A group of Columbus Blue Jackets fans say veteran referee Paul Devorski went overboard responding to their taunts in a 4-3 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday night at Nationwide Arena.
According to The Dispatch of Columbus, Ohio, about 15 fans in the area sent emails or Twitter messages about the incident. According to the reports, during a stoppage in play fans were ridiculing Devorski over a missed call against a Wild player.
One fan, seated five rows from the glass in the section where the incident occurred, gave this account:
"Two guys in front of us started giving the refs (grief) after they clearly missed a call. Happens at every game, right? Well, the No. 10 official put his fingers up and rubbed his eyes and made a crying face, like, 'What are you going to do, cry?' They started giving him more (grief) and he put his middle finger up to his chin and acted like he was scratching his face. It was very, very blatant. The whole section saw it and went crazy."
Devorski is a highly respected, 21-year NHL official who has worked several Stanley Cup Finals and the past two Olympics, according to The Dispatch.
NHL director of officiating Terry Gregson confirmed Tuesday to the newspaper that the league is investigating the matter.
Devorski denied the allegations in an email to The Dispatch but made no further comment.
