"Ref you suck" chants of fans - benign or otherwise ?

[surixon]

There isn't a building in the league that hasn't chanted refs you suck.

It happens a lot.

Yup I've heard it in other buildings, its quite common.

 

[Galbatross]

If they are upset with the chanting, they should get better.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

I have seen way worse, at lower levels, and the refs just laugh it off.

Refs don't give a **** about the fans, they might give a **** about how coaches and players treat them, but fans?

 

[Holden Caulfield]

What impact has and now does the MTS Centre crowd's consistent reaction to embarrass/admonish the referees for poor calls or non-calls ?

I will boo my displeasure as loud as the next guy, as a fan I'm sure it's expected by refs.

I do not join the "ref you suck" chants as I am sure it places a real and tangible negative bias on our city and our team.

If refs were robots I would be less concerned, but human nature is hard to overcome.

Um yeah no. Not even close. Every building boo's and attacks the refs for penalties against the home team no matter how legitimate the call.

I assume Winnipeg isn't the only place it happens.

Exactly. In Ahaheim last week the small amount of Ducks fans at the game (vastly out numbered by opposing Hawks fans) tried to get their "Refs you suck" chant going on a ridiculous play. Refs are hated/booed in every city.

 

[cheswick]

It's quite common and I'm sure the reaction from the ref is completely dependednt on the indivdual. You would like to think for the majority it wo't affect how they call the game. Some might be influenced into being jerks, conversely some might make them think that they missed something and do a make up call.

Personally I don't really care for how hockey is officiated. Too often calls are given or not dependent on the parameters of the game (or time of the year for that matter). A penalty that will be called when the play is 5 on 5 won't be called on a pk that would then result in a 5 on 3. A penalty is a penalty is a penalty and hould be called the same way in a preseason game as OT in game 7 in the Stanley Cup final in my opinion. Something I feel soccer get right. They seem to no make calls based on the parameters of the game nearl as much.

 

[Gm0ney]

I think they should put names on the refs' backs again. It's nice to know who you're yelling at.

 

[Positive]

I don't believe the impersonal 'refs you suck'chant affects them in the slightest. These guys are focused pros and NHL refs are the highest paid referees in professional sports. They've probably received worse chants/threats in youth hockey and minor league games, which can be scary.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

I don't believe the impersonal 'refs you suck'chant affects them in the slightest. These guys are focused pros and NHL refs are the highest paid referees in professional sports. They've probably received worse chants/threats in youth hockey and minor league games, which can be scary.

Disagree. There's a reason why refs in every single pro sport have a bias towards the home team. It's very slight in hockey (compared to, say, basketball), but it's real.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

It's quite common and I'm sure the reaction from the ref is completely dependednt on the indivdual. You would like to think for the majority it wo't affect how they call the game. Some might be influenced into being jerks, conversely some might make them think that they missed something and do a make up call.

Agree with this completely. I think it's only human that they're influenced to some extent.

Personally I don't really care for how hockey is officiated. Too often calls are given or not dependent on the parameters of the game (or time of the year for that matter). A penalty that will be called when the play is 5 on 5 won't be called on a pk that would then result in a 5 on 3. A penalty is a penalty is a penalty and hould be called the same way in a preseason game as OT in game 7 in the Stanley Cup final in my opinion. Something I feel soccer get right. They seem to no make calls based on the parameters of the game nearl as much.

Agree with this as well. It seems like NHL refs are inclined to keep powerplay opportunities as close as possible for both teams.

Don't know if there's any data backing this up, but it seems like when I started following hockey in the early 90s, refs had no problem calling games with large disparities in PP opportunities.

 

[TheDeuce]

I don't partake myself unless it's a horrifyingly egregious call (or missed call) but I can't see the refs caring about the crowd.

Except for maybe this guy:


http://youtu.be/x-S-eeInJVk?t=29s

Personally I'd like to see some more creative chants when the refs need to be brought back in line. Instead of 'refs you suck' I'm thinking 'crooked zebras {clap}{clap}{clapclapclap}' or some such.




m.

 

[cheswick]

I don't partake myself unless it's a horrifyingly egregious call (or missed call) but I can't see the refs caring about the crowd.

Except for maybe this guy:


http://youtu.be/x-S-eeInJVk?t=29s

Personally I'd like to see some more creative chants when the refs need to be brought back in line. Instead of 'refs you suck' I'm thinking 'crooked zebras {clap}{clap}{clapclapclap}' or some such


m.

The singing of 3 blind mice worked when there was only 3 officials on the ice.

 

[TheDeuce]

Change the lyrics to 'four blind mice' and we're golden.


m.

 

[Hobble]

Meh, I like when the crowd gets into it.
I would prefer us to go back to our creative chants.
Maybe something like, "Please sir, may we have some more?"

 

[TheDeuce]

Meh, I like when the crowd gets into it.
I would prefer us to go back to our creative chants.
Maybe something like, "Please sir, may we have some more?"

I agree. IIRC our next home game is against the Ducks so I'm proposing 'we miss Teemu {clap}{clap}{clapclapclap}.




m.

 

[veganhunter]

If it affects their decision making then they're not doing their jobs. They're getting paid too much to start making bad calls because they're mad at the fans.

Their performance is scrutinized and reviewed thoroughly, and on a regular basis as far as I know. These guys are all gunning to ref the biggest games, playoffs, cup finals, etc. no way are they risking getting reprimanded for obviously horrible officiating due to being mad at the fans. Is there a slight bias? Perhaps, but anything obvious not a chance. They wouldn't be in the NHL much longer IMO and I'm guessing the Donaghy stuff in the NBA has put all leagues on high alert for any shenanigans going on with the refs.

Totally agree with you.

 

[allan5oh]

If refs really are impartial, why did we get hammered with penalties every time massenhoven reffed? I'm so happy he retired.

 

[veganhunter]

If refs really are impartial, why did we get hammered with penalties every time massenhoven reffed? I'm so happy he retired.

I wouldn't say refs are team biased. They might be player biased slightly in terms of reputation calls (which in all honesty are mostly deserved) or they call particular things tightly. I would suggest the likelihood that Massenhoven called particular penalties tightly that the Jets just happened to have a tendency to commit or pure luck/probability is way more likely then he is making calls against the Jets because he doesn't like them for some reason.

Although I have conceded there are likely a number of biases so I'm kinda talking myself out of my own position here. I should say it's not conscious when it come to teams (I think they are consciously trying to be too even sometimes actually) at the very least IMO.

 

[allan5oh]

I wouldn't say refs are team biased. They might be player biased slightly in terms of reputation calls (which in all honesty are mostly deserved) or they call particular things tightly. I would suggest the likelihood that Massenhoven called particular penalties tightly that the Jets just happened to have a tendency to commit or pure luck/probability is way more likely then he is making calls against the Jets because he doesn't like them for some reason.

Although I have conceded there are likely a number of biases so I'm kinda talking myself out of my own position here. I should say it's not conscious when it come to teams (I think they are consciously trying to be too even sometimes actually) at the very least IMO.

Your suggestion would be wrong. The guy was a grade A *****. He hammered the Jets every time they played at the MTS center. It's like he loved riling up the locals.

 

[allan5oh]

I also wonder if the "ref you suck" chants, and over reacting to every single penalty against us, has contributed to the Jets leading the league in minors. Strictly wondering out loud, no stats to back it up.

 

[bodybreak]

I think it puts our otherwise classy crowds in a negative light. More family-friendly than a BS chant, but we could always take the classy road and just boo really loudly when there's a call we don't like. Creative chants (no matter what the situation, including really, really bad calls) are cool too.

 

[Ducky10]

Kerry Fraser hated the Jets back in the day, man one crack about that hair and we were doomed forever.

 

[Koonta]

Man I used to know all the refs by name now I maybe can name Tim Peel and that's about it. Past refs I hated were Rob Shick and local boy Andy Van Hellemond (who seemed to like to prove he had no hometown bias in the extreme opposite way)

 

[Ducky10]

Man I used to know all the refs by name now I maybe can name Tim Peel and that's about it. Past refs I hated were Rob Shick and local boy Andy Van Hellemond (who seemed to like to prove he had no hometown bias in the extreme opposite way)

So true about Van Hellemond, just awful and I'm not sure there was a person I hated more than Rob Shick, I literally hated the sight of the man.

 

[Chaosmonkey]

I've always felt it was a bit of a low brow chant, we used to be more clever.

If we had an organist, he could play this.....priceless.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS0GrJoBBzs

If I was this guy, I'd follow it up with some "I fought the law" on my way out.

 

[Samcanadian]

I agree. IIRC our next home game is against the Ducks so I'm proposing 'we miss Teemu {clap}{clap}{clapclapclap}.




m.

I have to admit, there were more cringey chants than good ones.

"Lets Go Blue Jays" was fantastic as was "Crosby's better"

"Mario's Pool Boy" "Jordan's better" and "Parros Mustache" were unbearably cringey