Cole Caufield just blasted NHL officials after the Canadiens' overtime loss to the Wild, and he wants referees answering for their calls.
The Montreal winger was furious about a late slashing penalty on him Tuesday night, and the Wild cashed in for a 2-1 win. He isn't hiding it.
Gino Hard noted that Caufield wants officials to face questions after games, the same way players do.
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That is a direct challenge to the way the league works. Players and coaches stand in front of the cameras after every game and explain every shift, every decision, every mistake. The people who blow the whistle walk away.
The penalty is the reason this landed so hard. Caufield was whistled for two minutes, and Kirill Kaprizov scored on the power play to win it. A call that decides a game is exactly the kind a player wants explained.
Caufield finished with an assist, two shots on goal and 16:04 of ice time. Montreal's Jacob Fowler stopped 22 of 24 in the loss, and Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves at the other end.
Will the NHL discipline Caufield for criticizing officials?
Nothing in what we have says a fine or a call from the league is coming. Players who rip referees in public are often on thin ice, though, and that is the open question hanging over this one.
The timing is interesting. Renaud Lavoie reported that the NHL wants to give officials video replay access after the Caufield penalty, so the league is already looking at how this call was handled.
Our view: Caufield has a point. Referees should be required to explain a penalty that ends a game, and a short pool interview would not break anything. Expecting the league to agree is another matter.
He has 11 goals and 17 points in 18 games, and the Canadiens are 11-3-4. Next up for Montreal is a Thursday trip to Boston, where the questions about the officials will follow him into the rink. The Wild head to Toronto the same night.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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