The NHL sparked controversy with their referee selections for the Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers.
With game one of the Stanley Cup Finals set to take place in Florida tonight, the only people who will be more scrutinized than players will be the referees.
In a recent announcement, the League revealed that Jean Hebert, Steve Kozari, Dan O'Rourke, and Chris Rooney will be the referees in the Finals:
Congratulations to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final Officials: Referees: Jean Hebert, Steve Kozari, Dan O'Rourke, Chris Rooney Linesmen: Devin Berg, Ryan Daisy, Matt MacPherson, Jonny Murray
As the renowned insider Pierre LeBrun highlighted in a post on X, they will be under a lot of pressure. Penalty calls could change the outcome of the series, considering the Oilers' powerplay unit:
Lots of pressure on these 4 refs when you consider Oilers' power play. Major theme in this Cup final
As soon as the NHL announced the referees, Oilers fans were quick to share their concerns, especially about Steve Kozari.
Kozari has often been criticized for bad calls and bias against the Edmonton Oilers:
There is no reason, no reason at all the NHL should've picked Kozari. He's shown clear bias vs Edmonton and there's a history of issues there. Simplest choice just to select a different ref and somehow they f**k up. NHL proving why it remains the worst ran league
Wow. Rourke and Kozari .. Oilers are screwed.
This is how they fix the Finals. Using the same 4 biased refs throughout. Florida wins due to the all American #buttmanAgenda. Here we go again... http://thebluepaint.com #31YearsAndCounting #ZipCodeCup #ButtmanAgenda #NHLBookiesRiggedHockeyLeague
Do you think the NHL poorly chose the referees for the Stanley Cup Finals?
Source: Hockey Patrol
Massive refereeing controversy emerges ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals
Massive refereeing controversy emerges ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals
| POLL | ||
8 JUIN | 263 ANSWERS Stanley Cup Finals: NHL sparks controversy with referee selections Do you think the NHL poorly chose the referees for the Stanley Cup Finals? | ||
| Yes | 184 | 70 % |
| No | 79 | 30 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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