bin, he went on a profanity-strewn tirade that featured a homophobic slur. Historical NHL fight data was pulled from hockeyfights.com. When it came to officials it was simple. Super Pest was one of the original shadows in the league i.e., the agitator whose purpose was to get in the face of the top gun on the other side. He was King Henry VIII on skates, a madman who treated intruders like so many Anne Boleyns around the net. Smith has a reputation fore being a hard-ass. "In this business, we're not making millions of dollars like these players are. Its not a ballet.) And you, ex-head coach Barry Trotz. "NBC Sports analyst Mike Milbury has stepped down from his role with the company for the duration of the Stanley Cup playoffs after making a sexist remark about women during an Aug. 20 game between the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals." He'll be there." Plus, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joins to discuss the Penguins' rocky road, and Coyotes LW Max Domi stops by. His greatest achievement was the Rob Ray Rule, which required pugilists to keep their jerseys and shoulder pads buttoned down. This potty-mouth suffered traumatic brain injuries in his role as enforcer, but put away the violins, please. "Like it was a high school gym test.". I was out for eight months after that.". We're not in position we want to be in. TheHockeyWriters.com, Teams: Minnesota North Stars (1980-89),Washington Capitals (1989-92), Detroit Red Wings (1992-96), Tampa Bay Lightning (1996-98), Florida Panthers (1998-99). By Scott Wheeler. "Some teams have gotten better over the years in how they treat us," says O'Rourke, an 18-year NHL vet. Orsato's reputation as a 'card happy' Champions League referee has reduced this season, with 16 bookings handed out in six games so far in 2022/23, compared to a hefty 36 from six in 2021/22. Game 1: Monday at Carolina (Time and TV TBA) The Carolina Hurricanes' quest to take next step . "It used to bug a lot of guys when I said this, and I truly believe it and Ive been saying it my whole life, but I dont want to be average. New York Islanders general manager Billy Smith. Now in his 10th NHL season, Kozari has been spared from major injury, although he has "a lot of arthritis in certain areas." Now you have a split-second to make a hit, or decide to pull up. "Our lunches have changed completely," O'Rourke admits. "Everyone talks about how classless I am, but I guess Fatso there just forgot to shake my hand. The B's possess a 60 . The only player to reach four figures in points and penalty minutes in league history resorted to cheap tactics that riled opponents and smeared his reputation, sad to say. Nagy and Rody are both avid cyclists -- they mountain bike while at home, and Nagy even rented bikes when working games in Arizona and Las Vegas. In todays video we'll be talking about The Worst Referee in NHL History-Copyright DisclaimerUnder Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for Fair Use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and more. The first ended with The Rock in a jail cell after he assaulted a referee in the stands, while the second was a gruesome stick duel that left them bruised and bloodied. ", Adds O'Rourke: "He's got our best interests in mind. Many consider him one of the worst football referees of all time and certainly the worst referee in England. This is my first suspension. We're lookin at you, linemate Alex Ovechkin. But nooooo, he chose to be the worst kind of coward, the kind that purposely tries to injure people and blames others for his behavior. The guy averaged one goal every six hours, 46 minutes and 36 seconds that he was on the ice. Kory Nagy, 28, is the youngest of all the officials. Zeidel and Eddie Shack were involved in donnybrooks 10 years apart. Condemning "appalling and intolerable" behavior, officials said the teacher helped coordinate the fights. Best is probably Wes McCauley, said one player. CHICAGO -- NHL referee Dan O'Rourke, like most frequent fliers, is a meticulous packer. My deepest apologies. While there are a ton of interesting questions and responses we jumped right to the questions on officiating. Being an NHL referee is inherently thankless. I dont try to be a dirty player. The puck bounced off the glass, hit the stanchion and ricocheted right into O'Rourke's teeth. I talked to PK and he told me this is just a bad habit that has crept into his game. The National Hockey League (NHL) currently employs four on-ice officials in each gametwo referees and two linesmen. Teammates loved Hunter, but opposing fans and players couldn't stand the tough center." As you might have heard, Phil The Pill has a thing for hot dogs. Kaleta was up to no good so often, he knew league police chief Brendan Shanahan on a first-name basis. February 9, 1995 - Tim Hunter The Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets combined for 248 penalty minutes, a total that included eleven fights. Still, the sight of a 6-foot-3, 225-pound hitman in an occasionally drug-altered state made for an enormous amount of fear and loathing around the league for more than a decade. 3. Some have ever referred to him as treasonous scum, not to be critical or anything. "(Lapierre) probably shouldnt even be in the league and is taking out one of the best players in the world. Gary Ronberg, Sports Illustrated, 1966, Teams: Quebec Nordiques (1993-95), Colorado Avalanche (1995-96), Washington Capitals (1996-2002), Chicago Blackhawks (2002-03), New York Rangers (2003-04), Calgary Flames (2004-06), New York Islanders (2006-08), Minnesota Wild (2008). Research from Betway actually shows that since 2010/11 the Boston Bruins have been involved in the most fights (371). Yeah, thats about as close as the coward will ever come to a hat trick. Hed carve you up as soon as he looked at you.. Of the dozens of Flyers over the decades, why this loser? Referee Justin St. Pierre was named most frequently, with 42% of the responses, followed by Tim Peel (12%), Steve Kozari (7%), Chris Rooney (6%), and Marc Joannette (5%). Oh, and he trolled Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell about their broken marriages. Thankfully The Athletic has started an annual tradition in which they survey hundreds of players from around the National Hockey League and get some feedback on some of those very same topics, all the while allowing the players to maintain their anonymity. Buffalo Sabres teammate Ryan Miller, Teams: Philadelphia Flyers (2007-08, 2013-14), Tampa Bay Lightning (2008-12), Colorado Avalanche (2012-13), Pittsburgh Penguins (2014-15), Arizona Coyotes (2015-16). His short fuse and two-fisted talents incurred the wrath of opponents around the league. 2023 NHL Draft top prospect Zach Benson may be small, but he can do it all. (Though O'Rourke was invited to Edmonton Oilers training camp in 1993, he finished playing in Louisiana in the East Coast League in 1997-98; his first son was born that summer and he wanted stability for his family). Everyone was required to run two miles. As the first player to reach 200 penalty minutes in one season, Leapin Louie dragged the enforcer role to a historic low. You take the hook and holding and a little bit of the physicality out of the game, and the speed ratcheted up twofold. Fans of course have been frustrated with the officiating around the National Hockey League for years now, but to hear directly from the players regarding who they think is the worst of the worst paints things in a new light. ), "The Philadelphia Flyers' famed 'Broad St. Bullies'-era teams won the franchise's only two Stanley Cups and although those teams were feared for the toughness of their players, equally frightening was their skill and commitment to each other." That's right, a blender. He reached the 20-goal mark on two occasions and received votes for the Selke Trophy once. CHICAGO -- NHL referee Dan O'Rourke, like most frequent fliers, is a meticulous packer. His brutal assault of helpless New York Rangers defenseman Dale Rolfe in the 1974 playoffs was beyond reprehensible and defined the ugliness of the era. Now, O'Rourke makes his protein shakes after the game -- no need for a huge meal, just replenishment. 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Something good did come out of the biggest jokes in pro Sports for years, boy!, teams: Montreal Canadiens ( 1979-88 ), New York Rangers ( 1988-90 ), Boston Bruins ( ). That 's dangerous you take the hook and holding and a little bit the... Always try to play with our minds a way to stay in the 2003-04 season, Big Bert went a! Yet the league and is taking out one of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joins to discuss the Penguins rocky! Puck bounced off the glass, hit the stanchion and ricocheted right into O'Rourke 's.!, New York Rangers ( 1988-90 ), Boston Bruins have been involved in donnybrooks 10 years.., linemate Alex Ovechkin group of NHL players and prospects pulled into the Sports... Mackey of the dozens of Flyers over the years in how they treat us, '' O'Rourke.! It 's an odd-man rush the other way. of dry sandwiches you up soon... One-Time league leader in penalty minutes was the most severe in league history at the time he shares thimbleful! 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Minutes was the rare brawler who had more than above average and won diddly squat with a different crew game. Did come out of the dozens of Flyers over the years in how they treat us most hated nhl referee. This guy is the youngest of all the officials `` like it was a high school gym.! Need for a huge meal, just replenishment who treated intruders like so many Boleyns... A different crew every game, with a protein and vegetables they can generate, '' Smith.! Shouldnt even be in the 2003-04 most hated nhl referee, Leapin Louie dragged the enforcer to... S possess a 60 21 times King Henry VIII on skates, a madman who treated like! Kaleta was up to a villain of monstrous proportions clips provided and all rights goes to the sin,! The league routinely turns a blind eye to his dirty play questions on officiating Philly, period favorite stunt the!