Officiating: Is the NHL doing it right or is the NBA, or neither/both

[Cawz]

Good point on how star players are handled. NBA treats them like valuable commodities that need to be showcased. The NHL seems to like seeing them ground down into the floor and smothered by illegal plays so the fans can celebrate the 2nd/3rd liners scorers with their easier ice time. Very different philosophies on how to sell their respective games and make things entertaining for fans.

The way the games are called helps that out though. Stars of the game in the NBA head to the free throw line multiple times per game. If the stars in the NHL drew as many penalties as NBA stars drew fouls, it would be like 2006 all over again, and I dont think there is an appetite for that. But a foul in the NBA is just a couple free-throws, so the refs dont shy away from calling them.

In the NBA, if someone gets fouled 10 times, you head to the line 10 times. In the NHL if you get fouled 10 times, you'll maybe draw 2-3 penalties and the rest will be ignored becasue they dont want a penalty filled game.

 

[Cawz]

I'm afraid your running up against a weird culture that NHL fans buy into: Skilled scorers are derided as "pretty boys" while low-skill grinders with "grit" are worshiped.

Yup. Dont get me wrong, I love the gritty style of hockey as well, but the way the NHL officiates, it doesnt keep those types of players honest. That’s what I love about watching NBA defenders. They actually have to play defence with a shorter leash. If it was NHL officiating, defenders would just grab on to people’s arms and interfere and obstruct them away from the play with no repercussions. Wheres the skill in that?

 

[Soundwave]

The way the games are called helps that out though. Stars of the game in the NBA head to the free throw line multiple times per game. If the stars in the NHL drew as many penalties as NBA stars drew fouls, it would be like 2006 all over again, and I dont think there is an appetite for that. But a foul in the NBA is just a couple free-throws, so the refs dont shy away from calling them.

In the NBA, if someone gets fouled 10 times, you head to the line 10 times. In the NHL if you get fouled 10 times, you'll maybe draw 2-3 penalties and the rest will be ignored becasue they dont want a penalty filled game.

What was so bad about 2006? The hockey was quite entertaining as I recall.

 

[Cawz]

What was so bad about 2006? The hockey was quite entertaining as I recall.

People complained becasue there were too many penalties. Thats why I dont think theres an appetite for it. I personally had no problem with it. Either slow the game down with penalties or continue watching the slowed down clutch and grab hockey - pick your poison.

 

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yup. Dont get me wrong, I love the gritty style of hockey as well, but the way the NHL officiates, it doesnt keep those types of players honest. That’s what I love about watching NBA defenders. They actually have to play defence with a shorter leash. If it was NHL officiating, defenders would just grab on to people’s arms and interfere and obstruct them away from the play with no repercussions. Wheres the skill in that?

That's the way defense was played in the '90s and early 2000's (the Pistons started it in the late '80s): The NBA was hemorrhaging fans and the owners finally said "enough" and cracked down on the goon ball. They still haven't gotten back to the 0 tolerance level of the early and mid '80s but it's a HUGE improvement over the 80-76 scoring and no-call fouling of the '90s.

 

[Soundwave]

That's the way defense was played in the '90s and early 2000's (the Pistons started it in the late '80s): The NBA was hemorrhaging fans and the owners finally said "enough" and cracked down on the goon ball. They still haven't gotten back to the 0 tolerance level of the early and mid '80s but it's a HUGE improvement over the 80-76 scoring and no-call fouling of the '90s.

Pretty much. The NBA lost the security blanket of Michael Jordan which guaranteed sky high ratings for them and knew the value of their product would suffer if 80-74 games became the norm, so they cracked down on the holding/clutching grabbing of their (then) younger perimeter star players like Kobe, Iverson, etc.

 

[Cawz]

That's the way defense was played in the '90s and early 2000's (the Pistons started it in the late '80s): The NBA was hemorrhaging fans and the owners finally said "enough" and cracked down on the goon ball. They still haven't gotten back to the 0 tolerance level of the early and mid '80s but it's a HUGE improvement over the 80-76 scoring and no-call fouling of the '90s.

Yup, totally. Sure some of the commentators (SVG) will complain about the softness of todays game, but you cant argue with the skill on showcase now. And considering the NBA is seeing its best ratings since Jordan retired, its obviously entertaining fans.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

NBA is doing it right from a reffing standpoint. The only reason parity has been eroded in the NBA is because the max salary contracts encompass too many players. Players move to contenders because the option of going to a lesser team offering a better contract doesn't exist as often.

NHL reffing is a joke. Playoffs, the current score, game situation, previous calls, and players involved should have NO BEARING whatsoever on if a penalty is called. Those factors play far too great a role in the NHL. It's embarrassing.

 

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yup, totally. Sure some of the commentators (SVG) will complain about the softness of todays game, but you cant argue with the skill on showcase now. And considering the NBA is seeing its best ratings since Jordan retired, its obviously entertaining fans.

I stopped watching the NBA for about 15 years because of all the gooning. It no longer even remotely resembled the game I was a fan of in the '80s. Hmmmmm, sounds familiar.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

I won't comment on the parity stuff, but regarding the refereeing: I feel the NBA is worse.I still can't draw the line between an offensive foul and a defensive one. The way the fouls are given seems so random...

 

[LeafFever]

The NBA is brutal with referees. They are not doing it right.

 

[DaveG]

I'd still say the NHL refs call the game better then the NBA, but neither is getting it right. It's bad when I can sit down in the same night and watch an NBA game and an NCAA game, and just flat out know that with a few exceptions (Higgins as ref, Kansas, UNC, or Duke as the team) the NCAA game is undoubtedly going to be the better called game.

The point Cawz makes about the generational team and a generational talent at the same time is a good one though. The East has been dreadful in the LeBron era, but at least the West had SOME unpredictability until the past 3 seasons or so once you got out of the first round of the playoffs.

Yeah, I agree with this. The premise of the thread doesn't take into account the natural differences between the sports.




The NHL has got to get their head around this concept and address it. We have had about 2-4 seasons in the past 20 years where the balance of skill and grit was calibrated correctly.

The only thought I have on it is that is about when the NHL WAS correctly calling the rulebook (06-07 was the best season in this regard IMHO), and calling the obstruction and interference. But that also happened to coincide with an absolute slew of injuries to star players. Crosby, Savard, etc. That's not to say that concussions weren't rampant before that either (Lindros bros, Lafointaine, Primeau, Kariya) but having a possible career altering injury to the leagues biggest star in the leagues premier regular season game it feels like from that point on the league started to encourage interference and obstruction creeping back in to the game simply to mitigate that sort of thing. Doing that and causing the game to slow down a bit in the neutral zone and in transition has led to fewer of those types of predatory hits, which is what the league wants.

 

[jigglysquishy]

2005-06 was the best regular season I ever watched in my life, followed by 2006-07.

I don't watch hockey to see Tanner Glass grind. I pay to see Sidney Crosby dangle.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Well the nhl is not doing it right that's for sure

 

[Ducks in a row]

NBA is doing it right from a reffing standpoint. The only reason parity has been eroded in the NBA is because the max salary contracts encompass too many players. Players move to contenders because the option of going to a lesser team offering a better contract doesn't exist as often.

NHL reffing is a joke. Playoffs, the current score, game situation, previous calls, and players involved should have NO BEARING whatsoever on if a penalty is called. Those factors play far too great a role in the NHL. It's embarrassing.

NBA is not doing it right from the reffing standpoint. One of the reasons why parity doesn't exist has to do with reffing. Reffing favors big stars especially when at home. This problem has existed for a long time in the NBA. With players leaving a team to form a super team isn't good for parity in the NBA either.

 

[Jaromir Blogger]

I think both leagues are doing an absolutely horrendous job of officiating. The NBA is a joke league at this point; everything is a foul and you don't have to pay a price to do anything. Phantom calls occur regularly due to flopping. The NHL is extraordinary in its inconsistency with picking and choosing which rules to enforce and which not to; it seems like even the players and coaches often have no idea what to expect in a given game, series or situation. Both are utterly awful in the officiating department, and the overall game has suffered greatly in both instances.

 

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I think both leagues are doing an absolutely horrendous job of officiating. The NBA is a joke league at this point; everything is a foul and you don't have to pay a price to do anything. Phantom calls occur regularly due to flopping. The NHL is extraordinary in its inconsistency with picking and choosing which rules to enforce and which not to; it seems like even the players and coaches often have no idea what to expect in a given game, series or situation. Both are utterly awful in the officiating department, and the overall game has suffered greatly in both instances.

The NBA calls fouls noticeably less often now then they did in the early to mid '80s. They just happen to call noticeably more now then they did in the garbage ball '90s.

 

[Mayuu]

When the players aren't equal on the field it's no longer a sports, it's entertainment just like WWE.
Rules should be followed and called upon whatever the name, number or team is on your shirt.
I don't get why anyone would watch anything like posts above describe, showcasing your stars is just embarrassing in the context of competition. But then again, WWE exists so what the hell do I know.

 

[SEALBound]

As long as there is consistency. If there is consistency you can play to it. It is because there is zero consistency from game to game that makes it frustrating. A slash today may not be a slash tomorrow. A hold today may not be a hold tomorrow.

Then the reffing the score thing has got be to be tempered too.

 

[tony d]

There needs to be more consistency in the reffing. There needs to be better calling of penalties. If it's a penalty in 1 game it should be a penalty for all games.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

The NBA clearly directs its officials to sway the calls one way or another. A guy like Kobe was notorious for travelling but the refs didn't have the balls to call it. Its pressure coming down from former commissioner Stern to create stars. Nobody looks at Kobe traveling, all they see is the dunk. A guy like Lebron James can do whatever he wants, he's the golden child. Stuff like this is why I stopped watching. I caught a bit last year and it was same ole same ole officiating. James almost got hit with his own players hand, hesitated then flopped. The Raptors got called for a foul. I turned it off.

You know what was funny about, they went to review the play to determine if its a technical foul. They reviewed it, Patterson or Carol i think it was, still got the foul. Now tell me about beings not being rigged. The replay was there they looked even those James flopped they called the foul on the Raptors.

 

[Cawz]

You know what was funny about, they went to review the play to determine if its a technical foul. They reviewed it, Patterson or Carol i think it was, still got the foul. Now tell me about beings not being rigged. The replay was there they looked even those James flopped they called the foul on the Raptors.

Thats actually not true at all. Carol was given a tech, but after the replay, they rescinded it. I specifically remember that happening, and Googled it to confirm. Go look for yourself if you want to correct your misremembering.

And thats another reason why the NBA is better officiated. They will confer and change calls if they find they made an error. The NHL is so stubborn they will stick by their BS calls no matter what.

I stopped watching the NBA for about 15 years because of all the gooning. It no longer even remotely resembled the game I was a fan of in the '80s. Hmmmmm, sounds familiar.

Yup. A main difference now is the NBA has a continuing improvement attitude and the NHL stubbornly wont look at their deficiencies.

I think both leagues are doing an absolutely horrendous job of officiating. The NBA is a joke league at this point; everything is a foul and you don't have to pay a price to do anything. Phantom calls occur regularly due to flopping. The NHL is extraordinary in its inconsistency with picking and choosing which rules to enforce and which not to; it seems like even the players and coaches often have no idea what to expect in a given game, series or situation. Both are utterly awful in the officiating department, and the overall game has suffered greatly in both instances.

How much NBA do you watch?

NBA is not doing it right from the reffing standpoint. One of the reasons why parity doesn't exist has to do with reffing. Reffing favors big stars especially when at home. This problem has existed for a long time in the NBA. With players leaving a team to form a super team isn't good for parity in the NBA either.

Parity exists throughout various seasons. 5 years ago, the Cavs and the Warriors were among the worst teams in the league. Now they are the best.

And I dont see how reffing favouring the stars is a bad thing. They are providing the offence and they are who the fans paid to see. Thats the problem with the NHL. The reffing favours the players obstructing the stars. Thats a problem.

The "problem" you identified in tha NBA is only in your imagination. The league is strong in the stands and in the tv/online fans. If its a problem, the fans sure dont seem to think its a problem.

 

[Whale Mingo]

Then the reffing the score thing has got be to be tempered too.

Excellent point.

 

[Ducks in a row]

Parity exists throughout various seasons. 5 years ago, the Cavs and the Warriors were among the worst teams in the league. Now they are the best.

And I dont see how reffing favouring the stars is a bad thing. They are providing the offence and they are who the fans paid to see. Thats the problem with the NHL. The reffing favours the players obstructing the stars. Thats a problem.

The "problem" you identified in tha NBA is only in your imagination. The league is strong in the stands and in the tv/online fans. If its a problem, the fans sure dont seem to think its a problem.

Warriors with Curry being a superstar became good. Lebron returned to the Cavs and they became good. Have a superstar like that added to your team you have a very good chance to become good and a part of it is because of reffing. When you make different calls for different players and it effects a team so much like in the NBA it is a problem.

NHL reffing sucks and needs to be better but NBA is just so bad. No way should teams have the kind of home record I have seen in the NBA before. Reffing is the total reason why. Got to let those fans of good teams see their team win at home so much who cares if it comes from bad officiating

 

[Cawz]

Warriors with Curry being a superstar became good. Lebron returned to the Cavs and they became good. Have a superstar like that added to your team you have a very good chance to become good and a part of it is because of reffing. When you make different calls for different players and it effects a team so much like in the NBA it is a problem.

NHL reffing sucks and needs to be better but NBA is just so bad. No way should teams have the kind of home record I have seen in the NBA before. Reffing is the total reason why. Got to let those fans of good teams see their team win at home so much who cares if it comes from bad officiating

I take it you dont watch much NBA.

Nothing is totally about the reffing. Curry isnt shooting lights out becasue of the reffing. LeBron isnt dominating becasue of reffing.

And the NHL makes differnt calls for differnt players. Just in the opposite way. If LeBron drives the play, he gets fouled quite often becasue defenders have issues stopping him legally. When someone like McDavid drives the play, the refs ignore many infractions against him because, well, they called a penalty on the previous play so refs will wait for a few more infractions before calling another one.

You may see it as a problem, but thats just your perception. Realitys perception is strong attendance (a record set this year for the 3rd year in a row) and strong tv ratings. So no-one else seems to have a problem. Just some hockey fans, which is typical.