Jon Cooper used to drink beer with the referees after his AHL games

Marc-Olivier Cook
Jon Cooper used to drink beer with the referees after his AHL games
Credit: X / capture d'écran

Ah, the infamous work of the referees…

It's always going to be a hot topic, especially when the refs don't seem to be at their best on the ice. When they miss calls in big games like playoff matches, people complain all the time… and that's not going to change.

It's not like this is anything new, after all. And it's not like it's any different in other sports leagues…

That said, some people are going to be surprised to hear what Pierre-Cédric Labrie had to say about his former coach, Jon Cooper.

Labrie played for Cooper in the American Hockey League and mentioned this on the Poche Bleue podcast last night:

Jon Cooper, in the AHL, didn't hesitate to go grab a beer with the referees […] His team is highly respected by the referees. – Pierre-Cédric Labrie

Labrie went on to say that Cooper did this to ensure the referees were treated well when they left the arena, and that it earned him the respect of many referees who are in the National Hockey League today.

Yeah… 

Hold on a second: no one is saying that the Lightning gets special treatment from the referees or that the team is able to cheat because of Cooper's relationship with certain officials.

But still: PC Labrie's comments are… interesting. I think we can put it that way.

It's mostly the timing that's interesting here. We've seen so many people criticizing the officials' work since the start of the series against the Lightning that it's become a real hot topic in Montreal, and I feel like Labrie has just added fuel to the fire by saying what he said…

Oh well.

The Canadiens shouldn't worry about this because they have no control over the referees' decisions. They need to focus on THEIR game to give themselves the best chance to win, and that's what matters here.

Although, it's true that it can seem unfair at times…


In a nutshell

– Habs win.

– Nice.

– I like that.

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