Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour wasn't an active participant in Wednesday's Game 3 between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks, but that didn't keep him from offering his opinion on the controversy that overshadowed yet another exciting postseason contest.
The Sharks won in overtime after the officials missed an illegal hand pass from forward Timo Meier. The 48-year-old bench boss put forward a rather interesting idea to help get calls right on the ice.
"Take two refs off the ice," Brind'Amour said Thursday, per Sportsnet. "Put them in the penalty box - have their skates on if they want. One guy can be watching the calls. The linesman can be watching the offsides. Get them out of the way. They're getting in the way.
"It's hard, the game is so fast. You watch how often the puck hits them. To me, you can get these calls done quickly and done right, and that's all you want. As a player, as a coach, as a fan. You just want to make sure you get the calls right. I think. But we'll see."
When asked if the league needs to expand video review in order to avoid these contentious plays, Brind'Amour insisted it's been long overdue.
"It's been time forever," he said, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan. "It's time to get the calls right, because it's just too important. Games matter so much. That was tough last night to watch."
The Hurricanes were burned by a controversial call in Game 2 of their opening-round series against the Washington Capitals when forward Michael Ferland was ejected for what the officials deemed a hit to the head. That play was also not reviewable.
