In an NHL season in which goaltender interference has been an increasingly frustrating topic, an ambiguous and often downright judgment call went to Team Canada in the men's Olympic hockey semi-finals, and led the Canadians to a 3–2 victory over Team Finland.
With two Canadian referees, no less.
With 6:35 remaining and Canada trailing 2-1, dangerous winger Brad Marchand came to the crease with no hesitation. He then approached Team Finland forward Erik Haula from behind. Those are undeniable facts.
From there, how fans watched the drama had a lot to do with the passports they held. Finland did not challenge the call for fear of being outmatched against rising Canada.
Shea Theodore ties it for Team Canada 🇨🇦
They were trailing Finland 2-0 at the start of the game
(via @NBCOlympics)pic.twitter.com/rYJTaBPdgM
- Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) 20 February 2026
Referees Eric Farlat and Dan O'Rourke could have waived the goal, but the call on the ice was a good goal.
To this writer, it certainly looked like Marchand made contact and then tripped over Saros because of the contact, and Saros did not have time to reset his position for play again, but the referee ruled that Haula caused the contact or that Saros had enough time to regain his position.
Shea Theodore was credited with the call. This season, nearly 70% of goalie interference challenges in the NHL have been unsuccessful. Finland decided not to take the chance, potentially giving the Canadiens a power play.
After the quarterfinal loss to Canada, Czechia coach Radim Rulik criticized the referees and questioned their impartiality.
"I feel like everyone is afraid to say anything against Canada," Rulik said after the game on Wednesday.
To add insult to injury, Finland lost on a late power play goal after a high-sticking penalty. Canadian forward Nathan MacKinnon blasted a shortside one-timer from the left circle with just 35 seconds remaining.
Canada will face the winner of Team USA vs. Slovakia on Sunday for the gold medal.
