"Come on man! That was no highstick!",
.
Quite a milestone, IMO ... I wonder how or if an influx of European referees will change the NHL game just as European players changed the game, they do see the game differently, IMO (and not in a bad way).
Originally Posted by Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Yahoo Sports
More than 25 years after Russian players arrive in the NHL, Evgeny Romasko becomes first Russian referee
DETROIT – It seemed like any other call on any other night in the National Hockey League. A stick came up. A player went down. A referee raised his arm. A fan high in the upper bowl, hundreds of feet away, thought he had a better view.
“Bull----! Come on!”
There was no hint this was history until the referee turned on his microphone and made the announcement.
In a Russian accent.
“Detroit penalty. Two minutes for high-sticking.”
The referee was Evgeny Romasko, who became the first Russian and second European to work an NHL game Monday night.
It was an important moment not just for him, but for the NHL and Russian hockey. Finally, more than a quarter century after Russian players started coming to the NHL in the last days of the Soviet Union, a Russian was wearing stripes and the NHL shield.
“To me,” said Hockey Hall of Famer Igor Larionov, one of Russia’s NHL pioneers, “it’s kind of a thrill to see a Russian referee doing the game in the National Hockey League.”
But now, 4:52 into the first period, all of that went away with a whistle.
“Forget about everything,” said Romasko after the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Joe Louis Arena. “Just game. Red color. White color. I think I was a little bit nervous, but after first penalty, I feel like myself.”
