Nothing brings the hockey world together like an egregious officiating mistake in a crucial moment of a game.
With just over a minute remaining in Wednesday’s match against the Washington Capitals and up by a score of 3-2, Edmonton Oilers winger Zach Hyman was hooked and pulled away from the puck by Alex Ovechkin like it was a scene straight off of a vaudeville stage. With the Washington net empty, Hyman would have had a clear chance to seal the game.
The non-call was made even more glaring when Washington forward T.J. Oshie scored the equalizing goal with 0.8 seconds on the clock to force overtime, earning the Capitals an extra point in the standings.
As every questionable call does, it caused some extreme vitriol online.
That Ovechkin hook on Hyman you could see from the International Space Station, amazing how that wasn’t called.
— Avry’s Sports Show (@Avry) March 10, 2022
If this hockey thing doesn’t work out for Ovi then the way he was water skiing behind Hyman tonight might help him with a second career pic.twitter.com/46Mm1kHsBs
— Phil Bourque (@pbourque29) March 10, 2022
That non-call (Ovi on Hyman) is one of the worst misses I’ve ever seen. Insanity
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) March 10, 2022
Luckily for those that want at least some justice on the ice, the Oilers still ended up with the victory after Connor McDavid scored the overtime winner.
The Edmonton captain also agrees with the general consensus that the hook should have been called.
“I would say there could’ve been a penalty,” McDavid said after the game. “That was a hook, for sure, but the refs missed it and that’s the way it goes. We found a way to get the two points, which is all that really matters.”
With those two points, the Oilers now sit one behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. The game-winner was McDavid’s 30th goal of the season and his league-leading 81st point.
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