Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno did not hold back in his criticism of the officiating in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars. After receiving two questionable penalties, Foligno spoke out against the referees, labeling their calls as “bullshit” and questioning their consistency. The game ended in a 3-2 victory for the Stars, tying the series at 2-2 and sparking heated discussions about the role of officiating in the NHL playoffs.
During a post-game interview, Foligno shared his thoughts on the two penalties that were assessed against him. He argued that one was not interference since the player he hit had touched the puck, and the other was not tripping when he hit a player cleanly. Despite seeking further explanation from the officials, Foligno said he received none and described their attitude as “arrogant.”
Foligno was not alone in his frustration with the referees. Former NHL player and podcast host Ryan Whitney also came to his defense, tweeting, “What did Marcus Foligno do to this ref to deserve this treatment?”
The Dallas Stars capitalized on their power play opportunities, scoring on two of their three chances in the game.
Throughout the league, fans and players have been expressing concerns about the inconsistency of refereeing during this year’s playoffs. The spotlight on referees in the Wild-Stars series serves as yet another example of the ongoing debate about the impact of officiating on the outcome of games and really how bad the refs have been throughout the playoffs with a lot of bad calls being made. Foligno isn’t even the first person to call out the refs this weekend after Lightning’s Jon Cooper did earlier.
