Major controversy emerges with the referee selection of the Stanley Cup Finals

Jun 7, 2024 (7:28 PM)

Photo credit: Daily Faceoff

Gary Bettman has selected his referees for the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers striking a major controversy.

The NHL has been dealing with refereeing issues for years, and this year's playoffs are no different.

Gary Bettman announced the referees for the 2024 Stanley Cup Final:

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

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun quickly commented on the announcement:

Lots of pressure on these 4 refs when you consider Oilers' power play. Major theme in this Cup final

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Fans immediately expressed concerns about possible bias from these referees, who have had their share of controversial calls in the past:

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

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Wow . Rourke and Kozari .. Oilers are screwed.

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There is no reason, no reason at all the NHL should've picked Kozari. Hes 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

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Steve Kozari, in particular, is known for his possible bias against the Edmonton Oilers, potentially giving the Florida Panthers an edge. This will certainly make for an interesting series!

Source: markerzone
NHL's referee choices for the Stanley Cup Finals causes major controversy

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