On a night where both the Avalanche and Oilers were letting it fly, TNT analyst Don Koharski decided to get in on the action in a totally unexpected way late in Game 4 Monday night.
With the game tied 5–5 and Colorado needing one more win to clinch a Western Conference finals series victory, Avs left wing Artturi Lehkonen converted a huge goal 1:19 into overtime. Just as Colorado started celebrating Lehkonen’s goal, however, the officials opted to review the play due to a possible high stick infraction.
The tense moment set up an opportunity for Koharski, a retired official in his first season with the network as a rules analyst, to explain to viewers what the referees were looking at. And, well, let’s just say the former ref got a little caught up in the proceedings.
While Koharski’s “Holy S---” moment likely sent the control room into a frenzy, his reaction, ironically, provided an appropriate moment of levity for those watching at home. Fortunately, for Avs fans, the hilarious slip-up served as the perfect segue as the officials determined there was no infraction.
Lehkonen’s score proved to be the deciding blow as Colorado won 6–5 to advance to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup final since 2001.
