Duchene: Peel was telling Preds' Forsberg about targeted call
Warning: Story contains coarse language
Matt Duchene said former NHL referee Tim Peel was speaking to Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg when he admitted to targeting the club for a penalty during Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
"The crazy part is, he was talking to Filip Forsberg in that clip," Duchene said Wednesday on ESPN 102.5 The Game. "He told our bench that, so I mean (it was) really bizarre and I just think that can't happen."
"Imagine the scenario where they score on that power play, we lose the game, and we miss the playoffs by one point," Duchene added.
The incident occurred during the second period of Tuesday's clash when Peel whistled Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping.
"It wasn't much, but I wanted to get a fucking penalty against Nashville early in the ... " Peel said before a TV timeout.
The league fired Peel - who was set to retire after this season - on Wednesday morning.
Duchene expressed his frustration with the possibility that some officials target clubs for penalties to keep the calls balanced throughout the game.
"I don't think there's a place in hockey for that," he said. "You have to call the game. ... I've always been frustrated when I've seen even-up calls or stuff like that. If one team is earning power plays, you can't punish them because the other team is not."
Peel was an on-ice official since 1999. He refereed over 1,300 NHL regular-season contests and 90 playoff games.