Carl wrote:
 
> I know this isn't a popular view in hockey circles, but I'm generally
> in
> favor of refs equalizing in OT.  If you think about it, it serves 2
> important objectives fairly well.  First, obviously, it helps to
> insure
> that games aren't decided by a penalty call (and we've all ranted and
> raved
> about how the human process of calling penalties is flawed); and,
> second,
> it insures that players cannot commit penalties with impunity.
> In that sense, it's a pretty good compromise.
>
Have to disagree, here.  The thing that trips my trigger is the ref who
decides to "let the game be decided on the ice" by swallowing his
whistle.  If its a penalty you would have called in period 1, then By
God its STILL a penalty in overtime!  Either don't call it in the first
place, or continue calling it.
 
The argument that you don't want to take it out of the player's hands
just doesn't hold up.  After all, what about those scoring chances
generated by the PP earlier in the game?  Instead of hockey, some games
start to degenerate into no-rules hockey because the players realize (or
think) "he's not going to call it."  The whole idea behind rules  is to
provide a standard of what is or is not allowed.  No one is perfect -
refs miss calls all the time both ways (not seeing them or calling them
wrong) - so what?  It does not give the ref an excuse to stop calling
things.  Why is it "decided on the ice" when a hook is not called versus
when a hook is called and "the ref took the game out of the players
hands?"  Hey - don't do the blatant hook and its not an issue.
 
<pant - pant>  This ranting and raving is wearing me out so i guess its
time to stop now.  :-)  Must have used up a whole $.05 by now.
 
Tom Rowe                                                  [log in to unmask]
**********************************************************
They say that ignorance and apathy are the two great evils of
today's world.  Well, I wouldn't know about that and I don't
care anyway.
**********************************************************
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.