Sharks’ Boughner doesn’t feel officials try to even penalties
San Jose Sharks coach Bob Boughner expressed surprise that the NHL permanently banned Tim Peel from refereeing, but said he doesn’t believe that officials try to even up penalty calls between teams during the course of a game.
The NHL announced Wednesday that Peel would no longer be working NHL games “now or in the future.” During a stoppage in play in the Nashville-Detroit game Tuesday night, Peel indicated he had called a penalty by design. Nashville forward Viktor Arvidsson had been assessed a
minor for tripping when a hot microphone caught Peel saying.
“It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a penalty against Nashville early in the ...,” a voice, later identified as Peel, is heard saying before the microphone was cut.
“Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game,” NHL vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said in a statement announcing Peel’s dismissal. “Tim Peel’s conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand from our officials and that of our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve.
“There is no justification for his comments, no matter the context or intention,” Campbell said.
Peel, 54, an on-ice official since 1999, had planned to retire next month.
He, along with Chris Lee, had worked the Sharks game Feb. 18 against the St. Louis Blues — a 3-2 overtime loss that brought complaints from the Sharks, including coach Boughner.
But Boughner defended the profession Wednesday in general terms.
“I don’t have a problem with the officiating in the league,” Boughner said before the Sharks game against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. “There’s going to be nights where you don’t agree with every call, but these guys work hard. They’re good guys and I have a good relationship with these guys.
I don’t want to say I feel sorry for (Peel), but it’s a little surprising to hear.”
Boughner, who played in the NHL from 1996 to 2006 and is in his third season as a full-time head coach in the league, said “some nights you might feel like” officials are attempting to balance penalty calls “but there’s two guys out there and sometimes the guy on the back side’s calling it and not the guy in the front side.
“I do think they’re trying to be as honest as they can and call a fair game,” Boughner said. “These guys have a tough job and they’re under a ton of scrutiny and pressure and most of these guys are good guys. I think they’re just trying to call a fair game.”
Kings coach Todd McLellan, who led the Sharks from 2008-15, went farther. “I don’t feel ever slighted in any of my games from the officials trying to sway it one way or the other. By no means have I ever felt that.”
In the Feb. 18 loss to St. Louis, Boughner took exception to a no-call when Tomas Hertl was checked from behind in overtime. On a similar play late in regulation, Timo Meier had been called for tripping the Blues’ Robert Bortuzzo.
Neither play determined the game. The Sharks lost on a power-play goal set up by a hooking call that Patrick Marleau disputed.
“In my opinion, I thought Patty’s was a penalty,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said the next day. “Timo’s definitely was not. I don’t think he even touched Bortuzzo in that corner. It was just a mistake by the referee and that’s going to happen throughout a game.”