The officiating problem goes much deeper. The league is still and old boys club. The powers that be still cling to some anachronistic ideas on how the game should be played. But worse is the deference to certain organizations and their approach to hockey.
The Bruins are lauded as a tough organization. The perception is that they “play” tougher. The reality is they are allowed to impede, clutch, grab and generally play dinky because its their ”style.” Same for the Pens, Flyers, Canes, TB and to certain extent FLA. Add a superstar and the deference grows. Crosby nut shotting not one but two players with one needing surgery was laughed off. Chicago and NYR are original six and deemed bedrock franchises so the league defers to whatever they want. How they were allowed to be in the Bedard sweepstakes after the crap they pulled is amazing.
Alot of NHL officials are former players who didn’t make it, and many are Canadian, with the same deeply rooted bias about who is a quality organization and who isn’t. Fred Shero once quipped that the referees can’t make every call so keep doing whatever it takes as they will not call enough to ameliorate the advantage you get from technically illegal play.
And then they are the throwbacks who don’t want fighting out of the game. Only the NHL allows players to return to the same game after a fist fight. Should it be outlawed? IMHO no, especially if there is no consistency in the amount and level of calls. Some self preservation is needed. But it adds to the conundrum the league finds itself in.
Last night it was apparent that there were two evenly matched teams. Yet the officials essentially tilted the ice in favor of the of the one they perceived to be better. And that happens all too frequently.
All the other comments about game management and gambling are all spot on. But what is apparent to me is that the old guard way of thinking will not go gently into that good night.
The answer? Beat them at their own game. You have to have that mix that can get nasty and exact a price when it appears the game is being managed in one side’s favor. This takes a commitment from ownership and management to build a roster that can play to their abilities no matter the opponent. A roster or approach committed to skill and populated with small less physical players is at a disadvantage when the referees are not balanced or when they put the whistles away not wanting to influence the outcome, .i.e. Playoffs. The Sabres do not have the ability or desire to do that consistently enough as currently constructed.
I am generally not a blame the officials guy, having been one. But the league has a problem and I don’t think they even realize it. Last night was just emblematic of that problem.
Sorry for the verbose response. But the NHL is a garage league, and will continue to be because they like it that way. Adapt. Adjust. Or flail away in futility.
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