‘Disrespected’ Karlsson Throws Helmet Onto Ice After Blown Call

The San Jose Sharks got into it with the referees again. And once again, it was referee Gord Dwyer.

On Saturday night, the Sharks lost 8-3 to the Washington Capitals. But the fireworks weren’t confined to on the ice and all the goals scored, as head coach David Quinn got ejected early in the third period after cursing out Dwyer.

Quinn Loses It on Ref, ‘Embarrassed’ by His Own Behavior

Dwyer was on his own at that point of game because second referee Chris Schlenker exited early with a leg injury.

Tonight, the Sharks lost 6-0 to the Colorado Avalanche. But this time, it was Erik Karlsson sending a message to referees Dwyer and Corey Syvret.

Early in the third period, both refs missed an Alex Newhook high stick on Karlsson.

Erik Karlsson gets a stick to the mouth by Newhook, no one sees it. Karlsson bleeding… Colorado power play?! #GoAvsGo 6, #SJSharks 0 pic.twitter.com/ZKER2irtxr

— TEAL TOWN USA – A San Jose Sharks Podcast (@TEALTOWNUSA) March 8, 2023

It drew blood, and should’ve been a double-minor, but…

“Yeah, they said they didn’t see it,” Quinn reported after the game. “Corey said he was behind [Karlsson] and didn’t see it.”

“It’s just a little disrespectful,” Karlsson said in his post-game availability. “Understand that they have a tough job. Things are gonna get missed and stuff, but I found that was a hard one to miss.”

He added: “To get disrespected like that, it’s tough to take. I lost my cool a little bit after that. I apologize for that, but doesn’t matter if it’s a 6-nothing game or 1-nothing game, you’re still out there trying to play our hardest.”

Erik Karlsson is clearly not happy. pic.twitter.com/C4obcrL6lM

— JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 8, 2023

Karlsson got the same explanation that Quinn got from the referees, though we’re not sure if this conversation happened before his helmet toss, or after Karlsson came back from his 10-minute misconduct.

Karlsson shares his thoughts about that missed double-minor high sticking to his face pic.twitter.com/pJ085QcSRK

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 8, 2023

“I talked to…Corey. And he just said he was right behind me. I had the puck, said he couldn’t see it. Couldn’t guess,” Karlsson shared. “I heard some other guys say that, maybe I fell a little bit too easy or something. And that was pretty much it.”

Was that Dwyer, the linesmen, or the Avs that offered that input?

“It would’ve been nice to just get a we missed that one. We’re sorry,” Karlsson suggested. “And we could have all moved along. But I don’t think we’re gonna get to that point now.”

So do the San Jose Sharks have a Gord Dwyer problem? Both Quinn and Karlsson insist that they didn’t think this was a carry-over from the Capitals rout.

“No, we buried the hatchet. He and I talked it out. So we’re both good,” Quinn said of hashing things out, after his ejection, with the 17-year veteran referee.

“He’s a great person, I talk to him off the ice and he’s a good person. I have nothing bad to say about him. I think we have a good relationship out there,” Karlsson, who seems to pride himself on his relationships with the officials, offered.

But not tonight.

“Obviously today, we didn’t treat each other with the respect that we both deserve,” the San Jose Sharks star said. “It is what it is. I’m sure the proper people will handle it.”

Karlsson, on getting blown out by #GoAvsGo: "They're obviously a much better hockey team than we are…We were second-guessing every decision we made, and that's why it looked the way it did."

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 8, 2023