There's an old saying that the best referees are usually the ones that you don't even notice.
Nonsense, I say!
Personally, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the NHL's real character amongst its officiating staff. Call me crazy, but I love the antics of Wes McCauley, Kerry Fraser, Mick McGeough, Tim Peel and Ray Scampinello. The absolute best is when someone like McCauley goes rogue on the microphone and lets things fly.
I mean... are you not entertained?
Well, tonight in Nashville with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Nashville Predators, we got yet another viral moment courtesy of NHL referee Kyle Rehma.
Check out Rehma chirping Penguins defenseman Kris Letang without realizing that he's live on the hot mic for everyone to hear:
You wanna join him!?!?
No, sir. No I do not. I'll be a good boy, I promise!
In the end though it was the Preds who got the last laugh on the evening.
Predators forward Filip Forsberg potted the overtime winner, doing so in controversial fashion. Forsberg ended up on a clear cut breakaway thanks in large part to some interference at the Penguins blue line.
Check it out:
That's a textbook "accidental pick" if I've ever seen one. I mean, that's the easiest call to make in NHL history, especially given the opportunity that Forsberg received because of the blatant interference. Still, no call on the play and the Preds walk away with a tidy two points.
Can't help but feel like the officials were working against the Penguins all evening.
The Pens now fall to 10-10-1 on the season, just three points up on the bottom feeding Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a team that can't afford to give away points like it did this evening, so you have to imagine that they're not happy with this result. Up next on the schedule is the always difficult Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night, followed by divisional rival Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. The time to turn things around is NOW.
