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Colorado Avalanche and Swedish legend Peter Forsberg didnt mince words when it came to what he thought about Canadian referees working Sundays gold medal game between Sweden and Canada. Panthers Luke Kuechly Black Jersey . "What a f___ing joke!" the seven-time All-Star said to Swedish reporters, calling the selection of officials Kelly Sutherland, Brad Meier, Greg Devorski and Derek Amell "comedy at its highest level." Referees Sutherland and linesmen Devorski and Amell are Canadian, while referee Meier is an American who makes his home in Calgary. Not all Swedes are seemingly as upset as Forsberg. Veteran Swedish defenceman Niklas Kronwall of the Detroit Red Wings believes that both teams can benefit from North American officials. "We are used to having referees from USA and Canada in the NHL," said Kronwall. "We know their standards so I think its easier for us too if the referees are from there." Former Norris Trophy winner and Ottawa Senators standout Erik Karlsson agreed with his fellow blueliner. "I think most referees over there [in the National Hockey League] are Canadian, too," said Karlsson. "They probably support Montreal or Toronto, but they dont make any difference there. I couldnt care less about what the referees do. As you saw yesterday, we had two power plays, Finland had a lot, and we still won the game. Its nothing we can control and neither can Canada." IIHF officiating manager Konstantin Komissarov later confirmed the evaluation process for tournament officials and why that quartet was selected to work the final. "The main factor of the selection of these officials has most of all to do with their experience officiating in high-level competitions," said Komissarov on Saturday. "These include Stanley Cup playoffs, World Championship competitions, and Olympic competitions." Komissarov stressed that an officials nationality doesnt play into the process. "Their nationalities arent considered as factors nor should they be, we want the best officials working the medal games," he said. "We are fully confident that with their experience and professionalism these officials will do their job well and preserve the integrity of the game." The gold medal game between Canada and Sweden can be seen on TSN, streamed online and heard on TSN Radio on Sunday morning at 7am et/4am pt. Panthers Garry Williams Womens Jersey . The 29-year-old Eaves has played in only three games with the Red Wings this season, averaging 9:14 of ice time after a knee injury in the preseason. Panthers Garry Williams Limited Jersey . Dont believe him? Check out the seeds slapped beside these conference champions: --A 4 for Louisville of the American Athletic.TSN has live coverage of the Montreal Impacts first trip to the MLS CUP Playoffs, as the Impact travel to Houston to take on the Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt. MLS ON TSN play-by-play commentator Luke Wileman and analyst Jason deVos will be on site at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas to call the single elimination game. Rounding out the broadcast team is analyst Kristian Jack, who will be reporting from the sidelines. **MEDIA NOTE: Luke Wileman, Jason deVos, and Kristian Jack are available for interview upon request** Fans can listen to TSN Radio 690 Montreal for the latest news, analysis, and feature interviews leading up to the Impacts historic playoff debut. Live coverage of the game can be heard on TSN 690s sister station, CJAD 800 AM in Montreal.. Panthers Greg Hardy Elite Jersey. French language coverage is available on RDS. The Montreal Impact secured the Eastern Conferences final playoff spot on the last day of the regular season, and look to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the first place New York Red Bulls with a win against the Dynamo. The Impact will be led by the explosive attack of Italian international Marco Di Vaio when they face off against Houston. TSN DigitalTSN Digital platforms feature MLS CUP Playoffs previews from Wileman and deVos. Fans can also visit TSN.ca for insights from TSN Radio 690s Noel Butler with special focus on the Montreal Impact, as well as video highlights of games through the 2013 MLS CUP Playoffs. As the official broadcaster of MLS in Canada, TSN has Canadian coverage of the MLS CUP Playoffs and the MLS CUP. ' ' ' |
