Scouting The Refs Podcast #RefsPodcast

It's a busy week on the #RefsPodcast: Jets goalie Thomas Milic picks up a penalty for covering up the puck Kraken's Mason Marchment fires up the Edmonton Oilers after a hit on Darnell Nurse Penguins' Blake Lizotte with the crotch-hoist on the Flyers' Garnet Hathaway. Should the NHL come down harder on the ol' pickle-smasher? Blues' Toropchenko takes out the Utah Mammoth&#39...

It’s a confluence of circumstances on a jam-packed #RefsPodcast: The OHL suspends Brampton's Luke Dragusica for the rest of the season for a Marty-McSorleyesque two-handed slash to the head Carolina Hurricanes’ Andrei Svechnikov gets the elbow up on Vancouver Canucks’ Filip Hronek We’re not seeing any sort of distinct kicking motion on this disallowed goal from San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith… but...

On the latest #RefsPodcast: Nashville Predators forward Michael Bunting tips a shot into the net vs. the New York Rangers that was just a bit high... but presented an opportunity for some technological enhancements Boston Bruins blueliner Nikita Zadorov took out Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, who left the game shortly after. Did it deserve a penalty? Or something more? A scary hit fr...

On the latest #RefsPodcast: Scoring a goal without actually putting the puck into the net. It's possible, and it happened twice this week - once at Anaheim Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings and again at Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider has a goal disallowed for a "distinct kicking motion" that wasn't very distinct Wings netminder John Gibson bum...

The Pittsburgh Penguins do, at least this week. Also on the latest #RefsPodcast: New official debuts as Shawn Oliver, Jeremy Faucher, and Dylan Blujus hit the ice for the first time in the NHL Injury updates with Scott Cherrey, Francois St. Laurent, Steve Kozari, Chris Rooney, Ryan Daisy, and Bryan Pancich still sidelined Congratulations to referee Chris Lee on 1500 games! Major penalty to Blue Ja...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Author Don Weekes joins Todd and Josh to discuss his new book Hockey Hall of Fame Timeline of the Game: 150 Years of Hockey Stories Referee Michael Markovic has a 'Steve Harvey' moment after he announces the wrong call - and immediately corrects it - at Panthers vs. Devils Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers fined for slashing Edmonton Oilers captain C...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Preseason wrap-up 322 penalty minutes for Panthers vs. Lightning in the fiercely nasty battle of Florida What happens when an ejected player comes back on the ice and nobody notices? What about when he scores a goal? This is not what Niko Mikkola or the NHL had in mind. AJ Greer and Nick Foligno throw down in the first fight of the NHL season The Nashville Predator...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Say my name, say my name Taking a page out of the College Football replay book Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens brawl in Quebec , piling up 150 PIM Senators' Nick Cousins (slashing) and Hayden Hodgson (boarding) both pick up fines Sens' Donovan Sebrango gets ejected but avoids supplemental discipline from NHL Player Safety The Florida Panthers and Tam...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Missed goals, unlimited high sticks, and line brawls! The new guys hit the ice in the National Hockey League! Which NHL officials have yet to take the ice? Steve Kozari, Shandor Alphonso, and Bryan Pancich are still working their way back from injuries last season. New York Rangers winger Brennan Othmann picked up a major penalty and a game misconduct for elbowing...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Kicking off the 2025-26 season! Wrapping up NHL officials’ training camp Promotions for ref Jordan Samuels-Thomas and liney Ryan Jackson New names joining the NHL: referee Ben Betker and linespersons Dylan Blujus, Jeremy Faucher, and Shawn Oliver.   Retirements of referee Ghislain Hebert and linesman Derek Nansen But, wait – Hebert’s not done yet ! He’s wearing the...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Looking at the calls - and non-calls - from Games 5 and 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers What happened to all the penalties? Is Panthers’ Brad Marchand getting the jump on faceoffs? Are the refs ‘letting ‘em play’ or missing calls? Florida's Reinhart scores off his skate - legally - in Game 6. When was the last tim...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Looking back at Games 3 and 4  of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers as the series shifts south. Evander Kane finds himself in penalty trouble early… and again… and again. Before the end of the game, both teams piled on the penalty minutes, racking up the fourth-most minutes in a Stanley Cup Final Oilers’ Jake Walman commits...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: The Stanley Cup Final is under way! The Oilers lose a goaltender interference challenge after the NHL rules that Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett was tripped into Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner We've got Bennett vs. Skinner 2: Electric Boogaloo in Game 2, with a penalty issued for goaltender interference More Bennett disruption as he gets away with inte...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Rooney returns! NHL Stanley Cup Final Officials - who moves on and who’s been cut Congrats to the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals Officials Stars’ Hintz needs a doctor after a slash from Oilers’ Nurse.  Oilers’ Kulak gets away with a puck-over-glass right before two quick Edmonton goals. The officials missed it, and you can’t challenge that. Stars’ Petrovic delivers a huge h...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: NHL officials who made - and missed - the cut for the NHL Conference Finals, including some surprises. Zebra down! We’ve seen standby officials called into action quite a few times in the playoffs, including after recent injuries to Kelly Sutherland and Chris Rooney. Canes’ Shayne Gostisbehere vs. Panthers’ Brad Marchand - we’ve got a puck shot at a player with no...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Was it a kick? Or a deflection? Or both? Stars/Jets gives us a controversial goal that went off Alex Petrovic’s skate, off goaltender Connor Hellebuyck’s stick and in. Did the Situation Room make the right call? Official injury updates; two linesmen are out for the playoffs NHL Series Supervisors - who are they and what do they do? Dallas Stars’ Mason Marchment slashes...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Creative crowd chants - more than just ‘ref you suck’ Officials set for the IIHF World Championship as well as in the OHL Championship Series and the USHL Clark Cup Final A minor incident at Leafs/Panthers between Sam Bennett and Anthony Stolarz results in an injury but no call, no fine, no suspension Referee Wes McCauley is called into duty as a linesman after an...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Round 2 officials announced! Double-review in Vegas as the Minnesota Wild's Ryan Hartman has a goal reviewed for a distinct kicking motion... and called back after an offside challenge. No penalty but a 2-game suspension to the Panthers' Aaron Ekblad for a hit on the Lightning's Brandon Hagel. Major penalty to Florida's Niko...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Sad to hear of the passing of longtime NHL linesman Will Norris and AHL linesman Paul Simeon Sabres’ Kulich misses the net, hits referee Peter MacDougall Liam Maaskant makes his NHL debut on the last day of the regular season KHL junior player suspended 7 games for elbowing a ref in the head Two game ban for Devils’ Paul Cotter No supplemental discipline to Yakov T...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: IIHF Women's World Championship Officials Frozen Four Refs and Lineys - Congrats to the Hockey East crew of Jeremy Tufts, Geoff Miller, Kevin Briganti, and Nick Briganti, as well as NCHC officials Ryan Hersey, Nathan Wieler, Tyler Liffrig, and Erik Contino who worked the semis Swiss League issues a four-game ban to Brendan Lemieux for punching a linesman The AH...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Referee Ghislain Hebert and linesman Derek Nansen hanging up the skates… but not before getting in some late hits, with Nansen laying out Buffalo Sabres’ Peyton Krebs Minnesota Wild goaltender Jonas Gustavsson stops the puck on his back and - after review - keeps it from going over the line. Florida Panthers’ AJ Greer scores off his skate against the Montreal Canad...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: St. Louis Blues’ Zach Bolduc gets fined for a cross-check on Nashville Predators’ Nick Blankenburg, but avoids a penalty for a hit on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Lindgren. Boston Bruins’ Michael Callahan misses his assignment, gets beat on a goal, and cross-checks Anaheim Ducks’ Jansen Harkins in the neck, earning a penalty and a fine.  Florida Panthers defe...

On this week's #RefsPodcast: Stripes getting set for the Stadium Series... will we get a Michigan or Ohio official in the house? Referee Justin Kea stays in the game after getting his 'bells rung' after a clearing attempt catches him in the undercarriage. Minnesota Wild winger Ryan Hartman has his suspension reduced by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, serving two fewer games and retaining nearly $10...

On this episode of the Scouting the Refs podcast, Todd and Josh discuss various topics related to hockey officiating, including the ever-increasing effectiveness of Coach's Challenges, some penalty calls from the recent Beanpot tournament, and the differences between NCAA and NHL rules. They also delve into the dynamics of fighting in the Four Nations tournament - which is not exactly an internati...

Breaking down the ten-game suspension for Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman, and what comes next with his appeal to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and potentially an independent arbitrator. Hartman’s ban is the longest since Washington Capitals’ Tom Wilson was suspended for 20 games - reduced to 14 upon appeal - back in 2018-19. We dig into the appeal process – how Wilson’s was reduced and what m...