Paul Stewart: Honoring the Prime Directive

LOL

Officials "miss" calls all the time

All under the guise of "managing the game" - They let this go, let that go, ref the score, even up call, etc...

Then they use the famous excuse that you tell us about all the time Paul "The guys upstairs sent memos to the refs about how they want the games called, and if you don't do it their way you won't get any extra playoff gamechecks"

Either have some integrity and call the rulebook (ie: "don't miss any calls") and if it means 25 powerplays a game then so be it, or sell out and do what the league overseers want and cash your playoff gamecheck

You can't have it both ways

LOL

Officials "miss" calls all the time

All under the guise of "managing the game" - They let this go, let that go, ref the score, even up call, etc...

Then they use the famous excuse that you tell us about all the time Paul "The guys upstairs sent memos to the refs about how they want the games called, and if you don't do it their way you won't get any extra playoff gamechecks"

Either have some integrity and call the rulebook (ie: "don't miss any calls") and if it means 25 powerplays a game then so be it, or sell out and do what the league overseers want and cash your playoff gamecheck

You can't have it both ways
- PensWin87

Pretty soon you won't be cashing any paychecks, period. If you don't call the game the way your boss tells you to.

kevin pollock missed 2 calls in the playoffs, costing the oilers and preds a series! How can anyone take the nhl seriously? Don't give me this "it was human error" he is a professional, and not paid to make error's. The officials did gather and had the chance to make it right and FAILED. How the f can he sleep at night? should be fired

kevin pollock missed 2 calls in the playoffs, costing the oilers and preds a series! How can anyone take the nhl seriously? Don't give me this "it was human error" he is a professional, and not paid to make error's. The officials did gather and had the chance to make it right and FAILED. How the f can he sleep at night? should be fired
- nhl_2017

Then every player in the NHL and every coach should be fired, since they are professionals and not paid to make errors. Yet, defensemen still turn pucks over in big games. Goalies still let in some shots that were stoppable. Forwards miss half-open nets. Coaches end up with unfavorable line matchups that weren't intended. Fire 'em all!

Incidentally, you made an error. The final letter s that indicates a plural should not have an apostrophe in it (i.e., errors, not error's). But since you are strictly an amateur internet troll and can't be fired, we'll let it slide.

Then every player in the NHL and every coach should be fired, since they are professionals and not paid to make errors. Yet, defensemen still turn pucks over in big games. Goalies still let in some shots that were stoppable. Forwards miss half-open nets. Coaches end up with unfavorable line matchups that weren't intended. Fire 'em all!

Incidentally, you made an error. The final letter s that indicates a plural should not have an apostrophe in it (i.e., errors, not error's). But since you are strictly an amateur internet troll and can't be fired, we'll let it slide.
- Paul Stewart

If only they could be...

It's almost as if they've never had a job before.

I am curious about something though. How come NHL officials don't work as a team more often? Have a 4 man unit work 15-20 games in a row with each other that way they could better get to know each other better and better anticipate where each are going to be. Instead they seem to be switched around arbitrarily. I would think it would benefit them and make them more consistent if they had "teams".

Off topic Stew but wondering what your thoughts were on this. Was bored & watching youtube hockey fight videos earlier (from the 80s & 90s) & I got reminded of how irritating it was to watch linesmen Kevin Collins always seem to break up fights too soon or sometimes before they started when it was obvious 2 big boys were gonna go! Since he was from your era Paul, just wondering if that rattled your cage like it did mine? Not asking you to bad mouth a former colleague but maybe even give some insight into why Collins used to always seem to do that, certainly more than any other linesmen.

Off topic Stew but wondering what your thoughts were on this. Was bored & watching youtube hockey fight videos earlier (from the 80s & 90s) & I got reminded of how irritating it was to watch linesmen Kevin Collins always seem to break up fights too soon or sometimes before they started when it was obvious 2 big boys were gonna go! Since he was from your era Paul, just wondering if that rattled your cage like it did mine? Not asking you to bad mouth a former colleague but maybe even give some insight into why Collins used to always seem to do that, certainly more than any other linesmen.
- B2B76

Is he that really tall guy with the curlyish hair always had red cheeks?

I know it's not exactly super descriptive, but that guy was from that era, and I was not a fan.

Is he that really tall guy with the curlyish hair always had red cheeks?

I know it's not exactly super descriptive, but that guy was from that era, and I was not a fan.
- Wetbandit1

This guy...

This guy...
- B2B76

Yes! Wow. That's scary. Is that who you're talking about?

Yes! Wow. That's scary. Is that who you're talking about?
- Wetbandit1

Yep!

Yep!
- B2B76

Yeah, I can't remember how many times he stepped in and stopped Rob Ray from fighting. In the long run probably saved him from more head trauma.

Off topic Stew but wondering what your thoughts were on this. Was bored & watching youtube hockey fight videos earlier (from the 80s & 90s) & I got reminded of how irritating it was to watch linesmen Kevin Collins always seem to break up fights too soon or sometimes before they started when it was obvious 2 big boys were gonna go! Since he was from your era Paul, just wondering if that rattled your cage like it did mine? Not asking you to bad mouth a former colleague but maybe even give some insight into why Collins used to always seem to do that, certainly more than any other linesmen.
- B2B76

Collins was one of the best linesmen I ever worked with, and richly deserving of his recent selection for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Hustled his tail off and was a tremendous skater in the first place, always in position, helpful to the ref, one of the best I ever saw in making the right decisions on borderline offside and icing plays. In terms of Kevin breaking up fights, he knew when to let guys go and when it was a bunch of posturing and nonsense. Was he ever overzealous? That's a matter of opinion. The same could be said about me. The truth is that he was passionate about the game and enthusiastic about his job.

Collins and I have complicated relationship. We are friends who go way back together. Kevin's brother was a huge help to me in my career. That said, we're both two headstrong Irishmen as well. We have tangled at times.... once nearly came to fisticuffs between periods... but it's always put in the rearview mirror and then we are friends again. We're a lot alike, which is why we have a certain bond and also why we've clashed at times.

But I fundamentally like Kevin and I have endless respect for just how damn good he was as a linesman. I think you have to have officiated to fully appreciate that Kevin was an officiating version of a generational player.... it is rare that ones of his caliber come along

Collins was one of the best linesmen I ever worked with, and richly deserving of his recent selection for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Hustled his tail off and was a tremendous skater in the first place, always in position, helpful to the ref, one of the best I ever saw in making the right decisions on borderline offside and icing plays. In terms of Kevin breaking up fights, he knew when to let guys go and when it was a bunch of posturing and nonsense. Was he ever overzealous? That's a matter of opinion. The same could be said about me. The truth is that he was passionate about the game and enthusiastic about his job.

Collins and I have complicated relationship. We are friends who go way back together. Kevin's brother was a huge help to me in my career. That said, we're both two headstrong Irishmen as well. We have tangled at times.... once nearly came to fisticuffs between periods... but it's always put in the rearview mirror and then we are friends again. We're a lot alike, which is why we have a certain bond and also why we've clashed at times.

But I fundamentally like Kevin and I have endless respect for just how damn good he was as a linesman. I think you have to have officiated to fully appreciate that Kevin was an officiating version of a generational player.... it is rare that ones of his caliber come along
- Paul Stewart

I am also a headstrong Irishman, all good, thank you very much for the response.