National Hockey League (NHL) commissioner Gary Pittman wanted to defend referees who served during the current playoffs.
“I want to be clear, our referees are not only the best hockey referees in the world, they are the best in all sports,” Pittman declared, during his press conference on the sidelines of Game One of the Stanley Cup. The final series.
“Our officials run the most complex sport that has to be regulated,” he continued. No other sport is so fast and offers so little time to punish or not punish hundreds of situations in real time. Yes, your referees miss penalties, but not as much as some people suggest. Players and coaches also make mistakes.”
“We hate it when it happens, but it’s human nature to make mistakes.”
Strongly criticized by fans, especially Montreal Canadiens supporters during the series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the verdict appears to be different during the playoffs than it was during the regular season. Batman took up the question.
“As we all know, the style of play varies between the season and the playoffs. This has a clear impact on the way the match is refereed. In most cases, our referees make the right decision. There will always be controversial decisions.”
“Do we desire perfection? Absolutely! Is it possible? Of course not! Our goal is to continue to be as close to perfection as possible.”
All-Star Game in Vegas
Additionally, Bettman took the opportunity to announce that the Vegas Golden Knights will host the All-Star Game in the upcoming campaign.
The date of this event will be revealed later by the NHL.
The tour also confirmed that the Minnesota Wild will host the St. Louis Blues at Target Field on January 1 at the Winter Classic. The Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning will also have an away game. It will be held on February 26 at Nissan Stadium.
Batman also announced the return of the regular season, consisting of 82 matches, for the 2021-2022 campaign. Remember that due to COVID-19, the NHL had to hold a 56-game shortened season in 2020-2021.
