Former NHL official shares why NHL stars get away with calls

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S. Harper
April 14, 2022 (5:06 PM)

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It's definitely not a secret that all of us hockey fans have seen something in a game and we scream at the TV because it goes uncalled.

But in some cases, players get called for the slightest push, then there are players like Tom Wilson, Brad Marchand, Brendan Gallagher for example that get punished for anything and everything.

Did you ever wonder why the star players get away with things that the other 95% of players in the league would get a penalty for? Well former NHL Official Tim Peel talked about this on TSN 1200 radio today saying:

"All these new officials that are coming in right now, they're coming in with the breed of all these young players. I remember the last two or three years that I refereed, Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, they never talked. They never, they never talked to me.

So these young players are just focused on winning. They're just focused on the game now. It changed a lot from guys like Mats Sundin and Daniel Alfredsson, those guys we had relationships with them, they wanted to talk to us.

But this new generation of players, officiating is the last thing on their mind unless a call goes the wrong way.

They're not interested in forming a relationship with officials. You might be surprised to hear that, but that is Marner, Matthews, McDavid and Draisaitl. Very very little interaction with them on the ice."

Whether or not you agree with this, this is something that needs to be changed Peel referred back to the game between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs where Brad Marchand and John Tavares were cross checking each other but Boston Bruins Brad Marchand was the only one punished on the play, given a 10 minute misconduct.

Peel also brought up Brendan Gallagher and how he's had so many goals disallowed but Kyle Connor scored a goal where he had his stick in Jake Allen's blocker area and was called a good go but Gallagher's waved off for being in the crease.

Tim Peel said the NHL not may not like to admit it but there's definitely a discrepancy in what star players get away with that the rest of the league is punished for and has to be address before it ends up costing teams a playoff series or even the Stanley cup.

Credit Maple Leafs Daily
Former NHL referee shines a light on why young stars don't get calls