A controversial tripping penalty fired up Sharks head coach David Quinn during a game against the Capitals. The call came when San Jose’s Kevin Labanc chased a puck and clipped Washington’s Vincent Iorio, who was cutting across the ice. The contact looked unintentional, but the ref called a penalty, leaving Quinn furious. Replays showed Iorio didn’t initiate the pick and seemed surprised by the collision. He lost his leg under him and spun out, but it didn’t look like Labanc targeted him. Still, the officials disagreed.
Quinn unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at the ref, yelling across the ice and calling him a disgrace. Lip reading caught lines like “you’ve been an absolute joke,” “your whole career,” and a lot worse. The ref eventually tossed him out, but the yelling continued all the way to the tunnel. Things got even worse for the Sharks right after. On the ensuing faceoff, the Capitals scored on a rebound to go up by three in the third period. That goal essentially ended the game. Quinn said later he was embarrassed by the outburst, but he clearly felt the call changed the flow. The Capitals capitalized, and the Sharks unraveled.