Franz Baader

Who is Franz Baader?

Franz Baader was a German referee and linesman. He is a member of the German Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the referee during Game 6 of the 1972 Summit Series, played between Canada and the Soviet Union.

During the same Series, Baader was embroiled in some controversy, because of the choice of officials for Game 8. The original referees chosen were the Swedish referee Ove Dahlberg and Czechoslovakian referee Rudolf Baťa. However, Dahlberg had fallen ill with a suspected case of food poisoning. Russia decided to switch the referees Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader, on the eve of the game 8.

Alan Eagleson, a key organizer from Canada of the Series had threatened to depart from Moscow, where the game was being played. He had reached an agreement with the Canadian team about the possible departure. However, an agreement was reached, with Kompalla and Baťa being the referees for Game 8.

Baader is considered a rather infamous referee; he is considered having made many poor calls in Game 6. In fact, many sources consider Baader one of "the pair they hated most", and a "horrendous official".