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NHL referee Steve Kozari
Photo credit: Penticton Herald

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

Published June 7, 2024 at 4:41 PM
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The NHL has some major refereeing problems that have been present for years, and this year's playoffs are no exception.

Gary Bettman has chosen four referees:

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

Immediately upon this announcement, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun commented:


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



Fans immediately called out possible bias from these referees, who have all made their fair share of bad calls in their careers:

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



Wow . Rourke and Kozari .. Oilers are screwed.



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



Steve Kozari is known for his possible bias against the Edmonton Oilers, giving the Florida Panthers a possible edge. It will certainly be an interesting series!

Credit HockeyFeed:
Controversy arises after 4 referees are named for Stanley Cup Final
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