– Payback?: Blackhawks coach Mike Keenan has complained so frequently about officiating this season that there is some speculation he may not be getting a fair shake every game, because referees are only human: Hit them and they`ll hit back and perhaps not make a penalty call in Keenan`s favor in a critical situation.
However, Bryan Lewis, the NHL`s director of officiating, doesn`t believe a referee would be prejudiced against any single coach.
”I was a referee for more than a 1,000 games myself,” he said Wednesday. ”We`re trained to set aside anything we may have read or heard off the ice. Once the puck is dropped, you can`t stop to think about a particular quote where you may have been criticized.
”Complaining about officiating isn`t unique to Mike Keenan. We are looking at videotapes all the time that teams send in to determine if a better job could have been done by the officials.
”The supervisor of officials (who oversees games from the press box)
could tell quickly if a referee was prejudiced against a particular coach or player. Referees wouldn`t put themselves in jeopardy of advancement and more money by getting a job in the playoffs by doing something like that.
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”I`m not saying officials are infallible. They aren`t. But if they read or hear something said about them, we like to think they can separate fact from fiction and rise above it.”
– Homecoming: Michel Goulet returned Wednesday to Quebec City, where he starred as a Nordique for a little more than 10 seasons. But the Hawks winger came back with bruised ribs and won`t be in the lineup Thursday when the Hawks and Quebec meet at the Colisee.
”I`ve never been hit like that in my life,” Goulet said of the check by St. Louis` Glen Featherstone last Sunday. He had had two goals that night before being hurt. ”When I began coughing up blood, I knew I was in trouble. I`ve never had an injury like this.”
– Iron man: Steve Larmer does everything quietly, and so there wasn`t much fuss made as he moved into fourth on the all-time list Tuesday by playing in his 631st straight game. Larmer moved past Andy Hebenton, who played nine seasons with the New York Rangers and Boston from 1955-56 to 1963-64. Larmer, who will turn 29 in June, has a long way to go to take over third place. Former Buffalo Sabre Craig Ramsay`s 776 consecutive games is next highest on the list.