Phil Ritzenthaler <[log in to unmask]> said ...
 
>Agreed that ref's are human . . . isn't that why maybe 2 pairs of eyes
>are better than 1 pair?  How about football when 6 (or is that 7) can
>call penalties??  There is 1 in charge.
>
>So do it the same in hockey . . . 1 head ref, another ref, and 1
>linesman.  The head ref had the final call . . . but both can call
>penatlies.
 
I'm nobodies expert, but not being especially bashful, and enjoying this
week's threads ...  here's my two cent worth :-)
 
But football is a relatively *easy* game to call: except for holding
calls in the line, rules are not open to much interpretation.  Football
is a stop & start sport where there are natural pauses for referees to
confer.  There are natural areas of the field and areas of concern for
each referee.
 
It would seem to me that there is more similarity of hockey officiating
to basketball rather than football.  Basketball has had 2 or 3 officials
for as long as I've known the sport.  Although a difference in what
players "get away with" is sometimes noticed with b-ball officials, it
doesn't seem to be a big deal.  Basketball officials definitely have
areas of the court and areas of primary concern for each official.
 
The problem with more than one referee in hockey is, in my limited
experience, that most people (fans, players, coaches) ** don't want **
the additional penalties called.  How many times this year have I seen
some player put a headlock on an opponent or "wrap up" a forward and
take him (I haven't seen a "her" do it :-)) to the boards and out of the
play?  It doesn't seen right to me, but it is part of "accepted play".
Until hockey can partition the responsibility of multiple referees so
that the individual (referee) notions of "accepted play" can coexist,
multiple referees are doomed to performing worse than the current
system.
 
As to linesmen calling penalties ...  except for the "too many players
on the ice", I doubt that we see at Alfond Arena more than one penalty
per year brought to the attention of the referee and subsequently
called.  It would seem that the trailing lineman could watch players
trailing the play, but what would you have them call (everything,
intent-to-injure, cheap-shots)?