Post by Baz on Feb 16, 2007 9:57:20 GMT
It would appear that officiating is not only a talking point this side of the pond. Read this from Corey Neilson's 2006-07 team the Florida Everblades.
The Florida Everblades hit their breaking point with ECHL officiating in a shocking turn of events Wednesday night.
In a move that could earn him a league suspension or fine, Blades coach Gerry Fleming stormed upstairs to the Germain Arena press box and verbally berated a league supervisor of officials in a profanity-laced tirade during the second intermission of Wednesday’s game against the Gwinnett Gladiators, witnesses said.
Fleming denied using profanities and wouldn’t talk specifically about the incident after his club fell to the Gwinnett Gladiators 7-4 in front of 5,536 fans. But Blades general manager Craig Brush did have
something to say.
"Just when you think officiating in this league has hit rock bottom it gets worse," Brush said. "Let me emphasize something — the officiating didn’t cost us the game tonight but it ruined the game for all the people paying good money to watch it. When the loudest
noise in the building is when the referees skate on the ice that should tell you something.
"I’m at wits end. I don’t know what we can do to fix it. The caliber of play is getting better and better each year and the officiating can’t keep up."
Brush said the referees’ inconsistency is what drives him mad.
"The classic is (Florida forward) David Brine goes in for the forecheck and does exactly what he’s supposed to do," Brush said. "He gets body position on the guy, he pushes the guy and he ends up getting called for slashing. It’s just absolutely mind boggling.
"I think it starts right with the NHL. They don’t address the problem. There are no formal programs in place to develop referees. When (the NHL) went to the two-referee system they sucked up the best referees from the AHL and the ECHL and (the ECHL has) never
recovered."
Fleming stormed upstairs immediately following the second period when his club was trailing 4-2. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Fleming has gotten in heated exchanges with officials on the ice but he has never stormed to a press box during a game, much less to
berate an official.
According to witnesses, Fleming exchanged heated words with ECHL supervisor of officials Mark Faucette for a few minutes before Faucette, an ex-NHL referee, ordered the sixth-year Blades coach to leave the press box. Fleming dropped one last obscenity, stormed out and slammed the door behind him, witnesses said.
Fleming denied using any profanities or slamming the door. He said he went up to the press box because team radio broadcaster Kevin Reiter needed him. But Fleming has never done an in-game interview in the Germain press box during his six-year tenure.
According to a witness, Fleming was angered that play hadn’t been whistled dead when Gwinnett goalie Dave Caruso’s water bottle fell on the ice in the second period. A Gwinnett player hit the water bottle at a Florida player while he was taking a shot, but nothing was called.
Blades forward Brad Parsons, who had two goals, noticed Fleming was visibly upset. He said Brush told the team in the locker room "to win one for coach." Parsons was also upset with the officiating and said ECHL referees should be trained better.
Apparently an interview was being done during the outburst, so a big, girly kiss on the bottom for the first person who can find it on youtube.
And also news from Evan Lindsay's new team Pensacola Ice Pilots where ex-Edinburgh Capital Travis Lisabeth has been charged with "battery and public intoxication" - obviously this is drunk and disorderly in plain English. Incidentally, Cincinatti is his fifth team in two seasons.
The two Pensacola Ice Pilots players who were arrested last week after allegedly beating up a musician at a Fort Myers Beach restaurant are no longer with the ECHL organization.
Pensacola traded forwards Travis Lisabeth and Mike Wirll on Wednesday to the Cincinnati Cyclones in exchange for three players and future considerations.
Pensacola president Greg Schuh told The News-Press that it was in the team’s best interest to jettison the duo even though they are the Ice Pilots’ top-two scorers.
"The actions of those two players is certainly something we don’t condone," said Schuh, who apologized to the Fort Myers community. "It certainly doesn’t reflect our team at all. These were two gentlemen who acted as individuals and broke team rules. We took the appropriate actions we felt were necessary."
After allegedly starting a fight with musician Dave Collaron at the Cottage Restaurant on Feb. 8, Lisabeth was arrested for battery and public intoxication. Wirll was also at the restaurant and was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated. David Wrigley,
also a forward for the Ice Pilots, was with his teammates but did not get arrested.
Roxanne Jakaitis, manager for the Cottage Restaurant, said the three Ice Pilots had been giving the musician a hard time, and she asked them to leave, threatening at that point to call police.
After that, she said, Lisabeth hit Collaron. Witness Scott Nickles said Lisabeth then grabbed the musician and "pulled him down stairs where he hit his head hard on steps."
The three players had been suspended since the incident. Wrigley was benched for two games and fined an undisclosed amount. He remains on the team because he wasn’t arrested, Schuh said.
In a phone interview with The News-Press, Cincinnati coach Chuck Weber said he did significant background research on Wirll and Lisabeth. "There’s nothing in their past with issues like this," said Weber, whose club traded defenseman Jarred Moher, forwards Torry Gajda and Erik Johnson to Pensacola.
"This is something completely out of character for them."
Lisabeth, 26, and Wirll, 24, can’t put the incident behind them yet. They are scheduled to appear in Lee County court Tuesday, Feb. 27.
I don't like Country or Western either, but there's no need to drag the poor old boy down the stairs for it.
The Florida Everblades hit their breaking point with ECHL officiating in a shocking turn of events Wednesday night.
In a move that could earn him a league suspension or fine, Blades coach Gerry Fleming stormed upstairs to the Germain Arena press box and verbally berated a league supervisor of officials in a profanity-laced tirade during the second intermission of Wednesday’s game against the Gwinnett Gladiators, witnesses said.
Fleming denied using profanities and wouldn’t talk specifically about the incident after his club fell to the Gwinnett Gladiators 7-4 in front of 5,536 fans. But Blades general manager Craig Brush did have
something to say.
"Just when you think officiating in this league has hit rock bottom it gets worse," Brush said. "Let me emphasize something — the officiating didn’t cost us the game tonight but it ruined the game for all the people paying good money to watch it. When the loudest
noise in the building is when the referees skate on the ice that should tell you something.
"I’m at wits end. I don’t know what we can do to fix it. The caliber of play is getting better and better each year and the officiating can’t keep up."
Brush said the referees’ inconsistency is what drives him mad.
"The classic is (Florida forward) David Brine goes in for the forecheck and does exactly what he’s supposed to do," Brush said. "He gets body position on the guy, he pushes the guy and he ends up getting called for slashing. It’s just absolutely mind boggling.
"I think it starts right with the NHL. They don’t address the problem. There are no formal programs in place to develop referees. When (the NHL) went to the two-referee system they sucked up the best referees from the AHL and the ECHL and (the ECHL has) never
recovered."
Fleming stormed upstairs immediately following the second period when his club was trailing 4-2. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Fleming has gotten in heated exchanges with officials on the ice but he has never stormed to a press box during a game, much less to
berate an official.
According to witnesses, Fleming exchanged heated words with ECHL supervisor of officials Mark Faucette for a few minutes before Faucette, an ex-NHL referee, ordered the sixth-year Blades coach to leave the press box. Fleming dropped one last obscenity, stormed out and slammed the door behind him, witnesses said.
Fleming denied using any profanities or slamming the door. He said he went up to the press box because team radio broadcaster Kevin Reiter needed him. But Fleming has never done an in-game interview in the Germain press box during his six-year tenure.
According to a witness, Fleming was angered that play hadn’t been whistled dead when Gwinnett goalie Dave Caruso’s water bottle fell on the ice in the second period. A Gwinnett player hit the water bottle at a Florida player while he was taking a shot, but nothing was called.
Blades forward Brad Parsons, who had two goals, noticed Fleming was visibly upset. He said Brush told the team in the locker room "to win one for coach." Parsons was also upset with the officiating and said ECHL referees should be trained better.
Apparently an interview was being done during the outburst, so a big, girly kiss on the bottom for the first person who can find it on youtube.
And also news from Evan Lindsay's new team Pensacola Ice Pilots where ex-Edinburgh Capital Travis Lisabeth has been charged with "battery and public intoxication" - obviously this is drunk and disorderly in plain English. Incidentally, Cincinatti is his fifth team in two seasons.
The two Pensacola Ice Pilots players who were arrested last week after allegedly beating up a musician at a Fort Myers Beach restaurant are no longer with the ECHL organization.
Pensacola traded forwards Travis Lisabeth and Mike Wirll on Wednesday to the Cincinnati Cyclones in exchange for three players and future considerations.
Pensacola president Greg Schuh told The News-Press that it was in the team’s best interest to jettison the duo even though they are the Ice Pilots’ top-two scorers.
"The actions of those two players is certainly something we don’t condone," said Schuh, who apologized to the Fort Myers community. "It certainly doesn’t reflect our team at all. These were two gentlemen who acted as individuals and broke team rules. We took the appropriate actions we felt were necessary."
After allegedly starting a fight with musician Dave Collaron at the Cottage Restaurant on Feb. 8, Lisabeth was arrested for battery and public intoxication. Wirll was also at the restaurant and was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated. David Wrigley,
also a forward for the Ice Pilots, was with his teammates but did not get arrested.
Roxanne Jakaitis, manager for the Cottage Restaurant, said the three Ice Pilots had been giving the musician a hard time, and she asked them to leave, threatening at that point to call police.
After that, she said, Lisabeth hit Collaron. Witness Scott Nickles said Lisabeth then grabbed the musician and "pulled him down stairs where he hit his head hard on steps."
The three players had been suspended since the incident. Wrigley was benched for two games and fined an undisclosed amount. He remains on the team because he wasn’t arrested, Schuh said.
In a phone interview with The News-Press, Cincinnati coach Chuck Weber said he did significant background research on Wirll and Lisabeth. "There’s nothing in their past with issues like this," said Weber, whose club traded defenseman Jarred Moher, forwards Torry Gajda and Erik Johnson to Pensacola.
"This is something completely out of character for them."
Lisabeth, 26, and Wirll, 24, can’t put the incident behind them yet. They are scheduled to appear in Lee County court Tuesday, Feb. 27.
I don't like Country or Western either, but there's no need to drag the poor old boy down the stairs for it.
