I ast Monday we all witnessed
one of the biggest travesties in
the history of NHL officiating.
Referee Stephane Auger threw the entire
credibility and integrity of the NHL into
question with one of the biggest blown
calls I’ve ever seen.

Now, I’m not usually one to harp
on Officials in any sport. I recognize
how tough of a job these guys have and
that no matter what call they do or don’t
make, someone isn’t going to be happy
about it. But no matter how hard it is to
be a referee sometimes, what Auger did
was unacceptable. é

Pretty much everyone in the hockey
world has by now heard Burrows’
furious (but accurate) tirade at the end
of Vancouver’s 3-2 loss to the Nashville
Predators. Burrows alleged that Auger
came up to him in the pre-game skate
and claimed that the feisty Canucks
winger, fresh off being named the NHL’s
player of the week as a result of back-to-
back hat tricks, had dove in a previous
(and almost universally forgotten)
contest when Vancouver last played
Nashville, where Auger was also calling
the game. According to Burrows, Auger
threatened to “get him back” that night.

While there was no audio of the
incident before the game, video evidence
certainly shows the two having a lengthy
discussion in the warm-up, and judging
by what Auger did late in the third
period, this seems pretty cut-and-dried.

With the game knotted at two
goals apiece, but with Vancouver
vastly outplaying the Predators, and the
Canucks on the power play, Burrows,
who had scored both of Vancouver’s
goals, skated to the front of the net and
was whistled for a phantom interference
call by Auger. Apparently he brushed
past a Nashville defender on his way
to the net, but from the video reply

x
20

 

 

Burrows got screwed
By Garth McLennan, Sports Editor

it is abundantly clear that the play
wouldn’t,have constituted a penalty

in a non-contact beer league. Henrik
Sedin was given a borderline tripping
penalty a little over ten seconds later to
put Vancouver down four-on-three and
Shea Weber blasted a laser past Roberto
Luongo less than a minute later to give
the Preds the game winner. Earlier in
the game, Auger had even penalized
Burrows for a diving infraction that
apparently only he could see.

Auger then kicked Burrows out of
the game with four seconds remaining
after an understandably pissed off
Burrows told Auger what he thought of
his calls. For his post-game comments,
Burrows was fined the league maximum
$2,500, while Auger, the real villain in
this story, got off scot free.

What occurred that game was a
debacle of Tim Donaghy proportions.
Because of a juvenile grudge from
a petty referee, Vancouver, who was
bearing down on Nashville at the time
of the call, was robbed of two points.

In the new NHL, every single point
matters. Think of how tight the Western
Conference is right now, and then

think that because of what happened in
that game, at the end of the season the
Canucks could be out of the playoffs.

When an on-ice official dictates the
outcome of a game, which is exactly
what happened with Auger, the entire
integrity of the game is compromised.
How can Auger ever referee another
game with Vancouver? How can he
possibly be impartial after what we just
saw? Could you imagine if this had been
a playoff game?

For what transpired on January
11, Auger should be banned from ever
calling another game. That may sound
harsh, but think of just how monumental
it is that a referee with a bone to pick is
deciding the outcomes of NHL games.
That can’t be tolerated.

 

 

a

 

EPL’s traditional Big Four could be left in the dust

By Kevin Wong

he English Premier
League is probably
the most exciting and

entertaining soccer league in
the world. The traditional “Big
Four,” Manchester United,
Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool,

have dominated the league for the

last decade. However, the recent
performances from these teams
are not quite as strong as what
we'd have thought by the middle

of the 2009-2010 season. The rest

of the league is competing very
hard and has hopes to win the
EPL title in May before World
Cup 2010 gets started in June.

Birmingham is one of
the three clubs that have the
most potential to destroy the
traditional big four this season.
Birmingham is absolutely the
hottest team in the league right
now. As I am writing, they are
unbeaten in 14 games (12 in the
Premiership and two in the FA
Cup) since the renowned Hong
Kong businessman, Yeung,
became the team’s new owner.
Indeed, the team’s performance
has impressed many people
including the manager of
Manchester United, Sir Alex
Ferguson. Do any of the big four
have a 14-game unbeaten streak
this season? I don’t think so! If
Birmingham continues to play
at this pace, don’t be surprised
if they finish in the top four this
year.

Manchester United, you
better watch out for your cross-
town rival, Manchester City.
Yes, I am serious. The latter is
currently another red hot team
in the league. Right now, Man
City is in the fourth spot, just six
points behind the second place
squad, the “Red Devil” on the
table. Man City has won four
league games in a row since the
club axed their old manager,
Mark Hughes, and replaced
him with the former Inter Milan
coach, Roberto Mancini a
month ago. Mancini’s successful
coaching experience has totally
been a boost for Man City so far

 

and has them thinking they’ll be
champions at the end of this year.
Also, former Manchester United
forward Carlo Tevez is as hot as
his team. He recorded a hat-trick
against Blackburn recently and
his great scoring ability and hot
foot could see him as the league’s
top scorer at the end of the year
as well.

Harry Redknapp’s team,
Tottenham Hotspur, is another
challenger that is in the mix
for the EPL title this year.
They’re ranked fifth in the
Premiership, just eight points
behind the leader, Chelsea.

Their home record is great,

but their inconsistent play on

the road could prove to be an
insurmountable obstacle for them
to gain ground in the standings.

I believe that Redknapp’s

fruitful coaching experience and
strategies could help his team to
be successful in the remaining
weeks of the season.

So, who will finish in the top
four in May? We’ll see!