I have been reading all the comments from people about officiating in the
various game posts, most from the WCHA and CCHA, and I am intrigued by the
apparent desire to explain away "bad" results by blaming inconsistent
refereeing.  Perhaps there truly is an East-West difference here, or that
Hockey East and the ECAC are blessed with solid officiating, but I rarely
see a game that is dependent on the calls.  Sure, a physical team can be
put "off" its game if the referees call it tight, or a finesse team can be
knocked around when the refs let things go, but I have almost never seen a
case where the opponent didn't matter 10 to 20 times more than the refs.
(Likewise for ice conditions, rink size, etc., though these may have a
more pronounced effect.)
 
I find the 2 referee, 1 linesman system used in HE to work very well on the
whole, and the main benefit seems to be the reduction in the amount of
chippiness behind the play, with more focus on the skills and playmaking.
I admit that I prefer that to brawling and "pro-like" physicalness, and
that others may prefer the rougher style, but there is still plenty of
hitting and hard checking in the HE games without the out-and-out thuggery
that the other style often permits.  I have seen many discussions of this
that ultimately focus on the differences of "Canadian vs. American", and
I don't want that to occur here.  My own hope is that we can put aside our
sometimes-biased team interests and try to be objective on this subject.
When I read about a tight game between two worthy opponents, I want to know
about the GAME, not the officials.  I comment on officiating when it is
controversial, or gets the crowd involved in the game, but only to express
the general feel of the environment, not to trash individual referees.
 
Most of us have not been officials, and we have a tendency to assume the
job is "easy", and that calls we disagree with are "obvious".  Sometimes
they are, and officials do make mistakes.  But more often than not, the
call is correct, the official is competent, and there will always be one
side (the "loser" of the call) who will complain.  The referee's lot is
not one where they get any positive attention from the public; they have
to gain their satisfaction from the support of fellow officials, family,
etc.  In the professional leagues, I can understand the additional pressure
and criticism, as it can affect the gain or loss of thousands of dollars.
But in the college game (where we at least TRY to focus on more than
winning and losing) one bad call here or there should not be the main
focus.  If two teams are truly so evenly-matched that a single call can be
the difference between winning and losing, then those calls will even out
through time, and you can be satisfied with that.  If you think your team
is constantly getting the "worst" of the calls, then perhaps your objectivity
has been compromised.  The argument that you don't care how they call it
as long as they call it consistently is a legitimate concern, but by
definition it affects both teams the same over time, and is a matter of the
overall competence of the officiating crews.  This is the area that may
vary from league to league, or crew to crew.
 
Most leagues have rules preventing coaches, players, or team officials from
commenting in public about officiating.  These have evolved over time because
most players, coaches, fans, etc., get too emotionally involved and cannot
be objective.  If anything, public comments serve only to make officials (and
their supervisors) less cooperative and less willing to listen to legitimate
criticism.  For that reason alone, I prefer that criticism be routed to
league offices in private, where at least it might be viewed fairly.  For
fans, of course, including those of us on Hockey-L, we normally don't have
that outlet.  So we tend to talk among ourselves, reinforcing our own
biases, saying that "McBride is awful", or "Buzzy did it again", or ....
You get the idea.  Let me tell you, the day that my major concern is whether
the refs called a good game is the day when BC is going 34-0 for the season.
 
So, though I suppose it's wishful thinking at best, could I ask my fellow
Hockey-L'ers to tone down the comments on officiating, and tell me more
about forechecking, passing, conditioning, strategy, etc.?
 
Please reply in private or with kindness, please .... :-)  Thanks.
---------------                              ----------------------
Rick McAdoo                                  [log in to unmask]
BC will return!                              GO EAGLES!