Should refs be allowed to give penalties because a coach or player yelled at them?

[SnowblindNYR]

I feel like most people disagree with me, but the Sabres game basically exposed one of the biggest pet peeves I have in sports and it's worst in hockey. Ted Nolan complained because the refs screwed up and ended up getting called. The ref is incompetent and then the coach called him out and his feelings got hurt and he doubled up and called a penalty despite being rightfully chewed out. This was an extreme example, but I always feel that the players should be the ones deciding the game not the refs' feelings. It just drives me crazy. I know that it might be a slippery slope to disallow penalties because of a player or coach yelling at a ref, but I feel like if players lose so much composure that it becomes extreme and yell at the ref "too much", they'll likely not have their head in the game and would have their chances of winning hurt.

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[Stanley Foobrick]

No you should be able to abuse officials in any fashion as long as you don't kill them....... is this even a serious question?

 

[The Cheat]

A bench penalty is the discretion of the ref. What exactly was said? Was it disrespectful? Disruptive? Was the ref trying to set a tone and precedent?

That's why we have human refs.

 

[GAGLine]

In general principle, I agree, but who knows what Nolan said. There has to be a line somewhere and apparently Nolan crossed it.

 

[Steamwhistle]

Do you know what he said to the ref?

 

[Dalagaze]

If a player can get penalized for verbally abusing an official, so can the coach.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

No, no they should not. Frankly, I believe one of the primary reasons reffing is so atrocious is the utter lack of accountability. You cannot do anything to refs, lest they tag you with a second penalty because their feelings got hurt. Of course, you do run into the problem of players arguing against legitimate calls, but that never delays the game. So I do not see it as an issue.

 

[vladmyir111]

I can see the players saying something stupid that crosses the line in the heat of the moment, but a coach should have a little more composure than that on the bench. In any case it seems to take a decent bit though for a bench minor to be called for talking **** to the ref, you don't see it very often.

 

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

When has yelling at the ref ever made him reverse a call? Refs are human beings. You can tell them how you feel about a call but you can't cross a line. I'm guessing Nolan probably said a lot more than "sir, I respectfully disagree with your call."

 

[Cult of Hynes]

No you should be able to abuse officials in any fashion as long as you don't kill them....... is this even a serious question?

Yea, refs should be able to make terrible calls with out being yelled out when the league does nothing to reprimand them for making horrible calls.

 

[FLYLine27*]

....Is this a joke?

So the coaches can say whatever they want, they can pull a Tortorella every time a penalty goes against them and not have to worry about anything? While we are at it, lets get rid of the unsportmanlike to the players as well, let them curse out the refs everytime they get a penalty. I think this would be great for the sport, Mic everyone up and make it more like the WWF, we will be such a badass league!

 

[The Cheat]

No, no they should not. Frankly, I believe one of the primary reasons reffing is so atrocious is the utter lack of accountability. You cannot do anything to refs, lest they tag you with a second penalty because their feelings got hurt. Of course, you do run into the problem of players arguing against legitimate calls, but that never delays the game. So I do not see it as an issue.

Unless you were there on the bench or ice when it happened, you have no idea the context of what was said. MAybe the ref warned him several times to drop an issue and he didn't. Maybe Nolan said something disrespectful. That's the ref's call to make. Not the fans...

 

[SnowblindNYR]

If a player can get penalized for verbally abusing an official, so can the coach.

I meant a player or coach, I just said coach because that was the case here.

 

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

....Is this a joke?

So the coaches can say whatever they want, they can pull a Tortorella every time a penalty goes against them and not have to worry about anything? While we are at it, lets get rid of the unsportmanlike to the players as well, let them curse out the refs everytime they get a penalty. I think this would be great for the sport, Mic everyone up and make it more like the WWF, we will be such a badass league!

Refs can be the heels and Betman can be our McMahon. Maybe the league could hire Jim Ross to do the commentating.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

....Is this a joke?

So the coaches can say whatever they want, they can pull a Tortorella every time a penalty goes against them and not have to worry about anything? While we are at it, lets get rid of the unsportmanlike to the players as well, let them curse out the refs everytime they get a penalty. I think this would be great for the sport, Mic everyone up and make it more like the WWF, we will be such a badass league!

Yep, if players or coaches lose their composure they hurt their chances of winning. I don't give a **** about the refs' feelings, they're not more important than the game. The players need to decide the final score, not the referees.

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

So coaches can just go ahead and just yell out death threats, that they'll **** their wives/sisters and so on and not get penalized for it? Please. It's one thing to chirp to get someone agitated (and that's between players) to give coaches absolute free reign to say what they want is another.

 

[Stanley Foobrick]

Yea, refs should be able to make terrible calls with out being yelled out when the league does nothing to reprimand them for making horrible calls.

Refs let coaches have their say to a point. Obvious Nolan crossed it. Quite often the coaches are warned to cool it or get a bench minor. When they continue to carry on they earn said bench penalty.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Yep, if players or coaches lose their composure they hurt their chances of winning. I don't give a **** about the refs' feelings, they're not more important than the game. The players need to decide the final score, not the referees.

Its not about the refs feelings. Its about making the league look professional and not have a bunch of angry players/coaches making the sport look like a joke and cursing out the officials every 2 minutes. From little kid leagues to the NHL and every single level in between these rules are in place, why change it for the NHL? What exactly does this accomplish? Making it ok to curse out the referees benefits who and does what for the sport?

 

[LeafsLegendAkiBerg]

So coaches can just go ahead and just yell out death threats, that they'll **** their wives/sisters and so on and not get penalized for it? Please. It's one thing to chirp to get someone agitated (and that's between players) to give coaches absolute free reign to say what they want is another.

But refs shouldn't let their feelings get in the way of a good ol' hockey game. What kind of dandy cares about feelings anyways?

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Yea, refs should be able to make terrible calls with out being yelled out when the league does nothing to reprimand them for making horrible calls.

Exactly. The refs get coddled. Refs blow calls all the time, you can't yell at them, you can't criticize them in the press conference. Who died and made them immortal?

 

[vladmyir111]

Yep, if players or coaches lose their composure they hurt their chances of winning. I don't give a **** about the refs' feelings, they're not more important than the game. The players need to decide the final score, not the referees.

lol can you imagine this in any other situation in life? You go to work one morning and Pam made copies of the wrong document so you walk up to her desk and start calling her a ********ing ***** mongrel?

There are lines to be crossed in all walks of life. It's not like Nolan doesn't know he can get a penalty.

 

[NastyNick]

Every single referee in the NHL should be fired and replaced with officials from the minors.

I don't know any other sports league on the planet that deals with as many unprofessional, arrogant, pathetic referees than this league does. The problem is institutional.. and the only viable solution is a total re-haul. Fire everyone involved with that union as well.

I guarantee we would see a 100% turnaround. This is not a problem of competency.. its all about the egos.

 

[FLYLine27*]

lol can you imagine this in any other situation in life? You go to work one morning and Pam made copies of the wrong document so you walk up to her desk and start calling her a ********ing ***** mongrel?

There are lines to be crossed in all walks of life. It's not like Nolan doesn't know he can get a penalty.

Pam made the wrong copies AGAIN? Ok, well now she is crossing the line and she probably deserved to get cursed out.

 

[Sinistril]

I love watching a ref get beaked as much as anyone. However, let's be serious, yelling is not going to make the ref do anything different. The ability to hand out bench minors for being an idiot should not be changed. You can't even really change the system for holding referees accountable very much. They don't get paid the big bucks, they have a union that will protect them, and it is a hard job that will involve some blown calls or at least calls that look different to them on the ice, than us as fans or even players at slightly different angles. The fact that they could easily be replaced by an up and comer holds them accountable enough. The real solution is more video review. I think every call should be reviewable with the caveat being that delay of game penalties can be issued to those (coaches) trying to abuse the system.

 

[Cult of Hynes]

Refs let coaches have their say to a point. Obvious Nolan crossed it. Quite often the coaches are warned to cool it or get a bench minor. When they continue to carry on they earn said bench penalty.

I will use the Ranger fan logic here. So you know what he said?

Sorry, the reffing in the NHL has been atrocious over the past few years.

If they can handle getting punched, hit with pucks, run over by guys going full speed that may be bigger than them, they should be able to handle a few words from an angry coach, especially when it is because of a bad/missed call. Unless their ego comes into play and then they think they are not wrong.