Dear sir:
I would like to voice my concerns of how the referees judged the Jan. 24-25 hockey games between the Thunder and Fort William First Nation Wolves in Fort Frances.
I was very concerned on the Friday when I repeatedly saw violations from the Wolves’ team that where not called. I must say, at the end of Friday night’s game, the only conclusion I came up with is that the referees must have had travel lag from the one-hour time change—or been sick with a virus or bug that affected their judgment.
I, myself, witnessed what seemed like to me outright violations that the referees were looking right at and they did not call a penalty.
As an avid hockey fan, I want to be able to enjoy the game and not have to worry about the health of the players or the referees. I would ask the referees to ensure they are in good health and well-rested before the refereeing a game.
I also have talked with individuals who attended the Saturday night game and apparently the sickness still was affecting the referees’ judgment. In fact, the referees must have been skating so sick that they were blinded or delirious.
Some of my friends had indicated to me that the men in strips should have had a ball and chain hooked onto their legs.
I assured them, they where just getting over a virus and that their judgment will get better when they are refereeing teams other than the Wolves.
(Signed),
William Perrault
Hockey fan
