Puck Reporter has no direct affiliation to the NHL or NHLPA

Colorado Avalanche Head Coach Under Scrutiny For Referee Comments


Tom Banks
Oct 30, 2023  (6:49 PM)

The Colorado Avalanche were involved in a controversial matchup recently, and Head Coach Jared Bednar clearly isn't happy with the level of officiating involved in the game.

Some interesting moments

image
In their matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, star defenseman Cale Makar was illegally pushed into the end boards, causing him to come out of the game, and surprisingly, no penalty was offered to Colorado for the offence.
Then, following that up, veteran forward Nathan MacKinnon received an unsportsman like penalty, causing him to spend 10 minutes in the box, and it's safe to say that their Head Coach wasn't happy with the way it was handled.

Scathing comments

Following the game, this is what the Stanley Cup winning Head Coach had to say about the officiating;
There's frustration out of our team because that [penalty] wasn't called. [Makar is] obviously a key player for us.

You get a little frustrated and you have a few things to say. I'd just like the officials to have thicker skin in that spot. You know they may have missed one or decided not to call it – whatever it is. I think you've got to take a little bit of harsh feedback in that situation without doling out a ten-[minute misconduct].

If it carries on and carries on, then that's a different story. That's my issue.
Ultimately, most people who watched that game resonated with Bednar's issues, as the refereeing in the NHL has been inconsistent at best in recent years, and the hope is that if coaches like this can continue to call them out, potentially something could change, but don't hold your breath.

PUCK REPORTER
COPYRIGHT @2026 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TERMS OF SERVICE - PRIVACY POLICY - COOKIE POLICY
RSS FEED - SITEMAP - ROBOTS.TXT