Pierre McGuire rips the NHL over “pathetic” call last night.

Harsh criticism from a very pro-NHL guy.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
Pierre McGuire rips the NHL over “pathetic” call last night.
NHL

National Hockey League analyst Pierre McGuire is often a controversial figure in his own right, one segment of hockey fans seem to love him while some others have the polar opposite reaction to the man. However one thing he has been consistent on during his tenure as an NHL analyst is he very rarely criticizes NHL officials. 

McGuire has always had a tremendous respect for the officials both on and off the ice and has been vocal about his belief that they have the hardest officiating job in all of pro sports with the speed at which the game is played on the ice.

That's why when he came out and harshly criticized a call made by NHL officials on Sunday night, it stood out even more so than if it had been made by any other NHL analyst in the business. To say Pierre did not hold back would be an understatement.

"Let me just interrupt, that call yesterday against the Islanders, that was pathetic," said McGuire during a radio interview.

What McGuire is referencing here is a call that was made on a goal scored by New Jersey Devil Kyle Palmieri. The call, while officially ruled as no-goal on the ice, was initially signaled as a good goal by the NHL official standing behind the net. 

The league would go on to review the play and eventually they made they decision to uphold the call on the ice, ruling it no-goal and causing a great deal of controversy among fans who were watching the game. Needless to say McGuire thought it was a terrible ruling.

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"That was as bad as any call I've seen this year."

He also pointed to the fact that similar situations have resulted in the exact opposite call being made, leading to a great deal of confusion for teams, players and analysts alike.

"Quite frankly if you go watch the Detroit game last night with Tampa, the same type of goal was scored and it was allowed. So it shows you that there is no consistency in terms of what is goalie interference and what isn't."

Harsh words from a very well-respected voice within the NHL, and words that will almost certainly get back to the NHL's front office sooner rather than later.

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