Arrivederci, Officer Koharski

One note I did not make in my Caps recap from last night was that it was the last game for referee Don Koharski. Even non-hockey fans will probably recognize the name Koharski, which really is not good if you're a referee. I can't really say things any better than OFB did in this post from a while back but for what it's worth (not much) I will share three Koharski memories of my own.

1) His infamous blowup with then-New Jersey Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld in the 1988 Wales Conference Finals. This included the line that immortalized Koharski forever, delivered by Schoenfeld, "Have another donut you fat pig!"


2) I give Mike Myers a pass for making "The Love Guru" for one reason: making the ultimate insider hockey reference in a mainstream movie when he gave a donut-eating cop the name Officer Koharski in "Wayne's World." It was like a subliminal message that only hockey fans could pick up. When I watch "Wayne's World" now (the movie is horribly dated these days), I laugh hardest at two parts: the Officer Koharski references and Ed O' Neill's cameo...


3) My ultimate memory of Koharski? This line brawl between the Caps and Flyers in 1990.

While 5 separate fights are going on, Koharski is standing over the goal and taking notes (at about 2:10 of the clip). He's like a hockey Doestoevsky here. That may be the ever lasting memory of Koharski. Standing there, oblivious to the chaos his shoddy officiating has unleashed. Arrivederci, auf wiedershien and goodbye Officer Koharski.