It’s not something the NHL wants to happen when referees take center stage of attention during games.
Referees are at their best when you don’t really notice them because if they do things correctly, there’s nothing to be upset about.
Usually, refs get attention for bad calls, and there’s been plenty of them this season.
It feels like we get more and more discussions about the referees’ calls by the year, and with social media, every incident on the ice leads to discussion, and everyone can’t agree on the same thing.
But sometimes, referees get into the center of attention, and it’s absolutely entertaining.
Throughout his many years in the league, veteran referee Wes McCauley has been known for delivering hilarious comments while on the hot mic. McCauley has a great relationship with the players he officiates, and he’s been involved in several viral moments over the years.
But on Thursday, referee Garret Rank stole the show with a great joke as he made a no-goal announcement for the home team in the game between the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues.
As he was about to announce that the refs’ call on the ice for a no-goal was correct, he said to the home crowd, ”You’re not gonna like it but the call on the ice was correct, no goal.”
The crowd met the referee’s joke with some boos, but the play-by-play announcers had themself a good laugh. Even some of the players were laughing about it. The Blues were already up 4-0 in the game, with less than ten minutes of the third period, so it wasn’t really a close game.
That probably led to Garret Rank pulling off the well-executed joke, and this time, it was delivered perfectly. We love it every time referees make jokes like this. Keep it up!
