Fans: "Refs you suck!! Refs you suck!!"

[Red Piller]

I have watched a lot of hockey so far these playoffs and I have heard this chant nearly every single game. Almost every game. I rarely every hear this watching any other sport. Not to say the refs are perfect in other sports, but it seems the NHL is consistently bad in this regard.

Officiating in this league is a travesty. Fans know it. We all know it. Fans are getting very vocal about it.

We are all aware of the very situational nature of calling games. Games are called differently based on time of year, whether that be beginning of the season or after the all-star break or playoffs. Then there's also changes from period to period; the first period is called differently from the 3rd which can be called differently in overtime.

It's maddening.

Is there any other league in the world that embraces being so casual towards their own rules. In the NFL or the World Cup, the games have pretty consistent calls throughout the whole season or tournament. The refs don't "put their whistles away" to "let the players decide the game". If you can't be bothered to follow and enforce the rules, why have them.

Take a look at what bad officiating has done to just this years playoffs. It let game 2 of the Bruins/Leafs turn into a farce. Then tonight, it let the Sharks back into a game that they clearly didn't deserve to win.

This bad officiating can have bad consequences for players and franchises. Does Kadri blow his top if refs call a straight game and keep that game 2 from turning into a sideshow? How much revenue is it going to cost LV by not playing another round? Are there fans in Vegas that now see the NHL as a joke after having to endure this disgrace?

As a Sabres fan, we've been humiliated by bad officiating one numerous occasions. Too many to count, really. So has most fan bases but I sincerely believe it doesn't have to be this way. We should demand better. We spend enough money and time on this league that we deserve better.

How do we fix this?

You should become a ref. I hear it’s easy so go for it. You don’t take any abuse either.

 

[txpd]

They are acting as the officials for a piece of entertainment, meaning they are servicing both the players and the fans

No. They are employees of the National Hockey League. They are hired, directed and assigned by the NHL. They are accountable to the NHL. They don't work for the players, the NHLPA or the fans. You know this.

 

[easton117]

I admire OP’s passion.

But if he doesn’t think the NFL needs to work a little on how they call games I don’t know what to say. Maybe go replay the NFC championship game for starters.

Refs are refs. Some are good some not so good. For the most part I think all of them try not to influence games overmuch but shit happens sometimes.

Sometimes that’s by making a call. Sometimes it’s by letting something go.

If it’s the latter, maybe he was double parked. Maybe he has the poops and needs to gtfo of there ASAP. We just can’t know

 

[sandysan]

No matter what the Refs did no one made Kadri turn into a complete moron except Kadri himself.

You have missed the prime directive " It's always someone else's fault"

 

[sandysan]

move the zebras to the stands. more off ice officials, and they can sound a horn to signal a penalty. just leave linesmen for offsides, icings, faceoffs, and breaking up skirmishes. also, the linesmen can use lassos to break players up when needed

And a chexx like device for all faceoffs

 

[CountKong]

This is spot on
The age of entitlement

Says every generation ever. Let's understand and learn from the young not berate them.

 

[North Cole]

This is spot on
The age of entitlement

Nah, that was the 18th century

 

[dukeofjive]

People need to chill, as long as fans dont throw shit on the ice or wait for the refs or players after the game, its all good to me.

 

[Cashville]

I think the refs do a pretty good job generally. The negative confirmation bias skews the perception on forums like these to me. Who makes a thread for a good ref call? No one. Bad one? Error 520.

The ref talk just drives me crazy. And we’ve had some terrible ones go against us (Duchene offsides, SCF game 6 vs PIT goal called back for an accidental early whistle, etc). Life is too short; I’m here to talk hockey.

 

[Crusher117]

I don't mind the booing towards refs on miscalls or bad calls.
But I really dislike the Refs You Suck chants you hear multiple times a game.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

I find all the ref bashing a total waste of time, even here you get to read a bunch of posts about how the refs suck which brings nothing to the discussion. People even take it so far that the refs become the reason their team lost, don't be in denial.

Are the refs perfect? No. However, the bad calls go both ways and on the long run even out.

Hockey is more enjoyable when you forget about the refs. Try it, its a much better experience.

 

[1865]

I have watched a lot of hockey so far these playoffs and I have heard this chant nearly every single game. Almost every game. I rarely every hear this watching any other sport. Not to say the refs are perfect in other sports, but it seems the NHL is consistently bad in this regard.

It's an almost guarantee at every football game i've ever been to. Video referees are creeping in in all sports now, it's the way of things. Sensors in the lines can fix the offside problem, a third video referee can fix the bad/missed call problem. It's time we admit referees are human and give them the help they need.

Take the Champions League game between Man City and Tottenham. City score in the 93rd minute to take them through, but it's called back for a video-reviewed offside and rightly disallowed. Now the game is remembered for being a modern classic instead of being decided by an incorrect decision.

 

[buud]

hockey is the only sport where the rules don't apply when the time is critical. this is bull shit. same rules all the time! it makes a mockery of the sport, and when it got really out of hand, it turned into a war-on-ice. garbage...

 

[HatchtrickBateman]

Or maybe fans just suck and we have an increasingly whiny society.

While there are missed/blown calls frequently, this seems to be the case most of the time. This chant happens even after blatantly obvious penalties.

 

[OTC]

I find all the ref bashing a total waste of time, even here you get to read a bunch of posts about how the refs suck which brings nothing to the discussion. People even take it so far that the refs become the reason their team lost, don't be in denial.

Are the refs perfect? No. However, the bad calls go both ways and on the long run even out.

Hockey is more enjoyable when you forget about the refs. Try it, its a much better experience.

Players are not perfect either. When your player misses a wide open net do you chant you suck?? We all make mistakes

 

[DANOZ28]

refs aren't perfect sometimes they blow it. now other times the fans are just being rowdy or out of control.

 

[Plante]

It's time to throw a dead zebra on the ice to show how serious we are.

Somebody get on that.

 

[1865]

hockey is the only sport where the rules don't apply when the time is critical. this is bull ****. same rules all the time! it makes a mockery of the sport, and when it got really out of hand, it turned into a war-on-ice. garbage...

It's not even nearly the only sport that has this.

 

[Los merengues]

Or maybe fans just suck and we have an increasingly whiny society.

Spot on. Thread.

 

[Flameshomer]

Yeah, the refs need to go. They think they are a part of the game/ want to make their presence felt when that's absolutely not their purpose. It's pervasaive too, I don't think simply gutting the current structure and starting over will do anything. I think the whole position of referee needs to be excised from this league.

NHL refs are a total disgrace.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

Spot on. Thread.

Typical.

Discredit those who have a complaint.

I can only gather you are a referee.

 

[CanuckCity]

Fans chant this for literally everything, its quite annoying actually. It could be the most obvious, clear-cut definition of a penalty (or non-penalty) and they will still chant it.

Using fan chants as evidence of poor reffing is a horrible way to support your statement.

 

[Mass]

What is the phrase Sharks fans are never allowed to chant again?

I'll take Potent Potables for 800 Alex.

I'm still trying to figure out why that was chanted after that fateful penalty. The Sharks quite literally got everything good they could have from that play, yet somehow more was expected?

 

[TurboLemon]

I have watched a lot of hockey so far these playoffs and I have heard this chant nearly every single game. Almost every game. I rarely every hear this watching any other sport. Not to say the refs are perfect in other sports, but it seems the NHL is consistently bad in this regard.

Officiating in this league is a travesty. Fans know it. We all know it. Fans are getting very vocal about it.

We are all aware of the very situational nature of calling games. Games are called differently based on time of year, whether that be beginning of the season or after the all-star break or playoffs. Then there's also changes from period to period; the first period is called differently from the 3rd which can be called differently in overtime.

It's maddening.

Is there any other league in the world that embraces being so casual towards their own rules. In the NFL or the World Cup, the games have pretty consistent calls throughout the whole season or tournament. The refs don't "put their whistles away" to "let the players decide the game". If you can't be bothered to follow and enforce the rules, why have them.

Take a look at what bad officiating has done to just this years playoffs. It let game 2 of the Bruins/Leafs turn into a farce. Then tonight, it let the Sharks back into a game that they clearly didn't deserve to win.

This bad officiating can have bad consequences for players and franchises. Does Kadri blow his top if refs call a straight game and keep that game 2 from turning into a sideshow? How much revenue is it going to cost LV by not playing another round? Are there fans in Vegas that now see the NHL as a joke after having to endure this disgrace?

As a Sabres fan, we've been humiliated by bad officiating one numerous occasions. Too many to count, really. So has most fan bases but I sincerely believe it doesn't have to be this way. We should demand better. We spend enough money and time on this league that we deserve better.

How do we fix this?

Make the rules less subjective. It's ridiculous that one set of rules can be called differently between who's reffing. A full 180 when the playoff starts. Accidental missed calls are reasonable. Accidental on purpose is a different story. Game management, flow control, call balance.

 

[triggrman]

In 2018, MLB umpires, made 34,294 incorrect ball and strike calls for an average of 14 per game or 1.6 per inning.

that's actually not bad, 1 out of 30+.