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Serious Allegations from Maple Leafs Fans Put NHL Referee in Spotlight Ahead of Must Win Game 5

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 14, 2025 9:12 AM ET

The Maple Leafs have struggled with Wes McCauley as the official in recent years, and it's led to major allegations from fans ahead of their must-win Game 5.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it further this Stanley Cup Playoffs than they have in a very long time, and ahead of a must-win Game 5, the pressure is on as they look to finally prove they have what it takes to make a deep post-season run with this core leading the way.

Unfortunately, recent history isn't on their side, as Game 5 in the second round is the furthest they have made it in decades, but that's not all that's working against them in this series with the Panthers.

After some questionable calls in their latest game, the team get Wes McCauley officiating Game 5 in Toronto, and as pointed out by Leafs Latest on social media, it's not been a good time for the Maple Leafs with him on the ice.

The numbers back that up too, with the team being 0-9 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with McCauley as the official, and this season they've struggled too, as they were 0-3 in the regular season, with the numbers supporting the conspiracy theory that many Maple Leafs fans seem to believe.

Whether or not these numbers are just a coincidence, it's hard to deny the type of questionable decisions that he has made as an official this season, as he has quickly become one of the worst referees that the NHL have to offer.

Ultimately though, the team have the talent to overcome some bad officiating decisions, and while the calls can certainly effect them, if the Maple Leafs can look past it, there's no reason why they can't win a Game 5 and look to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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