One thing we can all agree on - NHL officiating needs a makeover - but how?

[smirob]

Assign stats so you can review how they ref and also how they ref against certain teams. Would be a post game review of missed calls, wrong calls etc.

Best stats and fairest stats for playoff teams determine who is assigned?

 

[swiftwin]

Oh come on.... It's been like this since the beginning of time. Refs putting their whistle away in the playoffs is nothing new. But now, because the diminutive Habs are getting pushed around, it's a crisis that needs reform????

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Fans like to complain about things. As time has progressed, we have new, more visible ways, of expressing dissatisfaction.

The refs are doing fine overall, imo. Expand video replay, though. An incorrectly called delay of game is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Be proactive instead of reactive on that issue.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Oh come on.... It's been like this since the beginning of time. Refs putting their whistle away in the playoffs is nothing new. But now, because the diminutive Habs are getting pushed around, it's a crisis that needs reform????

Fans like to complain about things. As time has progressed, we have new, more visible ways, of expressing dissatisfaction.

The refs are doing fine overall, imo. Expand video replay, though. An incorrectly called delay of game is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Be proactive instead of reactive on that issue.

Tom Wilson waves hello. Or flexes I guess.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Fans like to complain about things. As time has progressed, we have new, more visible ways, of expressing dissatisfaction.

The refs are doing fine overall, imo. Expand video replay, though. An incorrectly called delay of game is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Be proactive instead of reactive on that issue.

That's way too many words just to say 'I haven't watched the games'.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Oh come on.... It's been like this since the beginning of time. Refs putting their whistle away in the playoffs is nothing new. But now, because the diminutive Habs are getting pushed around, it's a crisis that needs reform????

That's way too many words just to say 'I haven't watched the games'.

 

[theimmortal1]

Thing is, most people want the teams and not the refs to decide big games. So in most sports (definitely the NFL and NHL for instance) there are different standards as the playoffs go further. The problem is the "let them play" officiating can't allow for egregious fouls, because then the game gets out of hand. Proper officiating will let them play but still call the egregious fouls, but sometimes they miss the egregious fouls because they're letting too much go and then the game gets out of hand.

By not calling penalties the refs are deciding the game and it the teams.

The only way for the players to “decide” it if the refs call it fairly and by the book.

Anything else and the refs are becoming part of the game

 

[Orange Fanta]

Get rid of gary the fairy bettman

 

[theimmortal1]

1. Remove game management. It shouldn't matter if team A has 5 penalties and team B has 0, or if it's the third period or overtime, next infraction on either side should get called
2. Keep the rules consistent throughout the season & playoffs. Having a new set of relaxed rules in the playoffs makes no sense, teams that play a certain way all season and do well are suddenly trash (or vice-versa) come playoffs because the rules changed is just stupid

I get that each ref is different and will interpret the rules in his own slightly different way or might miss a call or make a phantom call every now and then and that's fine, they are human after all and having 2 officials should help balance that out in theory. Having different refs with different ideas of what a penalty is AND it changes throughout the game AND it changes as the season goes on.. absolute mess imo

Bingo. I think most people are fine with knowing a call may be missed. They are human.

But what we aren’t ok with is vastly different rule books playoff vs regular season, winning vs losing, or more PPs vs less.

That’s crazy.

That’s like the NFL saying it’s ok to hold and commit DPI if you are losing, but not if you are winning. It kills the integrity of the game

 

[theimmortal1]

They will adapt their game too! Why do everybody assume players are stupid?

And if they can’t adapt then they aren’t a NHL player.

 

[theimmortal1]

This really isn't all that difficult to fix. Score every single official for their performance every single game they work. If they fall below and acceptable score threshold remove them.

The problem is the NHL wants this. Why? No idea. It hurts the game and reduces popularity. But for whatever reason the NHL wants this. The problem is too systematic

 

[Bounces R Way]

'Just call it by the book!', umm have you read the rulebook? Almost every penalty that's routinely called in the game is subjective and includes subjective language right in the rulebook.

The line between what is good defense and what is a penalty is quite thin in hockey. Hooking/slashing can look real similar to a legal stick check a lot of the time and ditto cross checking/legally boxing a player out from the crease. Holding and making a legal check to push a player off the puck are also quite similar.

I bitch about the refs all the time because yes it should be better but I'm also realistic about it. It is a very tough job that has zero chance of pleasing everyone. Personally would like to see them go back to one ref two linesman with an option for a review of all penalties. Under the two ref system there really isn't much accountability at all and too much guesswork in what each guy is calling, should be calling, shouldn't be calling. Go back to it being one guy's show and I think the performance will be better for it, because if one guy blows a game he's going to hear about it. There's also barely enough room out there as it is, hard for refs to call the game when they're having to constantly get out of the way of the game and each other.

 

[Ovie's Neighbor]

This isn’t just a hockey thing. It’s happening in all sports. NBA is just as bad and soccer too. Hell the NFL gets slammed every week too. I don’t watch baseball but I assume people think they suck as well.

 

[McGees]

 

[SotasicA]

I don't agree there is anything wrong with the referees of today. Their job is impossible for an outsider to judge. They communicate with players and explain their decisions to them, if necessary. To captains, specifically.

You're just looking at isolated calls. But nothing in hockey happens in a vacuum.

If anything, NHL refs should get paid more. The pressure of the job is huge and the stakes are high. They need to get paid to make it all worth it. And to attract more competent talent, and to make them keep at it.

In courtrooms, the judge is the highest paid person. In an NHL rink, he is the lowest paid person.

 

[egelband]

players should also stop embellishing. Officiating is hard enough.

Yes. Officiating is hard and as has been mentioned many times, we are experiencing the best of the best officials. And it’s not a good result. That tells me the system is poor and needs improving. Get the refs off the ice. They take up space and it’s impossible for them to see what’s going on skating in and out of the fray. If they’re sitting above the ice in static positions they can each (or more can be added) be given a sector of the ice to monitor. I think this is a worst a first step toward improving the officiating.

 

[McGees]

I don't agree there is anything wrong with the referees of today. Their job is impossible for an outsider to judge. They communicate with players and explain their decisions to them, if necessary. To captains, specifically.

You're just looking at isolated calls. But nothing in hockey happens in a vacuum.

If anything, NHL refs should get paid more. The pressure of the job is huge and the stakes are high. They need to get paid to make it all worth it. And to attract more competent talent, and to make them keep at it.

In courtrooms, the judge is the highest paid person. In an NHL rink, he is the lowest paid person.

Chris Lee burner account?

 

[Ainec]

There is clear incentive for Vegas to do well. It's not incompetence but incentives.

Saw this with Canucks Bruins 2011. The incentive is for American teams to have an advantage over Canadian teams, in order to grow the game in the biggest market.


Even with the obv riggedness of VGK's run, NHL officiating is not the worst of major sports. All of them have issues.

What can help is make it player centric instead of market centric. Hard to do with hockey when parity is real due to the nature of this sport... Perhaps have fouls where minor 3+ holding and grabbing = 1 power play and any player with 3 is out of the game. Also no stoppages. A linesman simply has his hands up. Also get rid of linesmen on the ice

 

[Lolonegoal]

and who programs the computer?

An even smarter computer.

 

[Lolonegoal]

There is clear incentive for Vegas to do well. It's not incompetence but incentives.

Saw this with Canucks Bruins 2011. The incentive is for American teams to have an advantage over Canadian teams, in order to grow the game in the biggest market

What you thinking punching someone in the face should be a penalty, or something?
#putawaythewhistles

 

[miscs75]

What you thinking punching someone in the face should be a penalty, or something?
#putawaythewhistles

View attachment 448485

Considering these refs missed some obvious elbows to the head, punches are subject to review as well.

 

[Ainec]

There is clear incentive for Vegas to do well. It's not incompetence but incentives.

Saw this with Canucks Bruins 2011. The incentive is for American teams to have an advantage over Canadian teams, in order to grow the game in the biggest market.


Even with the obv riggedness of VGK's run, NHL officiating is not the worst of major sports. All of them have issues.

What can help is make it player centric instead of market centric. Hard to do with hockey when parity is real due to the nature of this sport... Perhaps have fouls where minor 3+ holding and grabbing = 1 power play and any player with 3 is out of the game. Also no stoppages. A linesman simply has his hands up. Also get rid of linesmen on the ice

It's something I quickly thought of. You need star players to be noticeably better than their counterparts out there. 1-2 big names that normies can recognize per team

 

[Ainec]

Another idea I just came up with.

No offsides on powerplay. f*** it.

3 challenges instead of 1 but if over 1 minute or commercial break than the ref gets fined $50,000

 

[Lolonegoal]

Crazy line of thinking here. Given the frequency of some infractions, and how consequential a 2 minute powerplay can be, maybe we need to rethink the punishment for a penalty? Refs get involved in game management because they don't want to influence the game too much one way or another.

To call the game fairly, what if there was a simple and quick punishment for smaller infractions, say, give the other team possession of the puck or a distanced shot at net the way soccer does it? That way, teams don't get away with smaller infractions, and it system isn't abused as you can still reward 2 minute penalties.

This is a full nuclear option, and hockey wouldn't have any semblance to the traditional game. But I do think there's something to the 2 minute penalty that causes refs to get involved in game management, and also have their mistakes magnified.

I've been saying this forever.

Changes like offensive zone power play stars did increase offensive to start, but now because PPs are more dangerous refs are less inclined to call penalties in close games.

Small infractions like puck over the glass or unnecessary roughing can be 1 minute. Then the refs won't feel they're changing the game so much by calling the latter. The former also still needs to be a punishment and more so than offside or icing because a regular stoppage in play would already have a faceoff in the same position. What makes these penalties so detrimental is their a huge advantage when the refs put away their whistles and this is the only thing they can call (eg. Vegas only had 3 DOG penalties in the last 3 games against Colorado). Also that puck over the glass is the same penalty as tripping someone on a scoring chance does seem to add up.

You could then also have a difference between calling a 1 minute in the neutral zone and 2-minute hook on a scoring chance. Kind of like how there's a penalty shot for a breakaway prevention. Then they could finally start cracking down on dead-puck-era revival obstructions

 

[txpd]

A lot of us just assume the referees go out for a game to call the penalties that they see. It doesn't work like that. They get a detailed game plan from the league. They are told things like only call stick fouls if a scoring chance is taken away or no after the whistle stuff.

The difference between a tightly called/no monkey business game and a let 'em play game is direction to the referees from the league.