What’s up with the officiating lately?

[TheAlpineOracle]

Seems like the past couple weeks they’ve just completely put the whistle away. I honestly don’t know what hooking, slashing, and interference is anymore. It’s going both ways, Flames have gotten away with a lot as well, but it just seems like they are letting the teams just play a lot more. Not going to lie, I kind of like it, but I might be saying something different if our PP had any bite to it at all.

[Northendzone]

They are focussing on goalie interference

[codynw]

Officiating is the most infuriating thing about the NHL.

[GullFoss]

I agree this is a larger problem than just the past two weeks. The 2017 NHL playoffs was the most poorly officiated in my memory in terms of consistency, phantom calls and missed calls.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Inconsistencies in NHL officiating? You don't say.

[taxbuster]

Put the names back on their jerseys. That might help.

Seriously, it's been a problem since I started watching hockey in the 1960s...so really, same crap, different era.

[nik-]

I think it's pretty easy to complain from the couch about reffing.

Most of us just really can't understand the difficulties and pressure in managing a game in the NHL.

Could you make crap calls on teams to ensure the losing team gets more chance than they deserve to get back in the game? Do you have the bravery to let a player waterskiing on a forward on a breakaway by hooking him in the waist with their stick get away with it because the breakaway player is on the team leading the game? Do you have the intestinal fortitude to completely forget that there's an instigator rule?

I doubt it, so why not drop it Mr. Monday Morning ref.

[goflamesgo18]

lately?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by nik-

I think it's pretty easy to complain from the couch about reffing.

Most of us just really can't understand the difficulties and pressure in managing a game in the NHL.

Could you make crap calls on teams to ensure the losing team gets more chance than they deserve to get back in the game? Do you have the bravery to let a player waterskiing on a forward on a breakaway by hooking him in the waist with their stick get away with it because the breakaway player is on the team leading the game? Do you have the intestinal fortitude to completely forget that there's an instigator rule?

I doubt it, so why not drop it Mr. Monday Morning ref.

I see you have joined us on the sarcastic side of the Force. Well played, young apprentice, but you have much yet to learn.

[dissentowner]

There needs to be an outside party hired to look into the officiating in the NHL, for the past couple of seasons it has gotten so bad that as tin foil hat as it seems I would not be shocked to find out officials are betting on games. It is the only reasonable explanation I can come up with for just how inconsistent and incompetent the officiating has become. Regardless it is the NHL's biggest problem and is seriously damaging the reputation of the League.

[topfiverecords]

We don’t want power plays anyway so I don’t concern myself with the opposition getting away with things anymore.

[Nage Waza]

It wasn't too long ago that the refs did have some controversy that was completely buried by the league.

I found very few links of this story:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/van-...icion-1.514525

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

There needs to be an outside party hired to look into the officiating in the NHL, for the past couple of seasons it has gotten so bad that as tin foil hat as it seems I would not be shocked to find out officials are betting on games. It is the only reasonable explanation I can come up with for just how inconsistent and incompetent the officiating has become. Regardless it is the NHL's biggest problem and is seriously damaging the reputation of the League.

I kind of wish as well that the officiating was separated from NHL head office and was its own entity so that officials could be kept on a shorter leash. I find that NHL officials have far too much leeway to call games as they see fit. The game management drives me crazy. A penalty that's a penalty in the first two minutes of the game should be the same penalty late in the game or OT and if one team is playing undisciplined there should be no need for makeup calls on the other team. It's easily the worst officiating in North American professional sports not counting the CFL.

[FlamingHomer]

I think there are a couple of components that seem to be contributing to the inconsistencies. First, was the change to the 2 referee system. The thinking was that 4 eyes are better than two but it's more like having a car with 2 steering wheels. There is no one standard that the game is being governed by. You have a back referee calling a penalty that happened 5 feet in front of the other referee. You have no penalty call on an obvious infraction because the other guys thinks the other guy was going to call it. So much confusion. Also of course, with the introduction of more referees you are getting more that maybe aren't at the NHL level yet.

Secondly is the constant flavour of the month calls. Crackdown on slashing. Then less leniency on goaltender interference. Next month it's an increase of hooking calls. Etc. Etc. The officials are overthinking instead of naturally reacting.

Also, there isn't much glamour at the minor league level for the youth to get involved with officiating. The player and parental verbal abuse is appalling. I'm sure there are some potentially good officials that just quit because of that.

I don't think it's necessarily the officials themselves that are the problem, it's how they are being told to do their jobs.

[GioforPM]

Last game at least it was consistent from start to finish. I will give them that.

I’ve seen well reffed games in high level rugby where there are two referees but one is above and in communication with the field level. He can call fouls but mainly communicates warnings to be passed on. They get the blatant fouls which are not seen on field, but it’s not like two officials calling or not calling the same play.