Paul Stewart: Somewhere Out There

Agree 100%.

My only complaint about officiating is I feel 8f something is a penalty in the first period of the first game of the season, it should be a penalty in the third period of game 7 in the Stanley Cup finals. I'm fine with missed calls, and different officials calling the game differently. I also understand the mentality of letting the players decide the outcome, but I think not calling a penalty can be just as much of a factor.

“We can help the process by a cover-to-cover edit of the Rule Book. We need to tweak the rules and get rid of the ones that are "inconsistent," counter-intuitive and/or contradictory. Let's recruit more officiating candidates and make the pool larger with more ex-players both on the men's and Women's side. More people give them a chance to make money and us to have more and better people to take on the challenge of the game.”

This progressive part is terrific. Why is the NHL not starting here—the Rule book?

About the “inconsistent” word, I am guilty too. Although mostly it is used about the officiating standards and not the individual officials. It still might not be the right word. You’re absolutely right that every game is unique.