‘Game management’ at the root of NHL’s officiating issues

[The Merchant]

Here's a pretty solid thread of blatantly ignored infractions as a result of game management from last night's Avs/Ducks game.

 

[MNNumbers]

Here's a pretty solid thread of blatantly ignored infractions as a result of game management from last night's Avs/Ducks game.

There are several of those with which I am fine with there being no call.

 

[Sol]

Saying yes to game management is giving a green light to these clowns.

 

[lawrence]

Saying yes to game management is giving a green light to these clowns.

Auger who thinks he's the mafia of the NHL (at the time) no longer refs in the NHL I think he retired 2 years later due to players heckling him. His reputation was tainted at the time, especially when there are replays everywhere.

 

[Narow]

Hmm competitive sport where the game is managed artificially....isent competition supposed to be leveled playfield?

 

[orcatown]

Trouble is a lot of the biggest mouths (like Burke) and high league officials (like Campbell) could never had played at any kind of decent level of hockey without game management. That IMO is an important reason why it is difficult to change.

Guys like this want the ref to put his whistle in his pocket. They could never get by without constant hooking and holding and other fouls. They just hoped they get their foul early and then have carte blanche to go back to their way of playing. Like it was game management not to over-penalize one player.

Same thing about taking off both players in a scrummage. (0ne of the biggest even up calls made) Could get away with intimating and not be short handed.

You watch the people who support game management and you see so many of them lacked the skill and skating to play at a high level.

People who say the game is too hard to call are looking for an excuse. I've seen kids reffing older kids do an excellent job on their own. I've reffed both basketball and hockey and they are about the same difficulty. But I always felt better doing basketball because people expected that you going by the rules whereas in hockey you were expected to look at the game situation (score, time of the game, etc) as a consideration.

I believe that if they got a young group of refs together and worked a summer camp where they were drilled in making consistent calls you could remove much of the confusion that we presently have. I'm not sure that many of the older refs could adapt because many are caught up in the kind of prima donna complex that being a game manager allows.

 

[The Macho King]

I was reading an article and came across this quote:

A borderline call midway through a Game 7 seemed noteworthy because 35 years ago referees were more inclined to engage in situational ethics, allowing the scoreboard to dictate penalties as much as the play.

Source: Three Little Words: Too Many Men

Almost spit out my coffee. As if that ever changed.

 

[Olliemets]

I was reading an article and came across this quote:



Source: Three Little Words: Too Many Men

Almost spit out my coffee. As if that ever changed.

Thanks for the link. Great SI article. I watched a lot of those epic playoff games late 70s. Bruins Habs was unreal.

 

[v00d00daddy]

Why not mic up the refs for the public to hear. Let us hear them rationalise their calls and reviews of goals/offsides etc.

Like rugby officiating. Everything above board. Sure...it’ll be a huge change that players, coaches and officials will all have to get used to but it still also shut down complaints a lot more. And more importantly... managing/influencing games will go down

 

[chethejet]

eliminate both blue lines open up the ice and those who need to grab and interfere will be left in the dust. Secondly make the calls that really effect the play. If the puck is past the RED line, then no offside and that gives players more space to make plays.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Why not mic up the refs for the public to hear. Let us hear them rationalise their calls and reviews of goals/offsides etc.

Like rugby officiating. Everything above board. Sure...it’ll be a huge change that players, coaches and officials will all have to get used to but it still also shut down complaints a lot more. And more importantly... managing/influencing games will go down

I like the way Rugby refs are held accountable. After every tournament refs go into to review for how missed calls they had, how many bad calls they had, how many undeserved cards were handed, etc...The NHL should have a quarterly review of refs and examine a sample size of games they have reffed. Something like 10 games out of 20. The worse you're report card, the less games you get the next quarter. Incentivize refs to do better.

The real issue is game management is a top down problem and being funnelled to the ice from Campbell and Betteman.