‘We were playing against six players’: Czechia complains about officiating against Canada
Czechia’s bench boss is frustrated. Not only because his team has been knocked out of the men’s tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but because of how things went down.
After losing to Canada, 3-2 in overtime, in the quarterfinals, head coach Radim Rulik expressed his feelings about the officiating during Wednesday’s game and throughout the tournament.
“The referees really worry me,” Rulik said in a translated interview. “What they’re allowing against us is unacceptable. After every game, we send them two or three clips where they confirm that the opponent should have been penalized. I don’t understand it.”
In the third period, it looked like Czech forward Martin Nečas was going on a breakaway, but was slowed up when Canadian defender Devon Toews hooked him up a little in the neutral zone. The infraction went uncalled as Nečas still managed to get a shot on goal.
Rulik admitted that, if the game was played in North America, the refs might’ve blown their whistles.
“The mix of NHL and European referees hasn’t worked — everyone calls the game differently. I watch two NHL games on replay every single day. The play Nečas made today — when his stick was touched on the breakaway — is always a penalty in the NHL. But suddenly, not here. I’m really sorry about it.”
Rulik stated that he believes the officials were afraid to call penalties against Canada.
“I just don’t get it. I feel like everyone is afraid to call anything against Canada. We were basically playing against six players. I don’t want to make excuses, and no one has to agree with me, but the video backs me up.”
Rulik’s comments are certainly fascinating, especially since there were six Czech players on the ice when Ondrej Palat scored a go-ahead goal in the third period.
“The guys deserved a top-level performance from the referees,” Rulik said. “They always admit afterward that we were right, but nothing ever changes. We should have had power plays against Canada. But they were afraid Pasta or Nečas would score another power-play goal. If Gudas was penalized, then Doughty should have been too for the hit on Pasta.”
Czechia had two power plays in the game to Canada’s three in the game, with David Pastrnak and Nathan MacKinnon scoring goals for their respective teams on the man advantage.
The loss stings for Czechia, especially since they were a team that many believed could sneak into the medal conversation. The country hasn’t made it to the men’s semifinals at the Winter Games since 2018, and the last time the team made it to the final four with NHL participation was 2006, when they won bronze in Turin.
Editor’s Note: The quotes used were from denik.cz in Czechia, and translated by RonoHockey