Wednesday, August 5, 2009

After 16 years, a new wrinkle on Kerry Fraser's missed call

Kerry Fraser has just wrapped up his hour-long appearance on Leafs Lunch. And while his explanation of his infamous missed call on Wayne Gretzky hasn't changed, he did introduce a new wrinkle involving Doug Gilmour.

The interview, which was heavily hyped as some sort of epic confrontation between Fraser and Leaf fans, was an enormous dud. While 640 did get in a few shoutouts to PPP (and borrowed heavily from my Youtube clips of Brian Lewis and Don Cherry's reactions), host Brian Duff was more interested in giggling along with Fraser at cutting edge hair jokes.

But we did get at least one new tidbit when, for the first time that I'm aware of, Fraser told us what Doug Gilmour said to him immediately after the high-stick. According to Fraser, Gilmour told him that he was hit on Gretzky's follow through (which wouldn't be a penalty).

Duff immediately hammered Fraser with a devastating follow up: "Why would it matter what a player told you? Isn't it your job to see the play and call it correctly?"

No, just kidding. Duff accepted the explanation without question and moved on to the next call from a Habs fan.

Beyond that, Fraser is sticking to his claim that he didn't see the play. He repeatedly mentioned that the game looks different on the ice than it does from "up above", in an apparent attempt to explain how his version is contradicted by multiple replays.

At one point, he even told Duff that "you'll see that there was an obstructed view off the faceoff, and two big players were in my line of sight" -- a bizarre claim, considering the play didn't happen off of a faceoff. Apparently, being "on the ice" also warps space-time.

As a reminder, here's Fraser's "obstructed view" with "two big players in (his) line of sight":



"I'm honest," Fraser said. "I tell the truth." You be the judge.

You'll be able to find a podcast of the interview later today on the 640 web site.




35 comments:

  1. F'in Jackass. Deny, Deny, Deny. Just come up with something else that does not make sense Fraser.

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  2. Were is the puck he doesn't seem to be looking at Gilmour. Still brave for going on a Toronto radio station. Gotta give him credit for that.

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  3. @Redonred...

    You can't see in the screen grab, but the puck is in Gilmour's feet. He actually falls on top of it.

    You can see it better on the actual video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGFFEc6Bng

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  4. As much as I think leaf fans need to MOVE ON from this incident, I find it quite sad that mainstream media does such a piss poor job of actually giving the fans a quality product. This interview was such contrived shit. Brian Duff just hmmed and hawwd while Fraser spewed his usual crap about not being able to see this and that, 2 guys were in my way off a faceoff (it wasnt even off a faceoff, like DGB stated), blah blah blah. All of it horsecrap. DGB provides more than enough evidence that he just [franked] up big time and yet somehow, am640 pretty much tried to convince us that we have been at fault all these years for villanizing fraser.

    He did admit that he blew the call at one point im pretty sure, but I dont see why they needed to trot out these crap ass excuses at the same time....

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  5. as for the habs fan getting on the air, WTF is with that!?! im relativley new to the world on hockey blogging, but from what ive read here, on PPP, Cox Bloc and on MLHS, the hockey media really needs to get its head out of its ass. The blogging and reporting going on in the barilkosphere is %10000000000000000000000000 better than the LAZY shit they spew out on the radio, print and on tv.

    I cant beleive they let a hab troll come on and pretty much thank fraser for screwing us...

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  6. @Redonred:

    I don't see what's "brave" about accepting when offered a controlled platform to continue a total act of cowardess (the "I was screened" excuse).

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  7. Seemed like a fair non-call to me. I dunno why you guys are so upset.

    (who let this Habs-troll in here? DGB, get a lock for this door!)

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  8. you dont need a lock DGB, just a secret knock or something ^_^

    Im trying to imagine a habs radio show in Montreal let leaf fans come on and rip the habs...does it exist?

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  9. I will be signing autographs at your local Hakim Optical every day ad infinitum

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  10. Was it not in that same playoff (vs the Blues, maybe?) that Dave Andreychuk was drilled under the eye by someone's follow-through?

    Leafs scored on that PP, I believe.

    --1967ers

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  11. Matt -- Montreal media can't see past it's own navel. They don't have to deal with Leafs fans because they are never talking about anything relevant beyond The Bell Centre.

    Should Carey Price be drinking Gatoraide or Poweraide? News at 11.

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  12. I hope nobody was expecting any different. When Greg Brady hosts the show he takes lots of calls and engages in banter back and forth with the callers. Duff seems to think he's above that and takes as few calls as possible without trying to start any sort of conversation. That's what you deserve for waiting on hold for an hour I guess. Let's remember - Duff spent time with Leafs TV where you get fired if you even question anything about the team. Remember Andy Frost's post-game show where he took calls? That was "too negative" for MLSE so it got cancelled. Now the entire post-game is full of pretty faces reading information off a sheet. I swear there was one loss last year where the Leafs got absolutely hammered (vs the Sabres I think...) and they spent the first 10 minutes of the show discussing a great defensive play by Kaberle to keep the score 6-1.

    It's actually quite shocking with the popularity of the Leafs that there isn't a single call-in show devoted to a pure hour or two of fans just voicing their opinion. Isn't there a Blue Jays call-in show on the Fan 590? THE BLUE JAYS FOR HEAVENS SAKE! The only issue would be where to air it with the Leafs TV censorship and AM 640 being more than happy to just have the 2 minutes of calls on Leafs Lunch.

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  13. GAH! I am listening to this now and it's horrible. The question about the Anderson penalty?!?! WAY TO MISREPRESENT LEAFS NATION!

    And the fucker lied about missing it.

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  14. One day, when the Leafs win the Cup, we'll have our own Boston/Bill Buckner type moment.

    We'll welcome him to Toronto with open arms, and all will be forgiven.

    Until then, he shall remain the devil.

    DGB, your picture shows it clearly. Kerry Fraser is a liar.

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  15. maybe his hair got in the way?

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  16. The "2 big guys in his line of sight" were Gretzky and Gilmour.

    Before you laugh, look at Kerry Fraser. Gretzky and Gilmour would be big to him.

    Now, I'm all for sportsmanship; in fact, people who exhibit fair play and sportsmanship are tops in my book. And while Douggie is a classy guy, I am quite certain that with a Stanley Cup berth on the line, he didn't turn to Kerry Fraser and tell him "(He) hit me on the follow through." thereby offering the referee the chance to negate any high stick penalty which might have been called.

    Dougie was a fierce competitor. There's no way he would have done that at that moment in time.

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  17. @shaner...

    It's at least possible Gilmour didn't know the rule.

    That said, I wonder if anyone will ask him if that's what he remembers saying.

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  18. @DGB...

    I'm sure Andi Petrello and Jody Vance are getting right on that!

    Just as soon as they figure out who this Doug Gilmour fella is everyone keeps mentioning!

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  19. Andy Frost still has "After the Horn" on am640 after every leaf game. They take calls and re-cap the game for about 2 hours. It's great because you get alot of people who are pissed and voice their opinions without any censorship as well as people who have a more "rosey" outlook on things. Thats where Mike "In Buffalo" made his name.


    Habs Twitt- yea it really seems so eh? I thought leaf fans lived in a bubble haha.

    I love Jody Vance ^_^_^_^_^_^_^
    Leafs TV sucks..... but I cant stop watching! Why are they showing crappy games vs the Isles and Thrashers all the time...?!?

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  20. Does anyone else find it spectacularly aggravating to hear people say "poor Leaf fans, still living in the past" while at the same time still giving us the 1967 barb? Bah!

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  21. yea its a piss off for sure about that 1967 stuff bud but at least we got DGB to keep us laffin it up not gettin too pissed off eh!!!

    findin this site was like a cup win hahaha all the boys at work LOVE IT

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  22. What a d-bag... I can't stand the lack of accoutability... people say Leafs fans should let it go, well how bout we let it go when Kerry frickin admits that he didn't make the call cause he didn't have the balls to do it.

    He's admitted that he missed the call and admitted that he regrets not making the call but he's never given us the truth as to why he didn't make the call.

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  23. One thing we can all agree on is the Montreal and Toronto media are equally bad

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  24. You guys should thank Fraser from saving the Leafs the embarassment of a sweep at the hands of the Habs

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  25. The Leafs would have won the cup if they had made it to the finals.

    The Habs were a mediocre team that was carried for the entire season by Patrick Roy. The Leafs beat a much better team in Detroit, and had Fraser not choked on his whistle then the Leafs would likely only have a 16 year cup drought.

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    1. You're an idiot. If the Leafs couldn't beat a team backstopped by a mediocrity like Kelly Hrudey how do you suppose they were going to beat a Habs team backstopped by Patrick Roy, who was on fire during that playoff run? Felix Potvin, on the best day of his life, wasn't fit to wash Roy's jock strap.

      And why are you crying about this non-call on Gretzky? Even if a penalty had been called there's no guarantee that the Leafs would have scored on the subsequent power play. And I might also remind you that this incident took place in Game 6. The Leafs still had another chance to win the series in Game 7 which was, if memory serves, played in Toronto's own barn. Doug Gilmour also played in Game 7. Didn't seem to matter though. The Leafs did what they always do: they choked.

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  26. Anyone who gets ESPN watch OTL first report this morning? They were talking about fake twitter accounts. Guess who didn't get a single mention

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  27. HAHA leave it to leafs fans to still be disecting and disgruntled about a play that happened 16 years ago.

    You are aware that probably every one of the players for BOTH teams is probably retired....right?!?!?!

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  28. Yes, we're aware.

    It doesn't matter either way. We were cheated, and we're still pissed. Instead of the hockey world getting to see a Leafs/Habs match in the finals, we got to see the Kings get their asses handed to them in a dull championship.

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  29. Gary "Wife Stealer" LeemanAugust 10, 2009 at 4:52 PM

    DGB, I'm a Ranger fan, so here's my irrelevant 2 cents:

    Here's the Gilmour video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGFFEc6Bng

    At around 1:09-1:10 you can actually see Gilmour say "follow through" (right when the linesman comes into the shot) but I can't say in what context that's in.

    The kicker is, that wasn't on the follow-through. You can clearly see Gretzky trying to lift Gilmour's stick and then catching him with his own blade.

    Also, if Sandstrom and Macoun are the ones blocking Fraser (that's my guess as to the two big guys, don't know why he was looking that way) he was in a bad angle.

    Even with Gretzky's goal, the Leafs lost Game 6 in their previous 2 series and managed to win both Game 7s. They had Game 7 in their barn and just could not get it done.

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  30. I know we got robbed. It was a call that was simply blown. But the penalty that lead to the 5 min major was about the worst penalty any Leaf has ever taken bar none! Glen Anderson who was playing great at times during the playoffs just retaliated at the other end that lead to the 5 min Major. The worst penalty any Leaf has ever taken.

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  31. Bettman's first playoff year as NHL commissioner. An opportunity for a big market southern US team to make the NHL finals. Was it all Kerry Fraser's fault?

    Dallas beats Buffalo in 1999 final on a goal that had been called off the entire playoffs up to that point. Southern US team wins Cup.

    I'm not a Flames fan but they did score the winner in Game 6 against TB in 2004. Wasn't called a goal. Another sunbelt team goes on to win the Cup.

    Given the blatant corruption we've seen from Bettman and Daly over the last few years, particularly this summer with the Coyotes situation, would you really be surprised to learn that Gary might have influenced the outcomes of NHL playoff games in the past?

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  32. He DID have an obstructed view by two very large players! Wayne Gretzky and Doug Gilmore! You cant expect Frazer to like not star gaze in to the great ones big baby blues and actually call the game can you?

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  33. if you watch the incident the high stick wasn't a follow through from a shot, but Gretzky attempting to lift McCoun's stick but missed and his stick rose and hit Gilmour. Go to youtube and watch the video, you'll see that's what happened.

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