Kerry Fraser talks about Mario Lemieux

Posted by TPB Staff on Wed, Nov 3, 2010 8:19am.

Former NHL referee Kerry Fraser was on The Hockey Writers Live with Mike Colligan recently to talk about his new book, "The Final Call." Mike then relayed some bits and pieces from the interview to the Internet. Some great stuff over there.

Thankfully, Mike was on the ball and asked Kerry Fraser about this infamous Mario incident:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_fw7iF68JR8k/TNFTI_8EqzI/AAAAAAABcYY/FJki0szH0n8/4515851603_5dbb27bc44_m.jpg

Fraser:

[Mario] wanted the game officiated a different way, and I agree with him 100%. We were letting far too many things go. The expecatation…the standard had slipped to the point where restraining of the skilled players was just at epidemic proportions. So that frustration all came together that night when he felt he was fouled. He overreacted to some marginal contact that I felt, in my judgment, wasn’t worthy of a penalty, and then he retaliated and took a penalty.

I think it all boiled over at that point in the emotion of all the things he had been dealing with (off the ice)…

The flashpoint hit at that stage and he came out and fortunately he was intercepted by Ronnie Francis and Kevin Stevens and a couple of other players and a serious incident perhaps was avoided.

Tons and tons more of info over at The Hockey Writers link.

We're seriously considering buying this book. Kerry Fraser was a dick.

And all this Fraser talk has us longing for the days when you could strike up an outright hatred for a single NHL referee.

We couldn't even name 10 current NHL head referees if we had a gun to our head.

Take a look at these names:

Ron Hoggarth

Don Koharski

Dan Marouelli

Rob Shick

Paul Stewart

Andy Van Hellemond

Not to mention guys like Bill McCreary and Don VanMassenhoven.