On this week's #RefsPodcast:

Missed goals, unlimited high sticks, and line brawls!

The new guys hit the ice in the National Hockey League!

Which NHL officials have yet to take the ice? Steve Kozari, Shandor Alphonso, and Bryan Pancich are still working their way back from injuries last season.

New York Rangers winger Brennan Othmann picked up a major penalty and a game misconduct for elbowing Calen Addison of the New Jersey Devils, but no file, no suspension from NHL Player Safety.

If a puck goes in and nobody sees it, is it a goal? Apparently not, as the Washington Capitals' Vincent Iorio found out.

The WCHA eliminates high-sticking altogether.

We throw back the clock for a good old-fashioned line brawl in the QMJHL, with plenty of penalty minutes and suspensions to the players involved.

Plus, it's not just refs who get promoted -- their bosses do, too. Riley Yerkovich joins the AHL as Director of Officiating and Player Safety, while Casey Terreri gets the call up to take that job in the ECHL.

Clear your calendars! Oilers fans—imagine spending a week in the sun with Edmonton legends! The Edmonton Hockey Legends Cruise 2026 sails July 17–24, 2026 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, cruising the Mexican Riviera.

On board: Jason Strudwick, Bill Ranford, Ron Low, Gene Principe, Jack Michaels, Kelly Buchberger, and Louie DeBrusk.

You’ll get meet & greets, hot-stove sessions, Q&A panels, autographs, and a chance to watch the World Cup Final at sea with the legends. Cabins start at $2,399 CAD, and it’s just a $500 deposit to lock it in.

Book at cast.tours/edmonton and use promo code [REFS2026] for $100 off per person—again, that’s cast.tours/edmonton, promo code [REFS2026], to save $100 per guest. 

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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.