ITT: lots of people who have never officiated any level of hockey who have the strongest opinion about how easy it should be to just call a game right.
Also ITT: people who are surprised that game management exists. It's taught in all levels of reffing and it's necessary. I've reffed with people who put their stamp on a game, and it drives me mad. That's overmanagement, you should not have influence over the outcome. But every ref manages a game, the good ones do it in a manner that is appropriate and acceptable.
Nearly every call is a judgement call, and at speed or in your periphery that's not always the easiest to make. Every call you make has half the ice pissed at you, no matter what. You have to determine who initiated what, the mechanics behind it, etc. Of course there's automatics, high sticks, too many men, but the vast majority are judgements. You get in #### for calling too much, you get in #### for not calling enough, you don't see off sides right, why did that icing get washed out, etc etc etc. Then the abuse from minor hockey parents, coaches, hell even the things 10year olds will say to you on the ice, then you have to explain to someone why you dimed him. It's crazy the abuse culture towards refs that's present right now.
Its absurd the suggestions up above about taking refs off the ice, stopping the play with a buzzer, etc. Why make hockey sterile? Plays and playing should be organic, there should be some variables, it really does make hockey exciting and unpredictable. This isn't a computer simulation.
Either way, I challenge any of the critics to come and ref a game and let me evaluate how many things you miss
