HockeyBuzz Hotstove: Hotstove, Ed. 63: Officiating Woes

This is always the best feature on this site, good job again guys.

I don't take seriously claims that certain teams get different treatment, because it is always followers of their own team who claim they are discriminated against, and other teams get off easy, for obvious reasons. I can't think of any example where non-followers of a team agree that the other guys' team gets treated unfairly. Fans of many different teams might all say that the Bruins got away with murder, or that the Canucks weren't called for diving enough, but would they be saying that if both of those teams were eliminated in the first round last year? The bias is obvious. If there really was team-specific officiating, non-partisan agreement would emerge and it never does.

I think we all can see that there is a different standard in the playoffs. Forget about just penalties, I see suspension-worthy plays in practically every playoff period that goes uncalled. The late hits, slashing, cross-checking, you name it that goes on in the playoffs is shockingly different from the regular season. The same standard could not be used in the regular season, because half the players in the league wouldn't make it to the end of the season.

I would like to see the playoffs called more strictly, because to me giving a guy the ol' whoops elbow as he skates to the bench after a whistle isn't strong hockey, it's cheap. I know a lot of people will say that's what makes playoff hockey so good, but I think it's the do-or-die situation, the increased legal hitting, and the quality of the teams that makes it so good, and I don't think it would suffer at all if cheapshots were penalized more. In fact, the later rounds might be better if so many guys aren't walking wounded by then. The playoffs are already much more dangerous within the rules, why not crack down on the crap. However, I can't imagine that difference ever changing.

Calls are just so inconsistent and that is the problem. It makes players resort to diving, biting lips, doing whale flops and all manner of overreactions just to get Marley Matlin and Helen Keller to see what happened.

Teams get criticized for overreacting to the slightest bump just because they aren't getting the calls.

The real concern for me is sometimes this anger spills out on other players so you get dangerous hits, after the whistle scrums and just overall players taking out their frustrations where they can: other players.

Sedin is the only one saying anything but I guarantee there's at least a few players on all 30 teams and 30 coaches that feel the same way.

The refs are becoming a joke and nothing can help a league grow when your refs are crap. It's sad, really and I'm guessing this is one thing the players are going to put on the table during CBA negotiations. If nothing else, standardized penalty-calling will be something the NHL can easily conceed on to help in negotiations.

One thing is for sure, as a fan, I'm sick of the refs inserting themselves into the game because they are incompetent.

One of the problems I've noticed is the two referee system often leads to inconsistent calls. A lot of times you have an experienced ref who is more likely to let things go paired with an inexperienced ref who will more often call things by the book. That makes it seem like one team is getting all the calls but really it's just one team gets all the calls from that ref for two out of three periods.

With the two referee system a lot of calls away from the play (interference, etc) that would have been missed in the past get called now but it's definitely not as consistent as it used to be.

I'm not one to really complain about officiating because to be honest it's not as easy as everyone thinks. It's one thing to see 4 replays of a play from all different angles and then know 100% what the call should be, compared to seeing the play happen at full NHL game speed.

I also understand that different refs will call games differently and to me as long as it's fair both ways I'm not going to complain. However what pisses me off is when for 30-40 minutes the refs don't make a single call and then they call some half breed call against a guy for holding when that play has been allowed all game. It happened the other night when SJ was playing EDM. Nothing really called other than an off-setting slashing call, but in the second Douglas Murray gets dinged with a holding call. Great for my Oilers, but really how things were going that should not have been called.

My understanding is that this lack of penalties being called is a trial run to see if the clutching and grabbing will result in less head injuries. You know I don't mind that, but if you are changing calls because of safety why the hell are you letting the cross-checks and boarding hits go?

Any which way you slice it there is going to be bad calls in the NHL, all we can hope for is an evenly called game and for the most part I see that.

Sedin is absolutely right, officiating changes throughout the season.

It is always obvious when a "league memo" has gone out to officials. All of a sudden you will see an abundance of a particular penalty getting called that were not being called previously.

Right now, in my opinion, there has been a directive to try to slow the game down a little. I am sure it is with the good intention of player safety. But it is very clear that the officials are now letting some of the obstruction and interference come back into the game. All you have to do is look at the PP totals and the number of penalties being called. They have dropped dramatically over the last couple of months.

So yes, Sedin is correct that in the NHL the way the games are officiated change from season to season and also during the season and in the playofffs.

Sedin is absolutely right, officiating changes throughout the season.

It is always obvious when a "league memo" has gone out to officials. All of a sudden you will see an abundance of a particular penalty getting called that were not being called previously.

Right now, in my opinion, there has been a directive to try to slow the game down a little. I am sure it is with the good intention of player safety. But it is very clear that the officials are now letting some of the obstruction and interference come back into the game. All you have to do is look at the PP totals and the number of penalties being called. They have dropped dramatically over the last couple of months.

So yes, Sedin is correct that in the NHL the way the games are officiated change from season to season and also during the season and in the playofffs.
- maaddmike

It's really a damn if you do damn if you don't scenario. I mean you slow the game down and piss of the fans, you also piss of the players because calls are being missed, but if don't try something you have the PA, agents and random groups complaining that the NHL is a morbid sport.

The penalty calling has been atrocious since the lockout and rule changes. I don't completely blame the refs for the problem though. I look at the game itself, and it is quite obvious the refs get a shorter leash in nationally televised games over all else. The same can be said about games with greater draw, rivalries, division leaders competing, etc. This is the factor that makes it feel like in the pre-allstar season the games are called one way and post-allstar they are called much differently. This time of year, the leaderboards become top story. A game between the Redwings and the Blackhawks is national hockey news. More eyes are on these games and the officials seem to let things happen to reduce the number of game changing calls on the ice.

Don't believe me? Talk to Blues fans. Bottom dwellers for the last several years, you couldn't defend a teammate in a tight spot without taking a penalty if you wore a Blue-note. Even to start this season, calls were finicky, often resulting in petty calls against the team. Now, number one in the league, they are headline news. The NHL has a great story to tell if the Blues make the finals, and the refs are doing everything they can to give them that chance.

It may not feel like it after watching the most recent game vs Chicago, where the Blues were given only one powerplay against six Chicago advantages. I'm not going to defend the Blues penalties because they were deserved. However, the amount of slashing, holding, and post whistle shenanigans presented plenty of opportunities to even up the PP time. But Chicago is one of the pets of the NHL, despite the Blues current success.

Go back one game when the Blues took on Columbus, and the story was 100% different. In an obvious Instigator call, the Blues were given the benefit, with Shattenkirk drawing a 4 minute double minor for roughing, (despite both players dropping the gloves and throwing punches) and a 2 minute elbowing penalty to avoid the 10 minute misconduct the instigator would have required. Columbus is done in terms of playoff hopes, it was a local broadcast, no one was worried about this game other than the two teams and their fans. The result, favors and PR penalties. Give the Blues two points so their storybook gets another chapter.

I am a HUGE Blues fan, but I am not afraid to take the truth for what it is. After years of complaining about being on the receiving end of the F-U stick, I know what Columbus fans felt in that game. The league can make many changes to rules, pad size, and even interactions between players and the media, but the biggest PR nightmare this league is creating for itself is the way the games are called. Small market teams and even middle market teams have enough trouble bringing in new fans. The teams cannot afford the raw talent that big market teams can afford. But when the game is played, the penalties should be called evenly. Standings, tenure, or fan-base should not decide who calls which games, which games get called tighter than others, and which teams get the benefit.

And for heaven's sake, get rid of the instigator AND the diving penalty. The instigator just gives room to the guys that run around looking for the hit rather than the puck, and the diving rule is never enforced. If it were, the entire Vancouver team would have issued this complaint years ago. They dive so much I expect half of them in the summer Olympics every four years.

The penalty calling has been atrocious since the lockout and rule changes. I don't completely blame the refs for the problem though. I look at the game itself, and it is quite obvious the refs get a shorter leash in nationally televised games over all else. The same can be said about games with greater draw, rivalries, division leaders competing, etc. This is the factor that makes it feel like in the pre-allstar season the games are called one way and post-allstar they are called much differently. This time of year, the leaderboards become top story. A game between the Redwings and the Blackhawks is national hockey news. More eyes are on these games and the officials seem to let things happen to reduce the number of game changing calls on the ice.

Don't believe me? Talk to Blues fans. Bottom dwellers for the last several years, you couldn't defend a teammate in a tight spot without taking a penalty if you wore a Blue-note. Even to start this season, calls were finicky, often resulting in petty calls against the team. Now, number one in the league, they are headline news. The NHL has a great story to tell if the Blues make the finals, and the refs are doing everything they can to give them that chance.

It may not feel like it after watching the most recent game vs Chicago, where the Blues were given only one powerplay against six Chicago advantages. I'm not going to defend the Blues penalties because they were deserved. However, the amount of slashing, holding, and post whistle shenanigans presented plenty of opportunities to even up the PP time. But Chicago is one of the pets of the NHL, despite the Blues current success.

Go back one game when the Blues took on Columbus, and the story was 100% different. In an obvious Instigator call, the Blues were given the benefit, with Shattenkirk drawing a 4 minute double minor for roughing, (despite both players dropping the gloves and throwing punches) and a 2 minute elbowing penalty to avoid the 10 minute misconduct the instigator would have required. Columbus is done in terms of playoff hopes, it was a local broadcast, no one was worried about this game other than the two teams and their fans. The result, favors and PR penalties. Give the Blues two points so their storybook gets another chapter.

I am a HUGE Blues fan, but I am not afraid to take the truth for what it is. After years of complaining about being on the receiving end of the F-U stick, I know what Columbus fans felt in that game. The league can make many changes to rules, pad size, and even interactions between players and the media, but the biggest PR nightmare this league is creating for itself is the way the games are called. Small market teams and even middle market teams have enough trouble bringing in new fans. The teams cannot afford the raw talent that big market teams can afford. But when the game is played, the penalties should be called evenly. Standings, tenure, or fan-base should not decide who calls which games, which games get called tighter than others, and which teams get the benefit.

And for heaven's sake, get rid of the instigator AND the diving penalty. The instigator just gives room to the guys that run around looking for the hit rather than the puck, and the diving rule is never enforced. If it were, the entire Vancouver team would have issued this complaint years ago. They dive so much I expect half of them in the summer Olympics every four years.
- Soulja183

Good write-up.

Nice read, guys.

Thing with these hotstove posts is that there's so much opinion discussed in the columns that there's rarely anything left to cover in the comments!

Cheers, all.

One of the better Hotstove's of late great work to you all. I think I'm one of many who like the idea of each coach being allowed one "challenge" per game. Have a chance to argue a play on the ice, if it's changed great if not you lose a time out, works great in the NFL see no reason why it can't be adopted here.

Simple fact of the matter is that there is no bias or preferential treatment. It just seems that way because the refs have no feel for the game. Far too often they are the reason's games get out of hand because they have zero consistency in what they call. I'm a Flyers fan, I can't complain (even though most do) as they have had the most pp's in the NHL, yet they've played 2 of the last 4 games without receiving a powerplay. I don't think it's because there is a bias. It's because what is a penalty in the first, may not even be a penalty later that period. They call something so ticky tack and then let go a blatant boarding or hit to the head. I'd honestly get rid of almost all of them. If they don't have a feel for the game, they shouldn't be reffing it.

Reffing changes constantly.

An easy case and point for this is the 2007 stanley cup playoffs. The Sens were a team built on speed and under the rules that the NHL was under, obstruction and interference were simply called every time. Look at the teams we beat en route to that Cup final. Buffalo (small and fast), Pittsburgh (built for speed) and New Jersey (speed). The Eastern conference was full of speed teams while the larger clubs like Philly couldn’t even get out of the basement because the old style of hockey was gone in that conference and they got penalized. Even in the playoffs, picks and holding were called, on us and on these other teams. They all knew it.

Fast forward to the Cup finals and all of the sudden this large, physical team in the Ducks were waiting and we watched O’Donnell and Pronger interfere on pretty much every dump in. I watched a highlight video of how good Pahlsson was at shutting down Spezza which was basically like watching a mugging occur. Nothing was being called. It was pathetic but it is what it is. Even in a playoff round by playoff round, reffing changes.

The problem I had was opposing fans saying our guys needed to play through it and that in istelf is silly. You build your team based around the rules of the league. If the rules state you cannot interfere with one another, or obstruct in any way, you go for speed at the expense of size. When that is abandoned and the size is allowed to play however they want, hold and tie up, speed is eliminated. Ducks did the same to the Wings. The main issue in all of that though is if our team was built to play that style, we wouldn't have beaten those smaller speed teams in our conference, might not have even made the playoffs, so its really a double edged sword. Consistency has always been an issue.

Canucks are the dirtiest team in the league like Richard Cloutier is the best blogger on Hockey Buzz.