On 5/16/06, Bill Fenwick <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I'm undecided about the two-ref two-linesman officiating system.  The
> two-ref one-linesman system used some years ago in college hockey was a
> failure, largely (at least in the ECAC) due to wild inconsistencies that
> happened between the two refs.  This was especially true when, as often was
> the case, one of the refs was a newcomer and the other was established.
> The senior ref made the vast majority of the calls, even when the junior
> one was much closer and had a much better view of the play.  Pairing the
> refs up in this manner was probably seen as a good way to help the new guy
> learn more quickly, but in terms of how the game was called, it was usually
> worse than the old one-ref two-linesman system.

When the NHL started using two referees, they ran on the same theory
(pair a senior ref with a junior ref). However, they found they same
thing - the senior refs would do all the work and the junior refs
weren't willing to overrule them. So they abandoned that idea and
started putting junior refs with each other. I think they also started
to keep pairs of officials together.

What a two-referee system demands is greater consistency between
officials, since you want to have the same game being called at both
ends.

John

-- 
John Edwards
I used to put quotes here.