All right, I swore I wouldn't get involved in this, but I would like to give a little perspective on the referee. I am basing this on my personal experience as a soccer referee, which has its similarities to hockey, but obviously a lot differences. However, the nature of the referee system is very similar. I just picked one representative message, but I'll try to hit a lot of the issues. There are two basic referee/linesman situations that have been official methods of officiating recently, although one has been entirely written off for FIFA and USSF play (which are respectively the controlling organizations of the World and the USA). The one that has fallen out of use is the 2-ref system, and the official model is 1-ref, 2-linesmen. The BIG problem with 2-ref is that both have equal authority, and thus can be involved in indecisions (one says play on, one whistles a foul), whose territory is whose problems, etc. The reason it's a prob is that in soccer there aren't supposed to be interruptions in play. Referees getting together to confer look bad and interrupt the game. So the 1 authority in the middle became preferred. The linesmen only have as much power as the referee allows them. Usually certain calls are assumed to be made by them, but any foul in front of one is brought to the ref's attention. If that attention can't be gotten, sometimes the play must go on and the foul must be ignored. The overriding concern of the referee is that he/she must have proof positive of the foul. It is a sickening feeling to turn around and realize that there is a player down and have no idea how it happened - hopefully the linesman can tell you or indicate what happened. If not, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't foul, but you sure can't call anything. <Ron Babuka writes> > Isn't it maybe time to give the referees a hand by either > allowing the linemen to take some of the responsiblities for making > calls or adding another referee. I agree that a referee needs a hand. Adding another referee I don't think is the answer, especially in hockey where every inch of space counts. ON the soccer field we usually have 120X60 - and the linesmen are off the playing field. Plenty of room, although it always seems like you are a sort of moving obstacle.. Four officials on the ice would be ridiculous. Just two (equal refs) could lead to division of powers problems - although conferring wouldn't be the problem it is in soccer. Another thing that needs to be kept in mind is how the referee moves when in different officiating models. In the two man system, the refs basically proceed from around center field (ice?) on the opposite sideline from the other and then hook in toward the goal at end of field, and they are in opposed chunks of the field, so as to keep the play between them. In 1ref2line, the ref runs a diagonal such that the play is between one linesman and the ref at all times, and each lineman is in a diametrically opposed half of the field. Which is sort of what happens in hockey. I think that trying the two man system in hockey would lead to the ref being in a bad position for play around the goals - i.e. in the way. So what kind of hand? A TV replay? :-) I'm not sure how much authority the linesmen in hockey have, but they should definitely be informing the ref of fouls performed behind his back. Another thing that has been mentioned is how the ref loses control of the game. This is a difficult issue in a game as dynamic as hockey or soccer, where stoppage of play is supposed to be kept to a minimum. One thing that makes it may be a little easier in soccer is the fact that the size of the team maybe larger, but the turnover rate on the field is slow. Line changes in hockey can happen any time. It is tough for a referee to mentally mark numbers when they are on and off the ice real quickly, and don't play against the same group of opposing players at any given time during the game. Often, friction develops between certain players on opposing teams and the referee needs to know which pair is the problem so the justice can be meted equally, but when the pair gets split, their aggression may spill over on to the next opponent, and suddenly the referee may find that the problem is snowballing out of control and the answer isn't to call the fouls that are now occuring, but to have nipped the original problem children in the bud. (which of course is a catch-22) > I have a very good friend who > officiates high school football, he constantly hears the same complaints > about missed call and lacked inforcement of the rules. His response is > that how can 4 officials SEE the same as 10,000 fans. Of course another thing to note is that the fan, being partisan, is only interested in spotting the infractions of the other team. So the way those fans see is tinted somewhat already. > His other response > is that NO official worth his weight will blow a "equalizing" penalty > just because he missed a call. I think the point is that it is just > too hard to see all the action when you are just one man. (worth his weight? I always thought those heavier refs were better (:->) But that's not to let the ref off the hook, because that is his/her job. The only thing that seems guaranteed is that losing fans can always blame the referee, not missed opportunities by their offense, not defensive lapses, no, it is ALWAYS the referee that made the difference in the game. I think that there are some other things worth mentioning, but I've probably bored you all silly, so I will close with my feeling on what makes the most difference in the cleanness/dirtiness of the game. It is the coaches on the sidelines. A coach who sponsors clean, non-retaliatory sport, and enforces that attitude on his players is a huge help to a referee. When two of them get together for a game, it's a wonderful thing. When two of their opposites get together, the referee is caught in a crossfire that will always expose him/her for blame when a dirty move is missed. The bottom line is that the official is a human too, entrusted with a great weight of responsibility. I'll bet the person who felt the absolute worst on the night the injury that sparked this thread happened was the referee, because the safety of that player had been entrusted to him. /matt -- Lt Matthew W Jonson [log in to unmask] snail-mail: Network Systems Engineer 205-279-4075 SSC/SSMT USAF DDN Program Office AV: 446-4075 Gunter AFB, AL 36116