Red Wings Yzerman Gets Roasted Over Official Comments

The reputation of Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman and his opinion of the caliber of NHL officiating is no secret. Anyone who’s spent any length of time around Yzerman knows he likes to complain to and about the work of the league’s referees. And he’s not shy when it comes to sharing his opinion – even with the officials themselves.

Among NHL officials, Yzerman was known around the league as one of the top complainers during his playing days. It’s evident that when Stevie Y plays eight ball, he’s always choosing solids over stripes.

.@HoneyNutChelios Former ref Paul Stewart says that Yzerman was awful to deal with on the ice.

— George Malik (@georgemalik) July 30, 2014

Yzerman hasn’t been letting the officials off the hook as a GM, either. As he held his meeting with the media following the end of Detroit’s regular season, he couldn’t help but get in a couple of digs at the folks in the striped shirts.

Here’s the thing though, and it’s the beauty of the Yzerman wit. When he takes a job at you or someone else, part of you is thinking that it’s just playful joshing. At the same time, there’s also an element of it that surely seems to be for real.

Red Wings GM Takes Playful Digs

Yzerman was talking about watching the Washington-Philadelphia game last Tuesday and a specific call in the first period that irked him.

“Philly shoulda got credit for a goal in the first period,” Yzerman said. “It was a terrible call. They shoulda been winning 1-0.”

The Philadelphia Flyers saw their game-opening goal against the Washington Capitals disallowed after referee Kelly Sutherland blew the whistle after losing sight of the puck — only for it to end up in the net https://t.co/QJGTa5aO4p pic.twitter.com/x5Zo4rlkgg

— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) April 17, 2024

Later, Yzerman was discussing David Perron’s game-tying goal with three seconds left in regulation the same night in Montreal.

“The faceoff, we got a bit of a break on the icing call,” Yzerman said. “Finally, they did us a favor.”

Both responses brought laughter from both Yzerman and the gathered media. They also drew notice from the national media.

“Only Yzerman could take two hilariously unprompted shots at officiating during a year-end review,” noted Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his weekly 32 Thoughts column. “There would be no officials on the ice if he was in charge.”