Scouting The Refs Podcast #RefsPodcast

On this week's #RefsPodcast:

• Daisy down! Liney injured in Montreal
• Ref interference as St-Laurent collides with Canucks' Petterson
• Leafs' Ekman-Larsson plastered into the boards, but no puck... and no call on Vegas
• Jackets' Olivier goes spearfishing down below, catches a major, game, and a fine
• Isles' Horvat gets throttled on an empty-netter, resulting in a two-game ban for Blackhawks' Nazar
• Mammoth's Vejmelka chucks a stick and gets 10
• Devils' Rodrigues gets a penalty downgraded from spearing - wrong call - and still gets a fine
• Kings' Edmundson leaves the bench to join an altercation, even though 70.10 says you can't do that
• Canadiens get three goals wiped out vs. Red Wings
• No instigator for Devils' Kovacevic for starting a fight (after a clean hit) with Rangers' Cuylle
• Goaltender interference, but backwards as Blues' Hofer takes out Wild's Kaprizov
• and court is in session! Checking out the latest suggestions from The Athletic's Rules Court

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On this week's #RefsPodcast:

• How was that icing, when the puck went in the net? A baffling call in the AHL
• Down goes a KHL official!
• Blues' Carlo goes knee-on-knee with Stars' Hintz
• Red Wings' Kolesar gets away with instigating
• Hawks' Dach hits Kraken's Dunn from behind - no call
• Sens' Stutzle hits Wings' Finnie from behind - no call
• Kraken's Meyers hits Golden Knight's Olofsson from behind - finally, a call! Major and a game, but nothing from NHL Player Safety
• Bruins' Minten penalized after case of mistaken identity
• Bolts' Hagel goes head-hunting on Flyers' Martone
• Seattle's McCann shoves a liney from the bench, though he may have had a good reason to do so
• Sens' Grieg, back from suspension, goes for a reverse hit
• Habs' Dobes loses his glove... and plays on, barehanded!

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On this week's #RefsPodcast:

• The 2026-27 NHL Season gets underway with some pre-puck-drop thoughts from refs Chris Rooney and Wes McCauley
• The Canucks' Rossi sees his shot go from goal to no goal and back to goal again - once the NHL's Situation Room got involved.
• Liney Ryan Daisy ends up in the Bolts' bench
• Ref Graham Skilliter takes Mitch Marner out of the play
• Finishing up some preseason leftovers with fines to the Kraken's Ottavainen and Canadiens' Matheson
• Bruins' Zadorov delivers an elbow... or does he?
• Karlsson vs. Ekholm - the wrong man was convicted
• Sharks' Trouba and Nurse go after some Tkachuks
• Sabres' Metsa takes offense to CBJ's Olivier putting the puck in the net; Olivier takes offense to Metsa's objection
• We've got a goalie goal!
• and did Jack Hughes just take himself out of Lady Byng contention?

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Getting ready for the 2026-27 NHL regular season with a jam-packed episode this week:

• Zegras gets a penalty for tucking his jersey -- the first time it's been called in 13 years!
• Canucks' Chytil injured after run-in with ref
• Kraken's Ottavainen gets his revenge on the Flames' Othmann, picking up 2, 5, and 10, including an instigator penalty
• Caps' Cristall gets the first fine of the preseason for a crosscheck to the face
• Three suspensions to start the season as McAvoy and Grieg carry over, and Hellebuyck is a no-show
• Soucy's controversial hit takes out Zellweger
• Sens' Blais hits Leafs' Blankenberg, then Brisson steps in but avoids an instigator penalty
• Blackhawks' Spellacy gets tossed for a headbutt, but no fine or suspension
• Refs rack up the miles last season - 3.1 million of 'em

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Enter the 32 Teams! The NHL is back from summer break and so is the Scouting the Refs Podcast. There's not much summer reading to catch up on with only one change to the NHL rulebook. Like Wu Tang said, protect ya neck!

On this week's show:

• Five retiring NHL officials
• Four promotions
• Six new hires join the NHL stripes
• The lone rule change in the NHL rulebook
• Three rule changes in the WHL, including one that could revolutionize overtime
• NHL players offer their suggestion on rule tweaks, and we weigh in on what might work and what might never happen

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

That's a wrap on the 2025-26 NHL season, as the Carolina Hurricanes claimed the Stanley Cup in Game 6 over the Vegas Golden Knights. Wrapping up:

• Referee Golfin' Garrett Rank takes a tumble
• Canes' Jason Blake gets called for tripping. A marginal tripping call? In the Stanley Cup Final?
• Tomas Hertl pushes the puck to win a draw. "You can't do that," says Rule 67 (and liney Trent Knorr, who saw it all happen)
• An AHL penalty shot call sends the announcer into a frenzy. Listen to him complain about it... and then undermine his argument!
• Congrats to the ECHL's Kelly Cup Champion Florida Everblades, who won - and got dumped.
• and what topics might be on tap at the upcoming NHL Board of Governors' meetings? Rule changes, perhaps?

...

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The NHL Stanley Cup Final is in full swing! This week:

• No call on Golden Knights' Eichel for dumping Canes' Staal
• Vegas's Stone sticks Chatfield up high, prompting an official discussion and a video review. How did that work, exactly?
• Game 3 has two challenges against Vegas - one for offside against Howden, one for goaltender interference on Barbashev
• A Cup Final Penalty Shot courtesy Wes McCauley! Breaking down the call and the criteria
• Not-quite-buzzer-beater by McNabb
• Carolina's Stankoven gets crosschecked by Dowd. It was a minor penalty - should it have been more?
• Puck over glass! Puck over glass! Puck over glass! When was the last time a team was whistled for three puck-over-glass penalties?!
• Breaking down the ref pairs and the stats in the Cup Final. Which pair favors one team over the other... and why?
• What do we need to do to get the NHL to hand out some hardware to the officials? A Golden Whistle would be nice, but we have some other trophy suggestions.

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We've made it through the NHL Conference Finals and Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final with plenty to discuss on this week’s Refs Podcast:

• The NHL's Final Four refs and linespersons
• Ghislain Hebert gets a new gig up north
• The ref cam is back!
• Referee Chris Rooney kicks off the Cup Final with some words of encouragement
• Icing, icing, baby... or is it? Breaking down a controversial icing call that led to a Carolina Hurricanes goal in Game 1.
• Why the whistle? Did the referee lose sight of the puck? Or was it goaltender interference? Logic says the latter as Vegas Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella challenged -- losing both the challenge and the game. What happened on that play?
• And, hang on, did we get an official post-game comment from the NHL Officiating team on that call!?

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We’ve got a jam-packed week of Stanley Cup action to run down on this week’s Refs Podcast:

• Canadiens’ Dobson delivers a high-stick from his knees
• A clear spear from Montreal’s Texier on Canes’ Miller gets called a slash. What?
• Carolina’s Hall hits Hutson
• Dorofeyev’s Golden Knights goal gets disallowed for being batted in with a glove… or was it deflected by a high stick above the crossbar? Or both?
• Canadiens’ Caufield goes offside… but the faceoff goes way back
• Was that a missed call for Too Many Men against Montreal in overtime?
• Vegas’ Hertl takes out the Canes’ Necas on what should’ve been a penalty
• At the Memorial Cup, Chicoutimi Sagueneens’ Jordan Tourigny gets ejected - and suspended - for stomping the skate of Kitchener’s Christian Humphreys.

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On this week's playoff-penalty-filled episode:

• Six for McAvoy's lumberjack attack
• Habs' Xhekaj pays up for punch
• Avalanche's Manson puts his butt-end where it doesn't belong, gets a fine and a penalty -- but should've gotten more
• Sabres' Malenstyn steamrolls Habs' Dobes
• A double-goal-review at Canadiens vs. Sabres that goes from no goal, to goal, and back to no goal...
• Golden Knights' McNabb plows Ducks' Poehling into the boards for the rare interference major penalty
• Minnesota's McCarron bats it in. Nice try, Mike.
• Vegas goaltender Carter Hart throws off his helmet to get a stoppage after losing a skate blade. He gets the whistle -- and a penalty for delay of game
• Referee Garrett Rank goes up top for a bird's-eye-view of the play.

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Questions? Comments? Just looking to vent? Call the RefLine and leave us a message at 585-484-REFS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ #RefsPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠