Season 7, Episode 33
April 17, 2026

 
On this week’s #RefsPodcast:

  • 23,596 penalty minutes… how do you measure a year?
  • Liney Steve Barton hangs ’em up
  • NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Officiating – how do they pick the officials and how does it work in the postseason?
  • A high-sticking penalty review turns into a non-call. It’s the right interpretation under the rule book… so is the rule just WRONG?
  • Stick fouls abound at Sabres vs. Stars as Radek Faska gets penalized for causing a self-inflicted high-stick
  • Jordan Greenway sends Ilya Lyubushkin’s stick flying
  • Another Colorado Avalanche offside controversy… and we’re not sure we agree with the call on this one.

 

 

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Visit scoutingtherefs.com and follow @scoutingtherefs and @toddlewissports on Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, BlueSky,and YouTube. Email us your questions – heyref@scoutingtherefs.com   #RefsPodcast

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The Scouting The Refs Podcast is a weekly look at the world of officiating and player safety within the National Hockey League, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world. We’ll break down the calls and the rules behind them to help understand why a penalty or suspension was – or wasn’t – handed out. 

Todd Lewis is a veteran broadcaster covering the NHL and other major league sports. Lewis is a former host on the NHL Network and on NHL Network Radio. He’s also worked for TSN, Sportsnet as a host/anchor and is a producer of other programs. 

Josh Smith is the managing editor of Scouting the Refs, the leading independent site related to hockey officiating which follows hockey officials across the NHL, AHL, ECHL, and other leagues around the world, including news, rule changes and interpretations, suspensions, and statistics on officials and penalty calls.