Stanley Cup Final Countdown

Scouting The Refs Podcast

Heading into the Stanley Cup Final this week on the #RefsPodcast, with a look at the officials selected to work the championship series between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Expect things to tighten up as penalty minutes are down and power plays are at a premium late in the playoffs.

Did the officials miss a penalty on Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid for closing his hand on the puck in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars?

A slew of rule changes are coming to college hockey, with the NCAA making tweaks to head contact and hits from behind. They're also changing high-sticks on played pucks and goals to shoulder height; we'll see how that impacts deflections around the crease. They've also decided to stop giving power plays to teams who score on a delayed penalty, now aligning with the NHL rulebook.

We've got hardware handed out, with officiating awards in the ECHL, OHL, and WHL -- congrats to Chuck Schamel, Dustin McCrank, and Jeff Ingram -- so why hasn't the NHL jumped on board to recognize their officials?

Also, The Hockey Guy -- or, perhaps, The Referee Guy -- gives his take on an NHL official's AMA.

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Visit scoutingtherefs.com and follow @scoutingtherefs and @toddlewissports on Twitter/X, Instagram, and Threads. Email us your questions - [email protected] #RefsPodcast

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

The Scouting The Refs Podcast is a weekly look at the world of officiating and player safety within the National Hockey League, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world. We'll break down the calls and the rules behind them to help understand why a penalty or suspension was - or wasn't - handed out.

Todd Lewis is a veteran broadcaster covering the NHL and other major league sports. Lewis is a former host on the NHL Network and on NHL Network Radio. He’s also worked for TSN, Sportsnet as a host/anchor and is a producer of other programs.

Josh Smith is the founder of Scouting the Refs, the leading independent site related to hockey officiating which follows hockey officials across the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world, including news, rule changes and interpretations, suspensions, and statistics on officials and penalty calls.

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