Funny NHL Referee Story

[G Fo12ce]

I am a big hockey fan, have been since I was a kid. Anyway, I came across this article about a long time now retired NHL ref (Kerry Fraser). There was a funny story he told near the end:

"We only have space this week for one anecdote and its principal is one-time NHL pugilist Jim McKenzie, a journeyman who amassed 1,739 penalty minutes for nine teams during a 14-year NHL career.

At the time of the incident, McKenzie was a rookie toiling for the Hartford Whalers and, following the final buzzer of the final game of the season, he waited for everyone to leave the ice, including all trainers, then approached Fraser.

He said to me, very quietly, ‘Kerry, if I told you to f--- off, would you give me a 10-minute misconduct?’ ” Fraser recalled. “It was a nothing game, nobody was mad, and Jim was such a gentle giant, a bona fide respectful tough guy. I laughed and said, ‘You’re kidding, right?’

“He said, ‘Kerry, I’ve got a bonus in my contract for penalty minutes, I’m four minutes short, and the f---ing coach never played me one shift tonight.’

“I said, ‘What did you say?’

“He said, ‘f--- off.’

“I said, ‘Say it like you mean it.’

“He said, ‘F--- OFF!!!!’ ”

“I said, ‘YOU GOT 10!!’ ”

“He said, ‘Thank you’ and he went up the hall, happy as a pig in sh--.”

It’s that kind of chronicle, Fraser says, that humanizes the game, its players and officials and, when re-told, creates a closer connection with the fans. And it’s the type of tale that recurs in his book.

“It’s the stuff Slap Shot was made out of,” he says. “It’s stuff you’d say, ‘That couldn’t happen.’ Well, it did.”