While the Montreal Canadiens celebrated a hard-fought victory against the Vancouver Canucks, a storm was brewing on their own bench—and it centered around enforcer Arber Xhekaj. The 24-year-old defenseman had a night to forget, taking two costly penalties that ultimately earned him a spot on the bench for the remainder of the game, courtesy of a displeased Martin St-Louis. But it was his reaction to one particular penalty that has sent shockwaves through the fanbase and put him under intense scrutiny.

After being called for a questionable interference penalty against Tyler Myers, Xhekaj was visibly furious. He couldn’t believe the call, and his frustration boiled over in a heated exchange with the official. While fans in the arena could only see his angry gestures, on-ice microphones and television cameras captured the entire, uncensored tirade. Thanks to newly surfaced footage, we can now hear exactly what he shouted at the referee in a moment of pure, unfiltered rage. His words were so explicit and disrespectful that they immediately prompted St-Louis to bench him, and now, many are questioning if his explosive outburst will lead to further discipline from the league.

Photo of Arber Xhekaj, NHL referee

Photo credit: All Habs / NHL

The Montreal Canadiens may have won against the Vancouver Canucks, but it’s clear that not everyone had a great night.

While Ivan Demidov was electrifying the crowd, another Canadiens player, Arber Xhekaj, was having a much tougher time…

The 24-year-old defenseman had a game to forget, and Martin St-Louis didn’t hide his displeasure.

As we mentioned earlier today, Xhekaj took two costly penalties before being benched by St-Louis for the remainder of the game – and rightfully so.

Arber Xhekaj Furious at the Referee: We Finally Hear What He Shouted

A sequence caught on camera clearly shows Xhekaj angry after being called for interference against Tyler Myers.

The defenseman simply couldn’t believe it.

In the video shared by William Nadeau, you can read his lips and clearly hear him say:

“Unbelievable… Ref, you’re fu***ing kidding me right now!”

– Arber Xhekaj

I’ll let you listen for yourself:

You can see his frustration very clearly.

Martin St-Louis quickly reacted by keeping him on the bench for the entire third period.

Xhekaj finished the game with just 6 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time, no points, four penalty minutes, and a single shot on goal.

Not an ideal night…

The potential is there, but he absolutely needs to channel his intensity in the right way if he wants to stay in the lineup.

I think that with Kaiden Guhle still injured, the Canadiens could (and should) give a chance to Mark Del Gaizo, or even Adam Engstrom.