This league kind of sucks..

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Icantwhisper

We don't usually agree on things but on this we do, all these leagues are in trouble going forward, the majority of 20-30 year olds don't care as much about hockey/have other things going on and the older crowd 40-65 (majority of CP from what I can tell) will only be around for so long/ will lose interest in product due to reffing and everything turning into a money grab

I think the leagues have an issue when it comes to the durability of some of their revenue streams long-term, particularly gate revenue.
But not because of reffing.
Young people aren't not watching because of poor referring. Nor because they are concerned about it being a money grab.
They are just doing other things they enjoy more.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Do people think other leagues are any different when it comes to officiating? Or that any of them were better 30 years ago?

I don’t see any evidence reffing is getting worse. The only thing that has changed is we have better views and replays than fans used to have available to them, and far more platforms and coverage to complain about bad calls.

Maybe someday we’ll have the technology to do away with refs altogether. Until then, you just have to accept that human judgement and error are part of the game.

One sport that can start right away is baseball. Get rid of those overweight pieces of crap and use an automated strike zone.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

One sport that can start right away is baseball. Get rid of those overweight pieces of crap and use an automated strike zone.

Just get rid of baseball.

[GirlySports]

Other than football, sports is regional now because the national broadcast is pointless. We used to care that the Leafs and Habs played on a Saturday night, do we are now? Everyone follows their team and once their team is eliminated, they're done.

And the NBA has made its bed, it's not even a sport in the regular season. It's just an entertaining product where you can buy a ticket and see 250 points scored. But if the Lakers and Celtics meet in the finals, people actually care and the product actually becomes real basketball.

NHL games are still defensive struggles in the middle of January, who wants to see that? And then people tune into the first round when the intensity is crazy. And then it's May and people move on.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Do people think other leagues are any different when it comes to officiating? Or that any of them were better 30 years ago?

I don’t see any evidence reffing is getting worse. The only thing that has changed is we have better views and replays than fans used to have available to them, and far more platforms and coverage to complain about bad calls.

Maybe someday we’ll have the technology to do away with refs altogether. Until then, you just have to accept that human judgement and error are part of the game.

NHL reffing is getting worse. Nobody knows what a penalty is and the league doesn't use technology nearly as much as other leagues do. We mock the NBA but they can review to see whether fouls are flagrant or not, or who touched the ball last going out of bounds. The NHL refs till huddle, what did you see, did he shoot it over the glass!?

[trackercowe]

Originally Posted by BigRed

Denver? Not exactly a hoops hotbed.

Toronto built an NBA champion with bold moves tear sacrificed its future. They are now reaping what they sowed. Don’t see how that’s ’rigged.’


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Denver has Jokic. Toronto had Kawai. Both are massive stars. It's not always big markets that win, but still teams with franchise talents. The last without a top five player to win were the Pistons over 20 years ago.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

That happens pretty well every time a goal is called back by an offside challenge where a player is maybe millimeters offside. I don't like that either but it's the current rules. At the end of the day Coleman touched the puck with his glove. It is what it is.

But it wasn't directed to a teammate. Contact is only part of the rule.

They interpreted it that way, but deliberation and intellectual honesty would tell you an incidental hand graze/deflection isn't really the same as a hand pass.

[Eric Vail]

Gary Bettman is no good.

The NHL will be far better off when he is gone.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

Gary Bettman is no good.

The NHL will be far better off when he is gone.

What has he done that is so terrible? Without him more Canadian teams are probably gone.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

But it wasn't directed to a teammate. Contact is only part of the rule.

They interpreted it that way, but deliberation and intellectual honesty would tell you an incidental hand graze/deflection isn't really the same as a hand pass.

No amount of mental gymnastics can change the fact that it was the correct call. Time to move on to game 46.

[flambers]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

What has he done that is so terrible? Without him more Canadian teams are probably gone.

For sure, Canadian teams would have been Leafs and Habs

[JohnnyBeGood]

Should the league allow coach's challenges following a timeout? That practice effectively adds to the entertainment-diluting tedium of just waiting for the refs/situation room to ruminate... Similarly - should there be a time limit on Situation-room/ref deliberations? e.g. if they cannot decide within say 90secs then the decision on the ice should stand? Get on with it!!

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

No amount of mental gymnastics can change the fact that it was the correct call. Time to move on to game 46.

It's a lose lose situation for the refs and the league. They really ought to adjust the rules to avoid big leaps back in the game, but no matter how you change it, it will 'screw' someone over.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

What has he done that is so terrible? Without him more Canadian teams are probably gone.

What did he do to save Canadian teams?

We had more teams before he showed up.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

What did he do to save Canadian teams?

We had more teams before he showed up.

Created a CBA that includes a salary cap too improve competitive balance.
Propped up the Canadian teams with revenue sharing.
Brought a team back to Winnipeg.

[zuluking]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

That happens pretty well every time a goal is called back by an offside challenge where a player is maybe millimeters offside. I don't like that either but it's the current rules. At the end of the day Coleman touched the puck with his glove. It is what it is.

By the book, the refs have to be able to determine if the touch on the puck allowed the offending team an advantage. It isn't just about whether they touched the puck, it was whether advantage was gained. So there isn't a "by the book" right call here. They can look at the replay and determine that the touch was inconsequential to the ongoing play. When the puck glances off Coleman's glove (it wasn't batted down or directed), the ref can determine that their is no advantage gained on the incidental contact. The rule states that it is in the opinion of the refs based on the context of the play. Unlike off-side calls which are black and white, hand passes are not simply a question of whether the puck hit someone's glove.

The correct statement would be: "In the opinion of the ref, the puck contacting Coleman's glove gave the offending team an advantage on the play and the goal is overturned" not "by the book, it was the right call to overturn." So it is completely fair for people to analyze the play and question the refs' opinions.

[Baaarrden]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

They need to get rid of the hand pass all together. 99.9% of the times it happens, the puck is coming towards a player mid air and they aren't even passing, they're redirecting it.

Why can a player on a powerplay, stand at the blueline and use his hand to knock a clearing attempt down to keep it in the zone, to gain advantage, but if another player on the same team gets the puck due to a hundred arbitrary variables, it's too much advantage and we have to stop the play?

Or at least modify it so that you still can't be on a two on one, flip the puck up in the air and swat it over to the other player. Or when laying on the ice in the crease, swipe the puck with your hand to a teammate.

The really obvious ones, where you either already had control of the puck, or you hand passed a dead puck can stay. Swatting at a clearing attempt to keep it in the zone isn't a pass. If it hit Coleman's stick instead of his pinky tip, would that constitute a pass?

I agree with this, although that becomes difficult to police because it then comes down to judgement as to whether something was intentional or not and based on the number of calls I have seen over the last several years where I was almost certain something would be called a certain way only to see the refs call it differently, I have a hard time believing we wouldn't continue to run into issues where the refs make a brutal decision that ruins the rest of the game.

I almost think that hand passes should be allowed in all circumstances as long as you don't close your hand on the puck.

I also have a similar feeling towards goals that are kicked in. I don't see how using your foot to score a goal actually takes away from the game. It takes huge skill for players who are playing against the best in the world and skating at 30+km/h (in some cases) to be coordinated enough to use their feet to direct a puck towards and into the net so I don't really see how it takes away from the game and in my opinion I think should be good goals. Reviews of such plays end up taking 10+ minutes because it's such a fine line between whether something was intentional or not and end up sucking the life out of the game.

[stemit14]

They really need to fix all the delays in the game. I’m tired of coaches trying to delay time to make conversation with refs to buy time for their video coaches or put up their finger telling the refs to wait a minute. I also really hated the leafs being able to use their time out to give their video team extra time… I always thought if you use your time out, you give up your chance to challenge a goal - that’s how it should be. Absolutely no conversations between refs and coaches after goals… either they challenge the goal within 5-10 seconds (5 seconds preferably) of the goal being scored or there is no challenge. Make it a switch for a challenge light on the bench that the coaches need to press. If it’s not pressed by the time the ref drops their hand for the line changes, then no challenge is accepted. Period. If your team isn’t at the centre ice dot then I guess you just lose the face off automatically cause the ref is dropping the puck. This will make for less frivolous challenges like what happened last night because teams won’t have time to check their own video for so long looking carefully for something so slight as a puck grazing a glove.

I’m also tired of the stupid attempts at buying time after an icing call… players intentionally breaking their sticks or goalies “conveniently” having equipment issues just at the right time. It’s ridiculous that refs just let that go when every one of us knows exactly what they are doing. Make things like that an automatic delay of game. If the goalie has an equipment issue after an icing, then the team has to put in their backup goalie… no warm up time for them.

It’s so easy. Just don’t fall for the BS that we all know teams are pulling.

[The Fisher Account]

Railing against Bettman, who has done more for the league than any person in NHL history (who wasn't a player) is kind of a silly claim.

[Jiggy_12]

Whether or not its the correct call or not is irrelevant. It shouldn't be a valid situation in the first place. The rule should be revisited and amended, because the spirit of the rule is not to call off goals like Zary's.

Its a loophole that skews the results of the sport, and leaves fans feeling cheated. Its expensive to attend these games, the fan concerns are valid.

Anyone saying "its the right call" is correct, but you're missing the point.