Tim Peel claps back at Oilers fans accusing officials of controversial calls in Game 2 - "Your team has scored 1 goal in 2 games"

By Arnab Mondal

Modified Jun 13, 2024 08:47 GMT

Amidst the heated discussions surrounding Game 2 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers, former NHL referee Tim Peel delivered a direct message to Oilers fans pointing fingers at the officials. On the Snipes and Stripes podcast, Peel said blaming the referees is an oversimplified approach, particularly when the Oilers' offensive output has been lacking.

He highlighted the Oilers' offensive struggles, with just one goal scored over two games, and asked the fan base to look beyond officiating for answers.

"Trying to be objective here but blaming the refs in my opinion is the easy way out! Your team has scored 1 goal in 2 games," Peel said. "Oilers do not get any depth scoring unlike the (Panthers)."

A controversial moment arose when the Panthers seemed to commit a penalty by flipping the puck over the glass. Officials ruled the puck was out of the Panthers' zone, denying the Oilers a powerplay opportunity.

While the rule is typically black-and-white, the officials exercised game management by not granting the Oilers a prolonged 5-on-3 advantage since they were not unequivocally certain.

A͏not͏her incid͏ent involved͏ Kevin Stenlu͏nd of the Panthers who app͏eared t͏o c͏le͏ar the puck fro͏m ͏his defens͏ive zone while still wit͏hin it. Oilers head coach͏ K͏ris Knob͏l͏auch vehe͏mently ͏contested the de͏cision to not call that but the o͏fficials ma͏in͏tained the͏ir st͏a͏nce͏.͏

Ultimately, the Oilers succumbed to a 4-1 def͏eat, leaving them trai͏ling 2-0 in the series as they head back to Edmonton ͏for Game͏s ͏3 and 4.

Tim Peel's hot mic incident among his off-ice controversies

Tim Peel's infamous, career-ending hot mic incident occurred during a game between the Predators and Red Wings in March 2021. A broadcast "hot mic" captured Peel admitting to 'game-managing' a penalty call against Nashville forward Viktor Arvidsson.

"It wasn’t much, but I wanted to get a f****** penalty against Nashville."

Despite Tim Peel's prior announcement of retiring at season’s end, the NHL swiftly announced that he would no longer officiate NHL games, effectively ending his career.

In February 2023, Peel faced further scrutiny when he allegedly confronted teenage officials Andrew Boren and Sean McGlynn after a youth hockey game involving his son's team.

Peel reportedly berated the officials, demanding respect and threatening their officiating futures. Peel was subsequently suspended from coaching, barred from referees' rooms, and placed on probation.

Additionally, Tim Peel received a one-game ban in 2015 after a photo emerged of him drinking with hockey blogger Greg Wyshynski, with whom he discussed NHL officiating practices.