Just can't resist adding two cents' worth to all the discussion on the quality of officiating. The attitude concerning/beliefs about/behavior toward/comments on officiating by fans is generally irrational in ALL sports. That's because by definition a fan is a "fanatic"--fanatically favorably disposed toward her/his team. As one poster noted, the basic psychology of this makes it very unlikely that fans will view the officiating in games involving their "own" teams objectively. I am pretty certain that the vast majority of us can judge officials' work objectively ONLY when we watch them working games which don't involve a team about which we care. I don't know if college hockey fans are any worse about this than any other group. It would be interesting to compare comments on a college basketball discussion list, if there were or is one. I just smile to myself and shake my head a bit when a fan behind me at Lakeview Arena will see an official make a call against the Wildcats involving a play 100 feet from our seats and loudly state "That's terrible, just a terrible call!" One of my best friends at my previous institution where basketball was the most involving sport, could not keep from yelling at the referees, no matter how his vantage point compared with theirs (almost invariably, of course, it was much worse). Look--no official will see every violation. Furthermore, once in a while an official will interpret a player's action as a violation when another might legitimately question that. And certainly, the view of the action of an official can be less than perfect, especially in hockey where the action is SO fast. I for one am extremely grateful that some individuals are so dedicated to college hockey that they're willing to put up with the physical and verbal abuse to be officials. I'm certain the monetary awards can't account for their participation! Obviously, officials need to be consistent within games, both in terms of the teams and the point in the game. My personal feeling about WCHA games I've watched over the last three years is that the officials HAVE been quite consistent "within themselves." There have been differences in terms of what gets called in different games worked by different officiating crews, to a small extent. Teams can live with that. The North Dakota coach and Rick Comley commented the other day that there are about four critical calls an officiating crew makes, early in a game, and then if they're constent, the teams know what will and won't be allowed and everyone can play with that knowledge. One thing which I have a big problem with is the notion some fans have (and that some believe some officials have) is that penalties should not be called late in a game. The rationale for this is that "the players should decide the outcome." Well, excuse me, but just who committed the fouls which resulted in the penalties? As far as I can recall, it's always a player, not an official, who commits the foul. (This issue is common to all sports, not just hockey.) Final note--could we have organized sports without officals? Somehow, I don't think so. **************************************************************** * Steven B. Christopher, Dean * * College of Behavioral Sciences, Human Services and Education * * Northern Michigan University * * 116 Magers Hall, Marquette, MI 49855 * * PHONE (906) 227-2400 FAX (906) 227-1385 [log in to unmask]* ***************************************************************