Stanley Cup Final : Referee Defends Controversial Call

Referee Kerry Fraser Saturday defended his controversial boarding call Friday night in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs won by the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, in double overtime.

Fraser made the call against Calgary’s Mark Hunter, which created a power play for the Canadiens. Montreal capitalized on the advantage and scored at 18:08 of the second overtime to take a 2-1 lead in the finals. Game 4 will be played here at 4 p.m., PDT, today.

Fraser said a memo from the National Hockey League’s officiating department was sent this season saying boarding should be called “very stringently.”

He added: “We don’t want to wait until somebody breaks their neck before we take a harder stand on not hitting players from behind like that . . . when you hit a player from behind and run him into the boards like that, No. 1, he doesn’t see you coming and No. 2, he doesn’t have time to get his hands up to protect himself.

“There are hockey players who are now quadriplegics sitting in chairs because they were hit from behind and run into the boards.

“On the play, I was behind Hunter and I saw him continue after (Shayne Corson) well after (Corson) had made the play. Corson’s head went into the boards and he didn’t have a chance to protect himself. When you see that, you don’t think about it. You just react. You call it.

“We want the players to decide the outcome of a game, certainly. I’m a fan like anyone else. But by the same token, we can’t stay in the dressing room as a referee because it’s a big game. If that’s what they want, they should let us know, and we’ll stay in the dressing room.”

Montreal center Ryan Walter said Friday night: “We knew we had to play very disciplined because Kerry Fraser might come up with a penalty. He has the guts to make the big calls.”

The only Stanley Cup final game that lasted longer than Game 3 was played in the Montreal Forum April 9, 1931 when the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Canadiens, 3-2, on Cy Wentworth’s goal at 13:50 of the third overtime. Montreal won that best-of-five series.

Addressing the annual Stanley Cup luncheon Saturday, NHL President John Ziegler seemed to issue an open invitation by saying: “We are not going to ask where you were born or whether your name is Gretzky or Lemieux or Carbonneau or Smith or Chelios or Loob or Naslund or Tikkanen or Kurrie or Hrdina or Priakin. If you are prepared to play the game with skill and dedication in the premier hockey league in the world, you are welcome.”

Ziegler mentioned every nationality represented in the league, including a Soviet, which is a touchy subject because Soviet star Alexander Mogilny has filed for political asylum in the United States so he can play for the Buffalo Sabres. The Mogilny affair is an apparent threat to Soviet-NHL relations.

Hockey Notes

Wayne Gretzky was not at the luncheon to accept the Dodge Performance of the Year Award, presented for his role in leading the Kings to second place in the Smythe Division. Dodge will contribute $5,000 to Southern California Youth Hockey in his behalf. . . . Mario Lemieux, who also did not show up, won the Performer of the Year Award for leading the league in goals and assists. Lemieux will receive a car and $7,500 for a Pittsburgh-area youth hockey association. Lemieux also won the Ram Tough Award, decided by a formula that recognizes power play, shorthanded goals, game-winning goals and game-tying goals. . . . Joe Mullen of Calgary won the Emery Edge Plus/Minus Award for finishing the season +51. . . . Patrick Roy of Montreal accepted the Trico Goaltender Award for having the best save percentage (.908). Trico donated $10,000 to DEK Hockey of Quebec on behalf of Roy.