Plenty of players have argued with the referee for sending them to the penalty box. Rarely, though, do they argue with the off-ice official manning it.
London Knights forward Ryan Humphrey was issued a high sticking penalty 5:27 into the third period of Wednesday’s Game 4 against the Peterborough Petes. Humphrey argued the call, claiming innocence.
Replays appeared to show that Humphrey’s stick never made contact with Petes forward Brennan Othmann, who clearly sold the call, snapping his head back on the play.
Humphrey’s frustration resulted in a heated exchange with the penalty box attendant, Gord Lowes, who appeared to tell him to settle down, admonishing him for his outburst.
The two had plenty of time to patch things up. Humphrey would make two more trips to the box before the game ended, once for slashing and once for unsportsmanlike conduct. By the time he left, the two appeared to be on good terms, with Lowes even offering a pat on the back to the Knights’ forward as he returned to the ice.
Of course, the league wanted to review the situation.
“We had the opportunity to speak to Ryan and the penalty box attendant,” OHL vice-president Ted Baker told the London Free Press.
“The [off-ice officials] take great pride in the job they do and they want to ensure the protocols are being followed and the door is shut when it needs to be shut. A lot of times, it’s to protect the players from themselves so they don’t interact further than what they should be doing.”
“I give both individuals credit for rising above and finding common ground and moving on with the game in a respectful fashion. That was good to see.”
The Petes went on to win the game 5-3. Officials for the game were referees Dave Lewis (#16) and Joe Monette (#25) with linesmen Dustin McCrank (#68) and Justin Noble (#80).
