NHL slaps Habs GM coach
January 9, 2003 Print it
TORONTO -- Montreal Canadiens GM Andre Savard and coach Michel Therrien were fined Thursday by the NHL for their outbursts following a 3-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils earlier in the week.
Savard was fined $50,000 and Therrien was fined $25,000 for "abuse directed at the on-ice officials."
During the game, referee Kerry Fraser disallowed a Canadiens goal in the first period and then allowed Joe Nieuwendyk's winning goal in the third period to stand even though Canadiens goaltender Jeff Hackett was knocked down by the Devils' Jeff Friesen.
Therrien and Savard screamed at Fraser as he left the ice after the game. Savard had to be restrained from going into the dressing room after the game, according to security officials at the Continental Airlines Arena who asked not to be identified.
"First of all, we believe we got robbed," Therrien said after emerging from the team's changing room some 20 minutes after the game. "There is no doubt about that."
A Canadiens spokesman said Savard would not comment on the fine.
The blow-up came as the Canadiens ended a seven-game road trip during which they did not win a game and earned three of a possible 14 points.
Last month, the Canadiens complained to the league after Fraser failed to call spearing on Boston Bruins center Joe Thornton after Thornton jabbed Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov in the stomach with his stick blade. Thornton was fined $1,000 the next day.
AI
