Keefe on refs in the game:
> [But the fight itself, I mean, it’s a classic example of a veteran championship team like Tampa Bay manipulating the officials and taking advantage of a situation](https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/maple-leafs-keefe-accuses-lightning-of-manipulating-the-officials/).
Also Keefe:
> [Officials don’t have any impact on the game…](https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1655235849594757129?t=HR0p4vRAihwJK017fv6bAg&s=19)
I was thinking about replying to the post on /r/hockey with this but decided this is more of a “wound licking” circle jerk. I think it’s interesting that on one hand Keefe implied heavily that the “manipulation” of the refs by Cooper and the Bolts was important enough to bring up in a press conference, but when asked about the context of the pre-existing relationship with Wes McCauley the refs “don’t have any impact on the game”.
While I appreciate what Keefe is trying to state here, I do think it’s rather a “choose your own adventure” type of narrative where he picks and chooses when to apply his views on the refs.
**Notes:**
For some context, I am not sure of the validity of the supposed relationship between Wes and Sheldon. It seems to be mostly conjecture or a premise based off a tangential relationship they may have had many years ago. My main point that I wanted to highlight here is versus Tampa, refs could be manipulated which would imply this is problematic because they can influence the outcome of a game versus the refs can’t meaningfully impact the outcome of the game. Not a very consistent narrative.
by Khue
6 Comments
Lol their fans are already on suicide watch because he’s in tonight.
Those losers can’t simply take an L and move on. Winners take adversity as an opportunity to improve. We got absolutely embarrassed in 2019. We weren’t blaming the officiating. Our front office added some pieces that improved our grit and we all know how that went.
It’s always the victim mentality with them. I realize the fans have nothing to do with team performance but it seems to be a loser culture in the organization.
Everyone shits on refs during playoffs. Winners make a way. Losers shift blame because it’s easier than holding the team accountable for doing the same thing literally every year.
Toronto wants to cry about refs yet they literally got the situational center IN TORONTO, they constantly all year get highly questionable calls, and they literally are linked to refs in which home games they haven’t lost with certain refs. The irony is hilarious. However I’m not blaming the refs for our loss, although i think the NHL needs to clean house with officiating and start over. Send these clowns here down to the AHL or to train other refs but bias and grudges most definitely are held.
Keefe is the biggest fucking bitch of a coach I have ever seen in major league sports.
All he fucking does is cry about the refs. Him, Dubas, and the entire leafs fandoms are matches made in heaven because all they do is play the fucking victim
Is this the lightning subreddit or the leafs subreddit? I can’t tell these days
Leafs fans are so fkn pathetic lmao
Too be honest. I think it is nothing more then the mind games and wordplay. That’s a part of being a coach. Coop is the fantastic at is choice of words to make an impact.