The U.S. men’s hockey team beat Russia in a preliminary round game Saturday, and Russian hockey fans are still upset about a third period go-ahead goal that was disallowed.
Fans are so mad that some are protesting outside the U.S. embassy in Russia, targeting American referee Brad Meier. Meier made the final decision that the goal was dislodged on the score, rendering the play dead, according to official IIHF rules.
[tweet https://twitter.com/IgorEronko/statuses/435403692829708288 align=’center’]
The sign above says “turn referee into soap” in Russian. The folks over at thegardenisland.com turned to Puck Daddy’s Russian American blogger Dmitry Chesnokov for a translation.
“[It’s] a very common expression of displeasure with refs,” Chesnokov said. “Meaning send the ref to use his fat to make soap.”
Oh.
“There’s another version of where the phrase came from: The soap used on a noose for hanging. So it would still mean kill him,” Chesnokov said.
That doesn’t sound much better.
“Yes, killed, but it’s not literal,” Chesnokov said. “Please don’t take it as a death threat.”
So, if it’s not a death threat, is it a sign that says he’s worthless?
“Yes, worthless. Kind of like, ‘Hey ref, get glasses,'” Chesnokov said.
Oh, OK. Either way, the fans are angry.
