MONTREAL -- Imagine being so bad at your job that 27,000 people have signed a petition calling for you to be fired.
Such is the situation that NHL referee Chris Lee has found himself in.
Lee, a longtime veteran ref, was among the officials working games three and four of the Montreal Canadiens series against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The officiating in those games was viewed by many as so egregiously bad that even television commentators working the game took note of it.
Among the most blatant missed calls was a sucker punch to Habs forward Nick Suzuki's face that took place mere feet away from Lee. No penalty was called on the play.
With the most passionate fans in the world being those of the Habs, it's no surprise that Lee's alleged incompetence was noted.
“In recent years, we have already noticed Chris Lee for the wrong reasons in the hockey world,” wrote petition author Olivier Tetreault. “In the last two games... we have seen so many occasions Chris Lee's inability to do his referee work in the NHL.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, 27,070 people have agreed with Tetreault.
“This ref has no place in the NHL he is a disgrace to the game,” wrote on commenter.
“His incompetence is so obvious, if (NHL Commissioner Gary) Bettman doesn't see this then he is also part of the problem,” wrote another.
The referees for game six, in which the Habs could possibly eliminate the Golden Knights and move on to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1993, have yet to be announced.
