KHL bans a referee for life after he blows a goal call

A KHL referee has been banned for life from the league for blowing a goal call in a game between the SKA St. Petersburg and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.

The official called a goal for SKA St. Petersburg when video review revealed that that puck actually entered the net through a hole in the netting on the side of the net.

Check it out:

What's crazy is that this is in stark contrast the the NHL's policy regarding officials. If you so much as question an official for an offside call in the NHL, you'll receive the scorn of commissioner Gary Bettman. The NHL Officials Association, essentially the union that represents the league's 35 referees and 35 linesman, have done a tremendous job of shielding their members from public criticism.

In the KHL... well things are a bit different.

Turnover in the officiating ranks is quite high in Russia and referees are getting torched for not catching things in slo-motion, evidently. I'm not saying that the NHL is perfect, but it houses the best hockey talent in the world and that includes its officials. The grass isn't always greener... especially when you're talking about the KHL.