Why hockey referee Brad Meier is Russia's public enemy No. 1

An IIHF rule that led to an overturned goal has turned American-born referee Brad Meier into the most hated man in Russia.

Meier originally signaled a good goal when Fedor Tyutin's point shot floated past Jonathan Quick and underneath the crossbar to give the Russians a 3-2 lead over the United States in the late stages of the third period, but replays showed the net was dislodged after Quick bumped the post while sliding laterally.

Meier overturned the goal after video review - a ruling upheld by the IIHF:

But that was not enough for Russian players, politicians, and fans, who left the eventual 3-2 shootout victory for the United States feeling like they were robbed by American imperialist scum. (For the record, Meier was born in Ohio but raised in Saskatchewan by Canadian parents; he holds both Canadian and U.S. citizenship.)

"How can a referee from the U.S.A. judge the U.S. team?! The puck was in the goal! What an abomination! Cheating in front of the whole world!! Disgusting," tweeted Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee. "It was not a victory by the U.S. team over Russia: it was a 'victory' by the judging panel of the U.S. and Sweden."

Russian coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov offered a more measured response but was still critical of the decision.

"The referees made a mistake, yes, but we need to prepare for the next match," Bilyaletdinov said. "It's very sad that the referees didn't count it, but the referees looked at the video and made this decision. That means that's the way it was."

Meier has been an NHL referee since the 1999-2000 season and began his career officiating international competitions like the 1995 World U20 Championship, the 1996 World Championship, and the 1998 Olympics in Nagano. He has developed a bit of a spotty reputation in his years working NHL games, but those incidents usually concerned penalty calling, not goal judgments.

Whether or not Meier and the officiating crew made the right call, many Russians will remember Saturday's game as the latest example of American deviousness, with Meier as its prime agent.

Naturally, this led to many hilarious tweets from Russian citizens wondering why Meier is still alive. Here are some translations:

"Seems like the referee is a patriot. Would be better if he were honest."
"This referee took away Russia’s victory. We will remember this face."
"Today this referee amassed himself some enemies: the people of our immense country."
"Even Putin saw it. Is the referee still alive?"
"And now there’s a live broadcast of women’s curling? Are you joking? Where’s the live broadcast of making soap out of the referee?"

No matter what happens, Meier would probably do well to have someone else test his food for the remainder of his stay in Sochi.