Chris Lee, a former player, claims he got a lot of misdirected hate from the Habs fans
While things have calmed down today, referee Chris Lee was once the number one public nemesis of Montreal Canadiens fans. When Lee oversaw games three and four of the semi-finals against the Vegas Golden Knights, things went out of hand, and many believed the situation had gotten out of hand. Some Habs fans, on the other hand, channelled their rage online at the wrong person.
While Chris Lee the referee has become a household figure among hockey fans, Chris Lee the former player has yet to achieve the same level of popularity. Lee the player played in the AHL and ECHL for several seasons before moving on to the DEL in Germany and then the KHL, where he had a stellar career, winning the Gagarin Cup twice and being selected an All-Star three times. However, it appears that many fans didn't do their homework before discovering a "Chris Lee" online and harassing him.
"As we wait for the Stanley Cup Final series to begin I just wanted to let all of the Habs fans know that I am, in fact, NOT the NHL Referee Chris Lee, I am the other guy in this photo," said Lee the player on his Instagram account. The post also included a picture of him with the Gagarin Cup labelled "me" and a picture of the Chris Lee the referee labelled "not me".
"Although my wife and I did enjoy reading all of the DMs you sent us during the last series expressing how much you loved and appreciated my Refereeing skills! Cheers to a great Final and I hope this series is as exciting as the rest of the the NHL Playoffs have been so far."
In case anyone hasn't heard, it has already been announced that Lee will not be officiating any of the Stanley Cup Final games between the Montreal Canadians and Tampa Bay Lightning. You can read more about that here
