Vancouver, British Columbia – NHL referee Mick McGeough is derisively referred to as the visually challenged cartoon character Mr. Magoo by some players and coaches. Always, of course, after a call they don’t agree with.
No transcript is available of the shouting Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville voiced at referees McGeough and Kelly Sutherland in the second period of Wednesday night’s game against Vancouver, but it probably wasn’t fit for a G-rated cartoon.
McGeough and Sutherland had Avs players hoofing it to the penalty box for large portions of Vancouver’s 5-2 victory at General Motors Place, which snapped Colorado’s four-game winning streak over the Canucks. Their overall win streak ended at three.
An incensed Quenneville drew a bench-misconduct penalty for verbally abusing the officials in a second period when six of seven calls went Vancouver’s way in one stretch. What incensed Quenneville was a series of noncalls after some of his players took some rough contact, including a sandwich hit of defenseman Patrice Brisebois by two Canucks players. Quenneville wouldn’t comment on the refereeing, but Brisebois did.
“McGeough, he’s not the best referee in the league. I don’t think he has the respect of a lot of players in the league,” Brisebois said. “And every time you look at him, he’s always yelling at players. When I (stood) up after I got hit, I (said), ‘How come no whistle?”‘
Still, the Avs couldn’t and didn’t blame it all on the refs. The Avs were a step slow defensively, as Vancouver put 44 shots on goalie David Aebischer, including three breakaways.
“We were chasing it a little defensively all night,” Quenneville said. “We got off to a good start, but that third goal was a pivotal one.”
It was a 2-2 game late in the second period, with things looking good that it would stay that way entering the third. The Avs had just killed off two brief 5-on-3 Canucks power plays and had tied the game a little earlier on Alex Tanguay’s ninth goal of the season.
That’s when a bit of bad luck bit the Avs. With two minutes left, Avs defenseman Brett Clark collided with teammate Karlis Skrastins at the team’s blue line. When both fell, the puck squirted loose and Vancouver’s Brendan Morrison had a clear path to the net. He beat Aebischer on the breakaway to make it 3-2.
Vancouver’s Jarkko Ruutu made it 4-2 at 5:25 of the third after he tipped a shot past Aebischer.
“Tonight would have been huge if we could have won again,” Aebischer said. “We could have gotten close to the division lead. It’s frustrating to fall back a little bit again.”
One minute, 52 seconds in, the Avalanche took a 1-0 lead on Joe Sakic’s 11th goal of the season. For the fourth straight game against Vancouver, the Avs got the first goal as Sakic beat Canucks goalie Alex Auld over the shoulder with a wrister off the rush.
There would be no piling on the Canucks this time, however. Vancouver controlled the rest of the period, taking a 2-1 lead into the dressing room.
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
