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Two NHL Referees Blast On-Ice Officials for Bias Towards the Stars in Series vs. Jets

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated May 14, 2025 10:16 AM ET

The refereeing in the Jets-Stars series has not been great, and two anonymous NHL officials put them on blast for favoring Dallas in Round 2.

A heated playoff series between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets has created immense controversy after two altercation-filled instances in Game 3 on Sunday: a stick swipe at a referee and a disputed goal.

Dallas forward Mason Marchment, furious over what he felt was a no-call on Jets centre Mark Scheifele, slashed referee Graham Skilliter on the shin with his stick late in the second period.

Even though cameras later filmed Marchment being apologetic, no penalty or discipline was handed down. The NHL remained silent, but two former league officials anonymously lambasted the inaction.

'In my mind that is an automatic 10 games (suspension),' official No. 1 told the Winnipeg Free Press.

One explained that 'any' touch of a referee, regardless of force, must be disciplined to reinforce that officials are human shields and entirely off-limits.

'I will say personally that it does send a terrible message to every person out there, especially kids, that acts like that are in any way acceptable in any sport,' the referee said. 'It's not acceptable and never should be. We have enough issues with abuse at the minor hockey level and this doesn't help.'

Sources suggest Skilliter may have consulted with colleagues and the union of officials prior to deciding not to submit an 'abuse of official' report, effectively bringing the matter to a close.

The anonymous officials also believe that was a kicking motion by the Stars player

The drama didn't stop there. A third-period Stars defenceman Alex Petrovic goal, rebounding off his skate and past Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyk, provided Dallas with a 3-2 lead.

The officials had it as a good goal, but both anonymous referees stated that it was a clear-cut kicking motion and must have been denied.

'If they are going to rule that a kick, then that is a textbook no-goal based on how the rule is written,' said official No. 2. 'That's not control by (Hellebuyck) by any means. He's scrambling to try and block it when the puck goes in the net. That's the reason the rule was put in there.'
'Do I think it was propelled? No. I think he made a legitimate attempt to stop the puck and it deflected. I don't know what the goaltender is supposed to do in that situation other than try to stop the puck,' he said.

The NHL's silence only added fuel to the fire as fans and commentators cry that the Jets were dealt a dirty hand, twice, and now the team faces a huge 3-1 deficit to overcome, and with bias coming from officials, it won't be an easy climb.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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