Players get interviewed more than I do (thank God for all involved) and fortunately I feel more at rest about them going into an interview than going into a game. Mainly because they are instructed on how to perform an interview. The rules in games are basic - defensively keep the puck (or ball) out of the middle  and offensively get it to the center of the net - and the rules for interviews are also simple - say positive things about the opponent and mention your teammates at every opportunity. But it is funny to see coaches get emotional and lose track of the rules. Any press question about the referee is an opportunity to make a big mistake, and is a sleeping dog best not awaken. But any honest reporting of anything negative about the refs will get someone in trouble. If a coach wanted to criticize a call, then he should stick his mouth into a pillow and scream until the urge passes.

Go Bulldogs!

Nathan Hampton


On 6/9/08 10:52 AM, "Bob Woodbury" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

First, I said "if" a coach wanted to criticize a call. Secondly, if
you have been a coach for any length of time at all and have had to
deal with the press (at at least the high school level and nothing
below that), than you know coaches have a way to vent about calls
that doesn't "impugn the integrity" of an official. Plus, if you read
my replay carefully, you should have been able to discern that I
would not do that ("impugn the integrity" of an official).

Minnesota is my second state. We are preparing for our 48th annual
trip back to Duluth. I have satellite so I can get the games (plus
North Dakota, Colorado, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, etc.).
Just wish they'd show more UMD games.

On Jun 8, 2008, at 11:10 PM, Hampton, Nathan E. wrote:

> Bob, that was quite a nice delivery. As a coach I seldom say a word
> to or about an official. I am more interested in how my players
> respond to the call. You cannot change history, and as I explain to
> my players who get upset with an official's call after I pull them
> out of the game, "You cannot teach a pig to whistle, it frustrates
> you and it irritates the pig."
>
> However, suppose you did today what you claimed you did, which was
> "If a coach wanted to criticize the call, I would report
> that." You would either get the coach fined or suspended. The NCAA
> has gone overboard trying to protect referees. It is now an
> infraction of the rules to say anything negative about them. It is
> not a question if you were right or wrong, and it is not a question
> of if the referee is right or wrong. Given that employment
> environment, do you think there is any reason or incentive for the
> referees to be interested in being right or wrong? Their Teflon-
> bubble protection can be forced on coaches, athletic directors and
> others, but fortunately not on the fans. Negative comments by fans
> can and will fill the void which the NCAA has created. The trick is
> to not let it interfere with enjoyment of the game (as you said).
>
> And those who know me on this list would know my list of bad
> players were on the Minnesota Gopher roster, so look there. (Ha, ha).
>
> Nathan Hampton
>
> ________________________________________
> From: - Hockey-L - The College Hockey Discussion List [Hockey-
> [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bob Woodbury [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2008 9:31 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: NCAA rules committee
>
> It's not just hockey. All games are played by people who make
> mistakes. If they did not, every game would end in a scoreless tie.
> Officials are there to enforce the rules, to the best of their
> ability. They also are human.
>
> I had a friend (now deceased) who officiated football, basketball and
> baseball on the high school and college level for 40 years and was
> one of the most respected officials in the state. He knew the rules
> inside and out. He never, ever called a game according to the rules.
> He called the game according to the spirit of the rules. There's a
> big difference.
>
> As an example, a basketball coach was trying to get a technical to
> put a little spark into his players but couldn't find anything to
> yell about. My field was the trail official and was standing in the
> center circle. The coach yelled at him to get closer to the action.
> His reply: "You put something down there for me to look at and I'll
> go down and look at it."
>
> Humans make mistakes. Officials make mistakes. No one is perfect. But
> people who agree to officiate games never make the correct call - at
> least not to half the crowd. They don't make mistakes on purpose.
> When people rail against officials, the implied premise is they are
> doing some team wrong on purpose. I contend they are attempting to do
> an absolutely impossible job. I give them credit for the attempt and
> back off.
>
> Another small story. I covered field hockey for a newspaper for 12
> years, mainly because none of the other reporters wanted anything to
> do with field hockey. I had not had time to read and/or research the
> rules before my first game. I wrote notes frantically after the first
> goal was scored. Except it wasn't a goal. It was shot from "outside
> the circle." I said so what. That's what a goalie is for. I was
> standing next to a mother of a player who also had played the game in
> high school and college. I got a real irate ear full about the games'
> traditions.
>
> But it gave me an idea. I got a rule book and read it. Not a lot of
> help. When I covered a game I always stood next to someone who knew
> the game. One day I stood with a coach who had won the previous three
> state championships in her class before retiring to become an
> athletic director at her school. I had basketball mentality. I HAD to
> know what EVERY whistle was for. And in field hockey, that will drive
> you over the edge. But standing next to this former coach, each time
> I didn't understand a whistle, I would ask what it was for. About
> every third time, she said "I don't know."
>
> And here came my revelation - if the coach of a three-time state
> champion doesn't know what every third call is for, why should I
> care? After that, I watched the flow of the game and appreciated the
> athleticism of the people playing the game. If there was a call that
> affected something that happened during the game, I would ask the
> officials about that call and they would explain it. Whether it was
> right or wrong didn't matter. What happened was history and couldn't
> be changed. If a coach wanted to criticize the call, I would report
> that. But when you accept my philosophy of not caring what the call
> was for you can enjoy the game so much more.
>
> I understand that ain't gonna happen. But in appreciating what the
> official if TRYING to do, you can relax and enjoy both the game for
> it's beauty as it's played and the skill of the players playing it.
> No body's perfect. No one's kidnapping your kid. It's a game. Relax.
> Enjoy it. It's a great game - hockey AND field hockey.
>
> On Jun 8, 2008, at 9:45 PM, Eric Burton wrote:
>
>> Seriously Bob do you like the way the games are called.
>> I think the league could do a lot better than they are doing right
>> now.
>>
>>
>>
>> http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Quoting Eric Burton <[log in to unmask]>:
>>
>>> They are going to be hard pressed to find some competent officials.
>>>
>>> Quoting Bob Woodbury <[log in to unmask]>:
>>>
>>>> No. Disband the WCHA. There are no competent officials.
>>>>
>>>> On Jun 8, 2008, at 9:24 PM, Eric Burton wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> What kind of a question is that? I don't think Nathan said
>>>>> anything  that is so controversial, the officals in the WCHA
>>>>> suck  point  blank, half of them don't deserve the opportunity
>>>>> to screw  up games  in this league. The WCHA is a world class
>>>>> league with  HORRIBLE  officials. If you think I am wrong go
>>>>> back and look at  their hit  parade on YouTube this past year.
>>>>> The worst ones are  Randy Schmidt  (two huge screw ups that cost
>>>>> the Badgers home  ice), Don Adam (just  down right horrible,
>>>>> makes Sh*t up as he  goes, Todd Anderson (was  reprimanded for
>>>>> grabbing a player from  Duluth) Greg Shepherd  managed to screw
>>>>> to affect the NCAA  championship game with his  blown call. Need
>>>>> we continue?
>>>>>
>>>>> Quoting Bob Woodbury <[log in to unmask]>:
>>>>>
>>>>>> With your hatred of officials, I'm surprised you watch college
>>>>>> hockey
>>>>>> at all. Just curious - are there any bad players?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jun 8, 2008, at 2:19 PM, Hampton, Nathan E. wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> (some old, some fat, some just dumb, and others blind) -
>>>>>>> Despite    the fact that most referees are not popular, nor
>>>>>>> should they be,