Photo credit: Marton Monus/Reuters via Imagn Images
We have confirmation that the Canadian players hadn’t seen the Czech too-many-men situation on the ice.
It was defenseman Drew Doughty who spoke candidly this morning.
Insider Frank Seravalli reported the veteran Canadian’s comments regarding that controversial sequence.
Fans often tend to point the finger at the referees very quickly.
Doughty, however, made an important statement regarding the referees, somewhat coming to their defense.
He candidly admitted that not a single player or coach on the bench had noticed the infraction during the play.
The veteran clarified that the group only realized the massive anomaly after the game had ended.
We can agree that this honest statement significantly tones down the many criticisms directed at the officials.
“Drew Doughty on Czechs 6 skaters on the ice: ‘Not a single player, coach knew until after the game. Nobody. Yeah, we talked about it. We’re like, ‘How did that get missed?’ But I mean, we all missed it. It makes sense that the refs could miss it too. Shit happens.”
– via Frank Seravalli
Major statement from Drew Doughty regarding the referees
Inside the locker room, the players obviously wondered how such a blunder could have gone unnoticed.
The star defenseman added, with complete honesty, that if everyone missed it, the referees could have missed it as well.
He concluded by simply emphasizing that human errors sometimes happen in the heat of the moment.
In a tournament of this magnitude, the pace of execution on the ice reaches absolutely incredible levels on every shift.
Nick Suzuki and his teammates are clearly choosing to focus on the final victory rather than looking for someone to blame.
Accepting that reality allows the group to maintain very positive energy heading into the upcoming matchups on the ice.
Team Canada is now looking ahead, with preparations for the semifinal fast approaching.
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics
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Drew Doughty makes candid admission about missed too-many-men call vs Czechia
Do the referees deserve the fans’ leniency, in your opinion?