Eastlink Logo Wrecked – Game Cancelled

Have you ever been involved as an official and thought you would go the extra mile and help out doing something that really isn’t your job?

Unless you know the situation you are taking on, leave the problem solving to the experts, especially when it comes to repairing ice in the local hockey rink, let alone a Major Junior Game.

This past Friday night a QMJHL game abruptly ended when a portion of the ice was chipped and needed to be fixed or repaired, to which the one linesman wanted to help with the repair.

True – he honestly thought he was helping, but when he pulled a portion of the Eastlink logo up, more than one section of the logo separated.

Officiating mistakes are part of hockey as are goals, saves, and even face-offs, but Friday’s game between the Baie-Comeau Drakkar and Charlottetown Islanders was a special kind of refereeing snafu or mix-up.

With a short 4:30 remaining in the third period the Islanders were leading 5-2 when the game was halted due to a minor issue with the ice just inside the blue-line.

A portion of the Eastlink sponsorship logo applied to the ice had become unstuck, making it unsafe for the players or officials to skate over.

In hopes of helping out one linesman began to clip or chip at the damaged logo with scissors in hopes of cutting the logo and repairing the ice.

The other linesman then pulled a big or bigger portion of the logo off the ice, which somehow made matters even worse.

I am just surprised that the league  officially calls the game and awards the two points to Charlottetown.

This has to be a concern to the league as if this was a win that Baie-Comeau Drakkar needed for points in the standings, will this mistake cost them a championship?

So lesson to be learned – if you aren’t an iceman (ice person) leave the job to the pro’s.