[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Itse

I would argue it's not what people want. Playoff refereeing started weeks before the regular season ended, and pretty much every board I visited complained about it, us included.

The problem of course is not just "letting the guys play", it's that if you don't call the game by the book, refereeing becomes an instant gong show where penalties become essentially random events that have pretty much no relation to how dirty a team is actually playing.

It's also obvious that this is what the NHL wants. It's shameful, and it's especially shameful because we've already seen that it doesn't really have to be like this. You can have great, physical hard hitting hockey that's relatively clean in the playoffs.

It's also an extremely short-sighted policy and a hindrance to the quality of play. Star players playing with injuries are not as entertaining as healthy ones. Letting Regehr hack Hudler into a non-factor has made the Flames less entertaining. Canucks tried to make Bennett go away with a dirty hit, again one of the most entertaining players in the game. Subban tried to hack Stone out of the playoffs. I'm sure the list is really long by now. Even in the last few years, which have not been as bad, the level of play has often dropped after the first round. Injuries will do that. It's in nobody's interest.

Incomprehensible refereeing is also un-entertaining and creates more frustration than excitement among fans. It also makes the game less watchable for casual fans, as people don't like games they don't understand.

I've long argued that hockey is the worst managed major sport, so from that angle this isn't anything new. Great game, stupid league.

It also turns the playoffs into a last man standing competition rather than best team wins. Whichever team can sneak through with the least serious injuries win.