NHL Officiating in the Bubble

[Cecil Terwilliger]

The best example of the bubble effect is "home-ice advantage" -- or lack thereof.

Every game in the bubble has a home team and a road team. The designations decide who wears what jersey, which bench they use and who has the nicer locker room. Without fans in the stands, there really isn't a traditional home-ice advantage. Favorites have talked about how the dynamics of a Game 5, for example, are completely different without a home crowd's emotional lift.

The lack of fans has also impacted the officiating, in a pretty incredible way.

It's an established fact that many referees have shown a bias for home teams. Even last season's wacky penalty numbers were skewed against the road team, as they were going back to 2015. But in the bubbles, that "bias" has been reduced to just three seconds on average between the teams, which is extraordinary ... and completely frustrating.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...ed-officiating

There are some stats if you click the link.

What I’d give for a full revamp of the officiating doctrine.

[YourMother]

It’s nice to see ESPN pretend to care, but to say without fans there is “no traditional home ice advantage” is ignorant.

First change and bench positioning are just as important if not more as having fans. It’s possible/likely that some players play better without hometown pressure/distractions and such.

Sorry to take from your point. Interesting stats for sure.

[PaperBagger'14]

Referees don't actually officiate games, they manage them with the world's thinnest veil of legitimacy

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by YourMother

It’s nice to see ESPN pretend to care, but to say without fans there is “no traditional home ice advantage” is ignorant.

First change and bench positioning are just as important if not more as having fans. It’s possible/likely that some players play better without hometown pressure/distractions and such.

Sorry to take from your point. Interesting stats for sure.

Last change? And what do you mean by bench positioning? How would that be different?

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Last change? And what do you mean by bench positioning? How would that be different?

Long vs. short change, minor factor surely but we've all seen a few times this has caused issues over the years.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

Long vs. short change, minor factor surely but we've all seen a few times this has caused issues over the years.

Doesn't this affect teams equally? Can you explain the benefit to the home team for me?

[Monahammer]

I've been saying this forever but I firmly maintain that the solution is getting them off the ice and away from involvement in the "heat of the game". Every match should have three officials that sit in a booth monitoring multiple camera angles. They still have to act in real time to avoid polluting too much with nitpicking endless replays or reviews. The "whistle" becomes another form of arena buzzer that stops play. Upon the whistle going two goon sized skaters are released from penalty box area to separate any fighting players and do the puck drop before hauling ass back off the ice and to their holding area.

Get the refs off the ice and out of the action. Thats how to make them impartial.

[GreenLantern2814]

I haven't had any issue with the officiating this post-season.

It's playoff hockey. Anyone who hasn't figured out what playoff hockey is like by this point should understand that it's not changing for them.

That's vanity.

[indes]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I haven't had any issue with the officiating this post-season.

It's playoff hockey. Anyone who hasn't figured out what playoff hockey is like by this point should understand that it's not changing for them.

That's vanity.

But the officiating constantly changes, which is the problem. Let everything go until a team is up by 2 or 3...then things only get let go for the team behind. The game management is absolutely rampant these playoffs, I can't imagine how frustrating it is for the coaches.

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Doesn't this affect teams equally? Can you explain the benefit to the home team for me?

It would if there were 4 periods.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I haven't had any issue with the officiating this post-season.

It's playoff hockey. Anyone who hasn't figured out what playoff hockey is like by this point should understand that it's not changing for them.

That's vanity.

I think the point of the article is that, statistically, this is the most fairly officiated playoffs in recent memory.

The problem is that will all change when things return to normal.

[indes]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

Long vs. short change, minor factor surely but we've all seen a few times this has caused issues over the years.

I'm not sure if you're being serious?

Both teams have short change in periods 1 and 3. Both teams long change in period 2.

Unless you're talking about last change, which has always gone to the home team for line matching.

[dissentowner]

The officiating has been the same, terrible.

[gallione11]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I haven't had any issue with the officiating this post-season.

It's playoff hockey. Anyone who hasn't figured out what playoff hockey is like by this point should understand that it's not changing for them.

That's vanity.

It's not vanity to desire them to not have different rule books for regular season, playoffs, the team ahead by 5, the team behind by 1, etc etc. But I know it won't change which is why I don't really watch anymore.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by gallione11

It's not vanity to desire them to not have different rule books for regular season, playoffs, the team ahead by 5, the team behind by 1, etc etc. But I know it won't change which is why I don't really watch anymore.

Game management is a thing because otherwise you risk a riot on the ice where the officials are out numbered 5 to 1. Disagree with that all you want, but that’s why it’s done.

There have been two sets of rules for 120 years - it’s a feature, not a bug.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Game management is a thing because otherwise you risk a riot on the ice where the officials are out numbered 5 to 1. Disagree with that all you want, but that’s why it’s done.

There have been two sets of rules for 120 years - it’s a feature, not a bug.

A single [usually diminutive] official manages to keep 30 [mostly gigantic] rugby players in check. Without any loss to the intensity of gameplay between the whistles.

There seemed to be some complaints about the rugby review system at the last world cup, but it's quick, efficient, and transparent.

Hockey has nothing but lazy and silly excuses for not improving.

[TheSquatch]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

A single [usually diminutive] official manages to keep 30 [mostly gigantic] rugby players in check. Without any loss to the intensity of gameplay between the whistles.

There seemed to be some complaints about the rugby review system at the last world cup, but it's quick, efficient, and transparent.

Hockey has nothing but lazy and silly excuses for not improving.

Eeeyup. "Hockey Culture" eh! It's stupid, and dinosaur-ish in a hundred ways.

Rugby reffing is transparent, immediate, and mostly inarguable - which is to say, it's gentlemanly. Hockey is not, it's culture is not, it's league is not.

They could correct hockey reffing. They choose not to.

[Philly06Cup]

NHL hockey is very difficult to referee with a lot of subjectivity. Too much subjectivity.

Solution: simplify the rules. Any slash above the knee or on the hands should be called a slash. Right now, people get slashed 30 times a game, and the refs call it whenever they feel like or when someone shakes their wrists. Any contact on another player's head should be roughing. Jabs to the face, headlocks, facewashes. Roughing. This will also help reduce all of the useless scrums. Any free hand wrapped around another player is a hold.

Make concrete, non-subjective rules, and more consistent refereeing will follow.

[GirlySports]

You get penalized for taking the lead.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

A single [usually diminutive] official manages to keep 30 [mostly gigantic] rugby players in check. Without any loss to the intensity of gameplay between the whistles.



There seemed to be some complaints about the rugby review system at the last world cup, but it's quick, efficient, and transparent.

Tell me more about this.

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