Paul Maurice, head coach of the Florida Panthers, was not a happy man following his team's 5-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night. Maurice believes his team played well, but fell victim to bad officiating. While he pointed to a few examples, this call on Radko Gudas really got under his skin.
"Radko Gudas hits as a clean a hit as you can level -- stick on stick, body on body," said Maurice following the game. "A charge? They're both going in the same direction. No problem with the guys going to the net at all. That's hockey."
"I don't know what those guys were doing out there, but it wasn't Florida Panther friendly," said Maurice, referring to the officiating.
Maurice also told his players that he believes the bad calls had nothing to do with them, but rather a longstanding feud between him and one of the officials.
"I just explained to 'em, it had nothing to do with my players; it had to do with me and a relationship that I have with one of the referees. That's what that was all about. So, just go out, keep your mouth shut, and play the game."
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The OT loss to Toronto was Maurice's 700th as a head coach.
Did Maurice have a right to be upset with the officiating?
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