Eugene Binda, Jr. (Referee)
Eugene Binda, Jr. was an ECAC /Hockey East referee during at least the 2006-2007 season.
He earned notoriety and infamy with the band during the first round of the 2007 ECAC playoffs (RPI at Colgate). Binda reffed the second (and ultimately final) game of the series in what was to be an atrocious night of officiating. He started by blowing the whistle early and often against RPI, angering the sizable turnout of RPI fans for most of the first half of the game. About halfway through the game, as if suddenly realizing how lopsided he was calling the game, he turned around and began calling everything against Colgate. This of course angered the home crowd, and suddenly everyone at the rink was jeering Binda. It was so bad that it drove Colgate’s band to play Three Blind Mice as the refs came out for the third period, risking penalty. Uniting in distaste for bad officiating, RPI’s band soon joined them.
His largest gaffe that game (and the one that most who were there will remember) was when Binda failed to call a goal that was observed by the fans, players, and goal judge. An RPI player took a slap shot which never got off the ground, and it went straight past Colgate goalie Mark Dekanich to the back of the net, hitting the back post of the goal and bouncing straight back out. The goal light went on, but Binda never signaled it and let play continue. The fans that had seen the puck go into the net were outraged. After another 2:30 of play, there was a stoppage and Binda went to talk with the goal judge. At this point all of the RPI fans were chanting for the goal to count, making it hard to hear much on the ice. So Binda skated off the ice, walking halfway around the playing surface to talk to the goal judge face to face. During what looked like a heated discussion the goal judge tried to convince Binda that a goal had been scored, often pointing towards the goal line and nodding his head. After a long deliberation, Binda moved to return to the ice, with the goal judge apparently convinced that he had changed Binda’s mind. As soon as he returned to the ice he waived the goal (despite his position near center ice when the goal was scored) to the ire of the players and the hundreds of fans who saw the puck hit the back of the net. The goal judge could only shake his head in disbelief, motioning to fans sitting near him that a goal had been scored. Had the goal counted, RPI would have led 2-1. They ended up losing 1-4, ending their season.
The band has since shown extreme distaste for Binda, Jr., referring to him as "The Ultimate Home Ice Advantage", a reference to a message not related to Binda that was shown on Colgate's scoreboard that night.
Binda, Jr. is no longer employed by the ECACHL.