During last night’s game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild, Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was sent to the penalty box for tripping—a call fans are now calling the worst ever made by referees.
Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal with just 15 seconds left in the third period to give the Canadiens a 4–3 victory over the Wild. With the win, Montreal cemented its playoff position and now sits four points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference.
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Lane Hutson penalty call
“All our guys played the right way. We played a deep game, won a lot of puck battles, and it paid off. I think we played a really good game all around,” Hutson told NHL.com after the game.
In the second period, Hutson was involved in what fans are calling the worst penalty call ever. As the Canadiens entered the Wild zone, Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno fell at the blue line. Hutson was assessed an interference penalty, but to everyone except the officials, it appeared clear that Hutson did not trip Foligno. In fact, Hutson wasn’t even close to Foligno when he fell.
”He literally doesn’t get within three feet of him,” the announcer claimed on TV.
Fans are mocking the officials
At the start of the third period, referee Eric Furlatt went over and apologized to Hutson for the incorrect call.
Fans have since taken to social media to mock the officials.
“That’s an obnoxiously bad call. Give this ref a five-minute major for a bad call,” one fan wrote on X.
“They’re calling it the worst penalty in NHL history, and quite frankly, they are correct,” another wrote.
“According to the league commissioner, we have the best referees in all of sports! LOL,” a third fan added.
“As a Sens fan, this is the worst penalty I’ve ever seen called in the NHL,” a fourth chimed in.
You can watch the penalty call below.
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