IS there a solution to the NHL's ref problem?

[Bgav]

There should be some communication between the refs and the public. NBA and NFL do it why can't the NHL?

 

[NorthStar4Canes]

I wouldn’t say it’s just fans, historically people in the game almost never criticize officiating but we’ve seen a noticeable rise in players, coaches and gm’s criticizing the officiating on a pretty regular basis now, to the point where on multiple occasions the league has had to come out and issue broad threats of hefty fines.

The league wants to maximize revenue and they do that by ensuring parity. They don’t want to see blowouts, they don’t want teams seasons basically being over by November and they don’t want playoff series ending in 4-5 games. Officiating is one of the tools they use to ensure parity.

Uh, I've been around a long time, and I can assure you players coaches, etc criticizing officiating is nothing new.

What's more, like your false premise the title of this thread is a false premise as well, begging the question. That is, it's stating as fact (the NHL's ref problem) something that has yet to be proven.

First, prove that there is an NHL ref problem. People whining about it only proves there's a lot of whiners, not that the problem exists.

 

[Wretched Oil]

Maybe ChatGPT can ref the games

 

[dukedukowski]

There should be some communication between the refs and the public. NBA and NFL do it why can't the NHL?

What? No, the nfl refs do not communicate with public at all.
And if the other leagues do. It doesn't matter what they say because they are simply reading the words the league told them to speak. Refs aren't done governing body. They are employees who do exactly as the league tells them to do/say

 

[Bgav]

What? No, the nfl refs do not communicate with public at all.
And if the other leagues do. It doesn't matter what they say because they are simply reading the words the league told them to speak. Refs aren't done governing body. They are employees who do exactly as the league tells them to do/say

What? They literally clarify calls on twitter on their NFL reffing profile

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

And by game management you mean making calls based on the score, or balance of previous calls, rather than on merit? That’s a huge problem!



As much as I hate the league I actually don’t think it’s malicious here. I think it’s just incompetent. Compare it to baseball where home plate umpires used to have pet strike zones, like their own little brand or something. MLB didn’t want it that way, they just didn’t give a shit. Eventually people got so fed up with it that they instituted the reviews they have now. They don’t have any automation, but they DO get their calls reviewed after the game. The pet strike zones are gone. Players will still argue a call, but you don’t see the broad frustration there is with the NHL.



What this ignores is that many calls are marginal. At what point does a hook become egregious enough to call? What about a trip? I don’t want every marginal infraction to get called, I just want a consistent standard that isn’t affected by score or prior calls.



That’s not really what happens at all though. Fans complain much more about the consistency of calls. They almost always refer back to a previous call that was more/less egregious than the call that just was/wasn’t made.

But it’s much easier to just call people babies and pretend there’s no problem.

Yup, the “consistency” of calls. That’s the new buzzword.

The naivety into thinking that you can just create this world where people are happy with refereees as a whole doesn’t exist. It never has. In any sport. At every level.

Yes, a consistent standard is a reasonable ask. For example, maybe I want a hook called if it, in the judgement of the ref, materially affects the play.

You enforce that by measuring the balance of calls to ensure that they’re not doing game management. You do video review with the refs and identify bad/missed calls in a continuous effort to improve.

I already stated that I’m okay with a ref missing a call, so not sure what angles and ability to see have to do with it.

Because the calls have to be made in real time. And have to come from referees at an undetermined location on the ice not always conducive to seeing the play well. To determine a “line” to ensure “consistency” in the calls that are and aren’t made.

As expected, you did not define or quantify said “line”. You talked about how asking for consistency is reasonable and “measuring of missed calls”. All of this is unmeasurable and not definable rhetoric that once again demonstrates that people are freaking out over something that has never and will never be resolved to the satisfaction of the people that complain. This doesn’t even get in to how most of the people complaining do not have the ability to account for their often massive bias.

Most of problem stems from people feeling calls are going against their own team. Whether or not they say the “actual” problem is just wanting overall consistency.

Even if an obvious objectively good call is made, it wasn’t the right call, because well…it wasn’t “consistent” based on my biased interpretation of the call earlier.

It’s a never ending cycle people put themselves in that leads to every single year being “the worst year ever” in terms of refereeing. Objectively bad calls are bad calls. Calls against my team that are marginal? Bad calls. Objectively good calls that go against my team? Bad calls because they don’t meet my subjective “consistency test” from earlier.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

I'm pretty sure the NHL reviews calls from each game and lets the refs know what they want out of their next game. The semi-famous "nightly email from the department of officiating." It's a thing.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

What? They literally clarify calls on twitter on their NFL reffing profile

…and yet you still have millions of NFL fans saying the reffing is terrible…

 

[dukedukowski]

What? They literally clarify calls on twitter on their NFL reffing profile

NFL reffing profile= company men. Employees.

That's not full disclosure of anything. That's stupid tweets about why they chose to make calls they way they did, no matter how wrong or stupid they are. After the fact, per how the league makes sure they say it.
Like when the league puts out a memo/ pseudo apology about a call that was wrong after the fact of a game. That decided the game. Doesn't change the outcome and nothing happens to the refs.
Pointless and meaningless.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Brind'Amour had a pretty good idea.

 

[Bgav]

…and yet you still have millions of NFL fans saying the reffing is terrible…

Agreed it's still bad but at least there's some sort of communication. NHL has nothing

NFL reffing profile= company men. Employees.

That's not full disclosure of anything. That's stupid tweets about why they chose to make calls they way they did, no matter how wrong or stupid they are. After the fact, per how the league makes sure they say it.
Like when the league puts out a memo/ pseudo apology about a call that was wrong after the fact of a game. That decided the game. Doesn't change the outcome and nothing happens to the refs.
Pointless and meaningless.

you literally said, "The NFL refs do not communicate with the public at all."

At least we can see why they make certain calls right or wrong.

NHL has nothing like that.

I proved you wrong and now you are moving goalposts.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Agreed it's still bad but at least there's some sort of communication. NHL has nothing

you literally said, "The NFL refs do not communicate with the public at all."

At least we can see why they make certain calls right or wrong.

NHL has nothing like that.

I proved you wrong and now you are moving goalposts.

So if I do something, and then someone else explains to someone else why I did it, I can then say I communicated with that someone else?

I don’t think you proved anything. A league run Twitter account justifying decisions doesn’t prove anything. It’s the same level of worthlessness as the NHL having “rules experts” who don’t so much have independent discussions but instead figure out how to justify the current call.

And again, I am not complaining about the refereeing problem. I think the actual problem lies almost entirely within fans’ interpretations, biases, and totally unreasonable unquantifiable expectations that they somehow will ever be left feeling good about refereeing. There is just so so much history and honestly general logic to show why this can’t happen. Leagues even giving in a little and trying to coddle upset fans with Twitter accounts and “rules experts” is stupid.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Agree RefGPT AI officiating is a future solution. But, I’d think we need helmet sensors to let AI determine whether something was an intentional dive

Shouldn't Elon's brain chip take care of that?

 

[dukedukowski]

Agreed it's still bad but at least there's some sort of communication. NHL has nothing

you literally said, "The NFL refs do not communicate with the public at all."

At least we can see why they make certain calls right or wrong.

NHL has nothing like that.

I proved you wrong and now you are moving goalposts.

Look, dude. Let's not get childish.
That's not communicating with public.
That's one sided posts on a wall. That's not valid communication of any kind.
It's not full disclosure. It's not answering for mistakes.
To repeat.. no, the nfl does not in any way communicate with fans or the media.
They answer to know one but the NFL Gods

 

[Bgav]

So if I do something, and then someone else explains to someone else why I did it, I can then say I communicated with that someone else?

I don’t think you proved anything. A league run Twitter account justifying decisions doesn’t prove anything. It’s the same level of worthlessness as the NHL having “rules experts” who don’t so much have independent discussions but instead figure out how to justify the current call.

And again, I am not complaining about the refereeing problem. I think the actual problem lies almost entirely within fans’ interpretations, biases, and totally unreasonable unquantifiable expectations that they somehow will ever be left feeling good about refereeing. There is just so so much history and honestly general logic to show why this can’t happen. Leagues even giving in a little and trying to coddle upset fans with Twitter accounts and “rules experts” is stupid.

If it's coming from an official league account, it obviously means something. At least they would be held accountable to make statements about awful calls. Right now there's literally nothing in place.

Look, dude. Let's not get childish.
That's not communicating with public.
That's one sided posts on a wall. That's not valid communication of any kind.
It's not full disclosure. It's not answering for mistakes.
To repeat.. no, the nfl does not in any way communicate with fans or the media.
They answer to know one but the NFL Gods

No one is getting childish why are you so uptight relax.

My point is at least they have to write something on record from an authorized league account. The NHL literally doesn't need to explain any reasoning behind their calls right now.

 

[D1az]

The fans get to vote on every call, after each whistle.

 

[EdJovanovski]

There is no problem

 

[dukedukowski]

If it's coming from an official league account, it obviously means something. At least they would be held accountable to make statements about awful calls. Right now there's literally nothing in place.


No one is getting childish why are you so uptight relax.

My point is at least they have to write something on record from an authorized league account. The NHL literally doesn't need to explain any reasoning behind their calls right now.

The Twitter thing is still meaningless fan distraction. It proves nothing. Changes nothing. Solves nothing.
It's not communication in any way.
Oh, speaking of NFL. Day 2 of draft starts at 4 pst.
I realized I have the ability to split screen and watch hockey and the draft. Lol.
Not that I have any freaking clue who the guys are anyway.

 

[stealth1]

So if I do something, and then someone else explains to someone else why I did it, I can then say I communicated with that someone else?

I don’t think you proved anything. A league run Twitter account justifying decisions doesn’t prove anything. It’s the same level of worthlessness as the NHL having “rules experts” who don’t so much have independent discussions but instead figure out how to justify the current call.

And again, I am not complaining about the refereeing problem. I think the actual problem lies almost entirely within fans’ interpretations, biases, and totally unreasonable unquantifiable expectations that they somehow will ever be left feeling good about refereeing. There is just so so much history and honestly general logic to show why this can’t happen. Leagues even giving in a little and trying to coddle upset fans with Twitter accounts and “rules experts” is stupid.

I disagree completely. I get the game is fast and it's not easy to ref but the game management is a major problem. The NHL is took stuck on parity being a selling point it's hurting the product. I'm not saying they rig games but they do call penalties to keep them close and games close.

All the power to those who like it this way. I have no problem seeing teams like Bruins dominate the season and hopefully the playoffs. Seeing dominant teams makes leagues better, not a bunch of mediocre teams.

 

[Mr Positive]

AI will fix all

 

[Bank Shot]

I can live with missed calls. A high stick or trip gets missed, fine.

The messed up part is that you are allowed to rough, hold, slash, and crosscheck most of the time, except when you aren't.

Call everything black and white.

 

[Golden_Jet]

have refs get a herring for a terrible officiated game and suspend them. They need to be held accountable but they won’t. They even fine players and coaches for hurting their feelings calling them out even if it’s justified.

Supervisor at playoff game tells refs what they did well or bad at .
Refs fine is you don’t move on to next round for bonus playoff money.

 

[Grinner]

It starts with the league stopping the mandate for its official's to stop managing games and series in order to help try keeping it close. It was a joke that the league fired an official for saying it out loud to be caught on a microphone

 

[Golden_Jet]

I'm pretty sure the NHL reviews calls from each game and lets the refs know what they want out of their next game. The semi-famous "nightly email from the department of officiating." It's a thing.

I recommend most give this a listen to, lots of stuff broken down. Great interview , on what happens behind the scenes as well.

 

[SupremeTeam16]

Uh, I've been around a long time, and I can assure you players coaches, etc criticizing officiating is nothing new.

What's more, like your false premise the title of this thread is a false premise as well, begging the question. That is, it's stating as fact (the NHL's ref problem) something that has yet to be proven.

First, prove that there is an NHL ref problem. People whining about it only proves there's a lot of whiners, not that the problem exists.

Of course criticism of officials by people in the league has always happened but it is happening much more frequently than ever before, it’s basically a weekly occurrence at this point. Show me where in the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s the league had to release memos threatening fines because the criticism was happening on such a broad scale.

And I never said the NHL had an officiating problem, in fact I’m saying the opposite. The NHL wants the officiating exactly how it is.