Bruins announcer randomly berates referee for being a coward

Bruins announcer Jack Edwards has long had a reputation for being a homer, and in tonight's playoff game, he really took that identity to heart. After a scrum play to end the second period, Edwards laid into referee Steve Kozari.

The argument between McAvoy and Kozari was regarding some chaos to end the second period. Kozari really had to lean into both McAvoy and Pastrnak to assess penalties on the play. Reading Kozari's lips, he clearly says «Hey, listen.. f**k off!»




Edwards berating Kozari for simply assessing the penalties, providing an explanation, and skating away when it was over is truly bizarre. The announcer is clearly leaning into the side of being a Bruins fan, and how their fans would perceive an official providing an apparently substandard explanation, but it's still a bizarre reaction to a routine play.

This playoff run will be the final year before retirement for Jack Edwards in the booth. As seen in the clip, Edwards' voice has slowed considerably in recent years and there's been no medical reason why. Not just Edwards is significant in this clip, but referee Steve Kozari as well. Earlier this year, Kozari was on the wrong end of an accidental collision that knocked him unconscious and forced him to be stretchered off the ice.

The Leafs and Bruins are tied at one heading into the third period, with the Leafs fighting to avoid elimination in only five games. The series has been surprisingly tame, with this incident being the first memorable altercation between the teams.