The NHL just canned one of its referees after the guy was caught on a hot mic admitting he called a questionable penalty against the Nashville Predators because he wanted stick it to the team.
It all went down Tuesday night during the 2nd period of the Predators vs. Red Wings game -- when ref Tim Peel blew the whistle on Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping Jon Merrill.
It sure seems like Merrill flopped -- even the announcers commented, "That's such a dive" -- but Peel seemed locked in on calling Arvidsson for the penalty anyway.