Who do you Side With? Stalin or Hitler?

Not to suggest that either of the two men this post is about are mass murders, but they are two of the most evil men on the planet.

You see, Paul Devorski and Kerry Fraser are at odds over the firing of a third referee, Doug Warren. I do not know Warren well enough to comment, but any time Kerry Fraser says someone is a good referee, I am going to lean toward the opposite opinion. However, that puts me on the side of Devorski, and that just does not sit well with me either.

These are possibly the two worst NHL refs I have ever seen work. How they lasted as long as they have is beyond me. Yes, they do a difficult job, at high speed, and are human. They are likely to make mistakes no matter what. I can live with mistakes. These two guys have a different definition of what constitutes a penalty every time they blow the whistle.

But I am getting away from the point.

In this situation, when two people you loathe more than any other two on the plant disagree on something, what do you do? Assume there is more to the story and that they are both wrong? That would be where I would go as well, except that Devorski seems to be right on this one.

Hang on. I think I just choked on that statement.

OK, I'm good now.

The Warren side says that he was fired because he got involved with the refs union executive board. That is absurd as at least half of the holding calls Devorski has called in his career. The NHL does not fear the NHLOA. They just don't. While the game would be difficult to play without the NHL level refs, it could still be played. The game can't be played without the players, thus the power of the NHLPA.

Personally, it sounds like sour grapes from a guy who was fired, and could not get the union to get his job back through the back door.

So. Hitler or Stalin? Either way, you have to side with evil.

-Buddha