Analyst Has a Simple but Genius Fix After Lane Hutson’s Phantom Penalty

Lane Hutson was on the wrong end of one of the most baffling penalty calls of the NHL season, reigniting a familiar debate about officiating. While NHL referees have one of the most difficult jobs in the league, how is it that the officiating can be so glaringly bad, and is there a way to fix it?

During Montreal’s game, Hutson was assessed a tripping penalty on a play where replays showed no visible contact. In fact, Hutson wasn’t even close to touching the player. The call stunned the Canadiens’ bench, with head coach Martin St. Louis clearly in disbelief as Hutson was sent to the penalty box for what quickly became labeled a phantom penalty.

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The situation took an unusual turn when referee Eric Furlatt skated over to the penalty box to apologize to Hutson for the call — a rare moment of accountability that also underscored just how obvious the mistake was. There wasn’t much Hutson or the Canadiens could do as the play wasn’t reviewable.

When asked postgame what the official said to him, Hutson responded with dry humor, saying, “Which one?” — a comment that only reinforced how poor the officiating in the NHL can be and how players feel about the number of missed calls.

NHL Analyst Has a Simple, But Genius Fix

Following the incident, analyst Pierre McGuire pointed to what he believes is a simple and overdue solution: an “eye in the sky.” McGuire has long advocated for a league-appointed official positioned high above the ice with direct headset access to the referees below, allowing obvious errors to be corrected in real time.

With sports betting now deeply embedded in the NHL’s ecosystem and with a need to keep players accountable, McGuire argues that accuracy matters more than ever. A quick confirmation from upstairs — where a second official has a better view of the action- would have confirmed no infraction occurred. It could erase phantom penalties in seconds without disrupting the game’s flow.

The Lane Hutson call shows that mistakes happen, but his reaction seems to hint they happen far too often. If the NHL is serious about protecting competitive integrity, McGuire’s solution feels less radical — and more inevitable.

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