Teemu Selanne fumes as nationality of referees spark outrage in Finland loss to Canada
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 20, 2026 (2:04 PM)
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Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Teemu Selanne blasts Canadian referees after Canada beats Finland, and the anger feels personal in this Olympic semifinal.
Finns saw Eric Furlatt and Dan O'Rourke on the sheet, and the mood flipped from nervous to boiling.
The flashpoint was a late call with about 90 seconds left, the kind that rewrites a night.
Selanne went straight for the officials, not the Finnish execution.
Mark Lazerus even joked nobody would be rational about it, and he nailed the vibe.
"Beating greatest hockey country in the world and Canadian referees same night is impossible I guess… absolutely embarrassing penalty 90 seconds to go in Olympic semifinal.. what a joke."
- Teemu Selanne
- Teemu Selanne
The penalty itself mattered because Canada scored on the man advantage late to win 3-2.
But here’s the uncomfortable part for Finland, the refs did not cause the quiet stretches.
Finland played like passengers for long chunks, chasing instead of pushing back.
Canada owned the puck, swarmed the blue line, and turned every breakout into a dump-out.
That is not a one-call problem.
Teemu Selanne rage cannot hide Finland’s flat night
Finnish fans have every right to be furious, but the bigger frustration is watching your team barely grab the wheel.
Finland’s offense looked stuck in the neutral zone, with too few clean entries and almost no second chances.
Between the pipes, you can only survive so many shifts pinned in your own end.
Canada’s stars kept coming in waves, and Finland’s legs looked a step late.
When you rely on perfect structure, one sloppy stick penalty becomes fatal.
Niko Mikkola’s high stick gave Canada the opening, and Nathan MacKinnon buried it late.
And no Teemu, that was definitely a high stick, there was no bias there.
If Finland wants a different ending next time, it needs more than outrage, it needs the puck.
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FEVRIER 20|319 ANSWERS Teemu Selanne fumes as nationality of referees spark outrage in Finland loss to Canada Should the IIHF avoid assigning same-nation referees in Olympic elimination games? | ||
| Yes | 241 | 75.5 % |
| No | 78 | 24.5 % |
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