In article <[log in to unmask]>,
Charlie Shub <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>my understanding is that the official is signalling "safe" meaning
>that he (or she) has observed the play and believes no penalty has
>occurred.  Why do this, you might ask?  Well, that tells the crowd
>that the offocial hasobserved the play, and while the crowd might
>thing there was a foul, the referee believes no foul occurred.  It
>would seem to me that the official might be saying things like, "no,
>that wasn't a trip."
 
Actually, waving off no-calls is a bad habit for any official to get into.
What about the times that the official does not wave off the no-call?  The
crowd/coaches/players could interpret that as uncertainty on the official's
part, or that the official completely missed the play.  And what do you
consider a "marginal" play that requires a wave-off, as oppposed to a play
that is obviously a no-call to everyone in the rink?  Everyone's
interpretation on this is different.  To be safe, an official should not
wave-off calls.  The use of the wash-out signal is clearly defined in the
rule book for calls such as offsides, icing, hand-passes, and high-sticks --
calls which have no judgment involved.  Nowhere is it suggested that the
official use a wash-out for penalty no-calls.             -- kennyz
 
--
Kenny Zalewski -- Computer Science Department; Intramural Department
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 83 Albright Court, Troy, NY, 12180
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