Paul Stewart: Stick Slash Rules Misunderstood and Misapplied

Paul Stewart: Stick Slash Rules Misunderstood and Misapplied
- Paul Stewart

Paul, without being a troll or trying to be a jerk, what about today's equipment, in your opinion, has made the game worse?

Paul please take this as a compliment, but there is no way you could be a Ref today. Not with these snowflake millennials who believe they are entitled to have everything given to them, and nothing ever bad to happen to them. I think this is a society issue, not a hockey issue.

Paul please take this as a compliment, but there is no way you could be a Ref today. Not with these snowflake millennials who believe they are entitled to have everything given to them, and nothing ever bad to happen to them. I think this is a society issue, not a hockey issue.
- youarewrong

I agree. It's an entitlement issue for sure. These kids grow up playing hockey and being spoiled and told how great they are. They get to the NHL and many act as spoiled brats who can't handle adversity of any kind. This is generally speaking of course.

I love these write-ups Paul. Now I'm going drive up the coast to watch the Ducks take five to seven penalties, some of which shouldn't be called. And I'm going to sit in my regular seat and complain a little while the crowd starts with the moronic, "Ref you suck" chant. (BTW, New York and others are so much better about this. They just chant "@$$hole!") And I'm going to think of Scotty Bowman, who said, "There are going to be two or three boneheaded calls in every game. But you still have to kill the penalties." May the Ducks just remember his wise words.

Another BTW: How great was Randy Carlyle today? When asked about officiating, he said something like: "If our team makes the same number of mistakes tonight that the officials make, we'll be pretty happy with our game." That's right Randy.

Considering all the booing of referees (beginning of game and periods, calls against home team, calls not made against visiting team), it would be great to read from you how you think this impacts an official during the game.

Is it not also true that a player may not be gripping their stick quite as tightly when they're carrying the puck in open ice as they would if they're bearing down on the net, or if they're trying to jam a puck into the net from 3 feet away? Does that make it any less of a penalty if the defender was still not trying to play the puck? And that the players reaction to being hacked would play into it, like if he looked surprised that his stick was chopped out of his hands and just went to pick it up as opposed to a guy who threw his arms up and shouted?

I have no real issue with the automatic slashing call if a slash causes the stick to break.

I HATE it when a player is penalized for lifting another player's stick because that stick has gone flying away. I've seen it penalized a few times. It basically means there's no reason to make sure you have a tight grip on your stick. Might as well hold it loosely and draw a call.

I love these write-ups Paul. Now I'm going drive up the coast to watch the Ducks take five to seven penalties, some of which shouldn't be called. And I'm going to sit in my regular seat and complain a little while the crowd starts with the moronic, "Ref you suck" chant. (BTW, New York and others are so much better about this. They just chant "@$$hole!") And I'm going to think of Scotty Bowman, who said, "There are going to be two or three boneheaded calls in every game. But you still have to kill the penalties." May the Ducks just remember his wise words.

Another BTW: How great was Randy Carlyle today? When asked about officiating, he said something like: "If our team makes the same number of mistakes tonight that the officials make, we'll be pretty happy with our game." That's right Randy.

Considering all the booing of referees (beginning of game and periods, calls against home team, calls not made against visiting team), it would be great to read from you how you think this impacts an official during the game.
- yzermaneely

I remember when Anaheim went something like 100 minutes in Calgary without a PP, the Flames finally got called for something and the fans started the 'ref you suck' chant. It seems to be the go-to even if the refs have barely been calling anything on your team.

Paul, without being a troll or trying to be a jerk, what about today's equipment, in your opinion, has made the game worse?
- Fountain-San

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=55430

I really appreciate this write up.
I can't stand the broken stick penalty, or when it's lost to a slash during a puck battle penalty.
If it's blatant, sure call the interference, but not just because it's the trend.
The player is responsible for his own stick.
Don't let others disarm you.
Tell me if I'm wrong.
I've been doing that a fair bit lately.

I really appreciate this write up.
I can't stand the broken stick penalty, or when it's lost to a slash during a puck battle penalty.
If it's blatant, sure call the interference, but not just because it's the trend.
The player is responsible for his own stick.
Don't let others disarm you.
Tell me if I'm wrong.
I've been doing that a fair bit lately.
- shoreorrpark

It's still slashing.

I know it's not exactly slashing, but why does the holding the stick not get called when a guy gets his stick up around the mid section of a guy and that guy pins the guy's stick to his body with his arm, but doesn't grab it with his hand. It looks like he's trying to draw a hooking penalty most of the time, but I can't remember the last time I saw a holding the stick penalty for that.

A player is not permitted to hold an opponent’s stick. A minor
penalty shall be assessed to a player who holds an opponent’s stick
(assessed and announced as “holding the stick”).
- NHL rule book

Why does that never get called? Is it one of those deemphasized things that goes out to the officials in the "memos"?

It's still slashing.
- Wetbandit1

Yeah, but If the refs called every slash in every single puck battle, there'd be a hundred plus penalties every game, wouldn't there?
I know most of the calls are discretionary, but the sticks never blew apart like this before composite came on the scene.
Seems to me that it's a rather new call.
As a purist, I don't care for it.

Yeah, but If the refs called every slash in every single puck battle, there'd be a hundred plus penalties every game, wouldn't there?
I know most of the calls are discretionary, but the sticks never blew apart like this before compisite came on the scene.
Seems to me that it's a rather new call.
As a purist, I don't care for it.
- shoreorrpark

I was just saying it's still slashing, not interference.

I was just saying it's still slashing, not interference.
- Wetbandit1

Fair enough.
But aren't you interfering if you knock the opposing players stick from his hands?
You used to be able to chop your opponents stick and It was all good.

I have another officiating question. If a player takes a major penalty and then a player on the same team takes a minor 10 seconds after that. The offended team scores 30 seconds after that. What happens? The first player can't come out because he's got a major penalty. Does the 2nd player stay in for the duration if another goal isn't scored? Or does he come out right away? Or if another goal was to be scored would he then come out because he was second in line?

I have another officiating question. If a player takes a major penalty and then a player on the same team takes a minor 10 seconds after that. The offended team scores 30 seconds after that. What happens? The first player can't come out because he's got a major penalty. Does the 2nd player stay in for the duration if another goal isn't scored? Or does he come out right away? Or if another goal was to be scored would he then come out because he was second in line?
- Wetbandit1

2nd player is released from the box.
You have to serve the 5 minutes no matter how many goals are scored.

Some good questions here. Will blog about these topics in weeks to come.

Has anyone got a picture of a double barrel shafted stick?
That's something I've never come across.

Paul please take this as a compliment, but there is no way you could be a Ref today. Not with these snowflake millennials who believe they are entitled to have everything given to them, and nothing ever bad to happen to them. I think this is a society issue, not a hockey issue.

I agree with the spirit of your comment, but it wasn't snowflake millennials who got bent out of shape when brown people drank out of the same water fountain as whites. Older generations were just as up-tight or more-so, but about different things. These millennials are tasked with cleaning up the giant mess the older generations made.

Having said that, Paul come back to officiating!

I agree with the spirit of your comment, but it wasn't snowflake millennials who got bent out of shape when brown people drank out of the same water fountain as whites. Older generations were just as up-tight or more-so, but about different things. These millennials are tasked with cleaning up the giant mess the older generations made.

Having said that, Paul come back to officiating!
- GalacticStone

^Spoken like a 18 yr old millennial.

^Spoken like a 18 yr old millennial.
- B2B76

Actually, I'm 46.

My brain refuses to believe that though. LOL.

Actually, I'm 46.

My brain refuses to believe that though. LOL.
- GalacticStone

I turned 40 last yr, still can't accept it. Age is just a number, right?

If an official doesn't see the slash itself but only sees the opponent's stick laying in two pieces a split second later, a call should not be made.

This is my biggest problem with NHL referees in general. They are constantly calling things that they don't see but they think they see. Like when a goalie gets a whistle before he has the puck covered. INFURIATING! Stop making yourself a part of the story and ONLY CALL WHAT YOU ACTUALLY SEE.

This is my biggest problem with NHL referees in general. They are constantly calling things that they don't see but they think they see. Like when a goalie gets a whistle before he has the puck covered. INFURIATING! Stop making yourself a part of the story and ONLY CALL WHAT YOU ACTUALLY SEE.
- gtrman09

the refs blow the whistle when they lose sight of the puck. i'm sure you knew that already