NHL makes referee announcement before Stanley Cup Final between Oilers and Panthers

The Oilers have been pointing out a trend of unusually low powerplay time all throughout the playoffs, but the NHL's referee selection for the Cup Final may hint at a different agenda.

According to ScoutingtheRefs, the NHL has named Wes McCauley, Chris Rooney, Jean Hebert, and Francis Charron to work the Stanley Cup Final.

The NHL actually does evaluate its referees each year, and reward the best by allowing them to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each referee makes a $30,000 bonus per playoff round, making a cumulative $120,000 for the Final. Not bad for the stripes.

For example, the NHL chose not to allow veteran referee Chris Lee into the playoffs this year - who notably reffed this season's heated game between the Oilers and Canucks.

The NHL deems these referees their best, but mostly they have a reputation for managing equal penalties and «letting the players play» in high-stakes situations.

Edmonton would surely like to see a few more powerplay calls come their way in the Cup Final after struggling to draw penalties in the first three rounds, but the officials won't mean anything to the Oilers now. They need to take the game into their own hands, regardless of penalty calls.

That said, hopefully this crew of referees can officiate a fair series without any penalty controversies - that would be their success.