Tough Calls: NHL Referees and Linesmen Tell Their Story

Tough Calls: NHL Referees and Linesmen Tell Their Story

Talk about your tough calls!

Itâ€™s the fourth game of the Eastern Conference playoffs, 1995. Alexei Kovalev of the Rangers is down, apparently unconscious. At the other end of the rink, the Nordiques star forward is rushing the net. Joe Sakic fans on the shot and Kovalev doesnâ€™t move. Andy van Hellemond, the gameâ€™s most experienced referee, is somewhere in the middle, trying to decide what to do. Thinking that Sakicâ€™s rush has failed and worried about the man whoâ€™s down, he blows his whistle. What he doesnâ€™t know is that Sakic has somehow recaptured the puck and scored, and that Kovalev is about to get up and skate to the bench. But play has been stopped and the goal doesnâ€™t count. The Rangers go on to win the game (in overtime) and then the series.

Fortunately, not all calls are that tough. And, more often than not, the officials get them right. Most have endured a hard apprenticeship on their way to the big league. They have seen just about everything, from bench-clearing brawls to fish on the ice. Theyâ€™re a savvy and tightly knit group. They have to be.

They are connoisseurs of fights. Some remember when players fought with two hands, instead of grabbing the other guy with one hand while swinging the other. Some classic brawls are recalled in these pages. Gordie Howe â€™s decisive battle with Lou Fontinato is described by the linesman who broke it up. Later, expansion-era brawls started by Philadelphiaâ€™s â€œBroad Street Bulliesâ€ are similarly recalled by officials who knew, at least, what they were in for when the puck was dropped.

Following the formula that has worked so well in his previous books, Dick Irvin lets the referees and linesmen tell their own story. Itâ€™s not all about mayhem. Kerry Fraser reveals the secret of his perfect hairdo. Don Koharski explains what happened after New Jersey coach Jim Schoenfeld called him â€œa fat pig.â€ And Paul Stewart tells what itâ€™s like to make the transition from refereed to referee.

The stories in Tough Calls are as varied, colourful, funny, farfetched, and revealing as any collection of anecdotes ever brought together about the game of hockey, making this an indispensable addition to every fanâ€™s library.

Country	USA
Author	Dick Irvin
Binding	Paperback
Brand	Brand: McClelland n Stewart
EAN	9780771043680
Feature	Used Book in Good Condition
ISBN	0771043686
Label	McClelland & Stewart
Manufacturer	McClelland & Stewart
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	272
PublicationDate	1998-10-10
Publisher	McClelland & Stewart
ReleaseDate	1998-10-10
Studio	McClelland & Stewart

Tough Calls: NHL Referees and Linesmen Tell Their Story

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