Officiating or Crossing a Line - Where does it Stop??

[AttackSound]

First off I'm not defending or siding with or against the OHL officials in any way but as a fan of the this league I see way too many inconsistencies on a nightly basis in the past few seasons there are way too many confusing nights that make more head scratching moments on how the officials handle themselves in game situations this league needs to spend less time standings watching like fans and more time teaching the rulebook to the men in zebra stripes more clearly the incident between the ranger player and the official last night was equally at fault by both the official and the player involved.

It's time to either let them play or make all the league like minor midget OHL

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[RoyalCitySlicker]

I think the officiating in general in the OHL is sub par.

I have held this belief since I started watching 11 years go.

It's no worse now than it was then. Plus, it's not limited to this league. Look at the NHL....they're just as clueless and they are full time officials!

Anything that involves calls of judgement where inevitably one side is happy and the other is not, is going to lead to complaining. For an example (or multiples) see every league, in every sport, at every level, ever.

 

[RangerNation]

Relevant podcast about OHL officiating

To The Point episode 23 | Free Podcasts | PodOmatic"

Discussion starts at the 24:25 mark

 

[bobber]

First off I'm not defending or siding with or against the OHL officials in any way but as a fan of the this league I see way too many inconsistencies on a nightly basis in the past few seasons there are way too many confusing nights that make more head scratching moments on how the officials handle themselves in game situations this league needs to spend less time standings watching like fans and more time teaching the rulebook to the men in zebra stripes more clearly the incident between the ranger player and the official last night was equally at fault by both the official and the player involved.

It's time to either let them play or make all the league like minor midget OHL

AttackSound you have some decent points here. I have said many times if the refs called the initial penalty and quit ignoring blatant infractions right in front of them it would be less frustrating. Last night Hatcher had players riding Smith all game trying to goad him into penalties. If the refs did their friggin jobs these games would go a lot smoother instead they were intimidated because Hatcher never stops barking at them. I think he should have been tossed from this game and suspended for abusing officials.

 

[OMG67]

It’s a tough job.

First, you have to be able to identify the infractions at high speed. That is difficult.

Second, the Referee’s job is to not necessarily call penalties. It is to manage the game. So, in all fairness, managing the game is much more than calling penalties.

Where the problem lies is the inconsistency between different officials. IT would be VERY easy to simply toss a rulebook on the ice and call everything. The games would be played on special teams the entire night. We all know that. Where the challenge lies is in differentiating between penalties that affect the play and those that do not.

Unfortunately, some officials call penalties that have zero impact on the play and others do not. Some will call penalties on meaningless plays simply to help “Balance the Books.”

I think if we were to have the same two referree’s for every game played, we would see what I am talking about. There would be a level of consistency. But, we have about two dozen Referee’s in the OHL and each of them are different. Trying to line them all up when the OHL is a developmental league is near impossible. As soon as one of them shows the ability to be consistent and competent, they are moved up the hierarchy of Professional Hockey.

Is it frustrating? Absolutely. Is it easily fixed? Not a chance.

So, sit back and relax. This topic has been a topic for decades and will always be a topic.

 

[Ferda11]

AttackSound you have some decent points here. I have said many times if the refs called the initial penalty and quit ignoring blatant infractions right in front of them it would be less frustrating. Last night Hatcher had players riding Smith all game trying to goad him into penalties. If the refs did their friggin jobs these games would go a lot smoother instead they were intimidated because Hatcher never stops barking at them. I think he should have been tossed from this game and suspended for abusing officials.

LOL, give me a break. With that gong show of a game last night I'm sure any of us would have had a hard time keeping our mouths shut with the garbage officiating on both sides. Easy thing for you to judge sitting in the stands.

I try not to pin wins or loses on the officiating but I do believe there are certain officials out there that feed off the drama of making a call and the arguments and heated words the ensue. I've come to accept that the officiating in this league has been and always will be below average...but doesn't mean I wont bitch about it still!

 

[bobber]

LOL, give me a break. With that gong show of a game last night I'm sure any of us would have had a hard time keeping our mouths shut with the garbage officiating on both sides. Easy thing for you to judge sitting in the stands.

I try not to pin wins or loses on the officiating but I do believe there are certain officials out there that feed off the drama of making a call and the arguments and heated words the ensue. I've come to accept that the officiating in this league has been and always will be below average...but doesn't mean I wont ***** about it still!

Breaks over Ferda Still think the two worse coaches for yapping at refs are Hatcher and Hunter if things don't go their way.

 

[Tarantula]

Was a minor hockey ref in a small town years ago, worked as a pair with a small circle of others. One ref loved the drama of arguing with coaches, the kids were too young to say boo. Some do really like being large and in charge.
I understand it is a tough job, I couldn't do it at this level, but some calls, or noncalls are real headscratchers sometimes.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

It’s a tough job.

First, you have to be able to identify the infractions at high speed. That is difficult.

Second, the Referee’s job is to not necessarily call penalties. It is to manage the game. So, in all fairness, managing the game is much more than calling penalties.

Where the problem lies is the inconsistency between different officials. IT would be VERY easy to simply toss a rulebook on the ice and call everything. The games would be played on special teams the entire night. We all know that. Where the challenge lies is in differentiating between penalties that affect the play and those that do not.

Unfortunately, some officials call penalties that have zero impact on the play and others do not. Some will call penalties on meaningless plays simply to help “Balance the Books.”

I think if we were to have the same two referree’s for every game played, we would see what I am talking about. There would be a level of consistency. But, we have about two dozen Referee’s in the OHL and each of them are different. Trying to line them all up when the OHL is a developmental league is near impossible. As soon as one of them shows the ability to be consistent and competent, they are moved up the hierarchy of Professional Hockey.

Is it frustrating? Absolutely. Is it easily fixed? Not a chance.

So, sit back and relax. This topic has been a topic for decades and will always be a topic.

This is a great a post. As a coach in another sport you may run into the same referee here and there but throughout the year I probably see 13-15 different referees. All of them have their own distinct style sometimes they call a lot stuff, sometimes they let the guys play. To be honest I can't really recall thinking these referees were inconsistent though per se it was just that not every game was exactly the same. That's where it's up to the players and the coaches to make that be known to the players and as a coach you adjust accordingly.

For as much fans complain about every hit, or every player falling on the ground. I wonder if those fans realized if the ref was to call every single penalty they games would be 3.5 hours we would have 14 powerplays for each team and then the fans would complain that they're calling too much.

 

[Savard18]

LOL, give me a break. With that gong show of a game last night I'm sure any of us would have had a hard time keeping our mouths shut with the garbage officiating on both sides. Easy thing for you to judge sitting in the stands.

I try not to pin wins or loses on the officiating but I do believe there are certain officials out there that feed off the drama of making a call and the arguments and heated words the ensue. I've come to accept that the officiating in this league has been and always will be below average...but doesn't mean I wont ***** about it still!

You know I'm ok with Sarnia. I was a fan of Hatcher as a player and I don't mind him as a coach (I wish he was the owner or owner/coach of Flint) But he's lost his mind in Flint twice this year like no other coach and is probably leading the league in ref complaints. Not saying he didn't have reason to complain but...

 

[Tarantula]

Good points Rayzor, also consider how many teams and games amongst all three junior ranks, it is also developing officials as well as players, though it is tough to sit through some obvious missed calls.