Couldn't hold my tongue on this thread any longer. First, I have to agree that the idea of introducing the red line to college hockey is reprehensible for all the reasons already noted; second, it is my firm belief that proper enforcement of the rules already on the books would be more than sufficient to a) speed up the game and b) prevent a whole host of injuries. To those observations I would add the following re: one ref or two: empower ALL THREE officials to call any and all penalties. Now, before you tear my head off for this heretical thought, consider: football already has almost as many officials as there are players, and it hasn't diminished the popularity of the sport one bit. Likewise with basketball, where the almost incessant whistle-blowing by all the zebras on the court for what are, to me, invisible infractions has slowed the pace of the game to a crawl, but doesn't keep the fans from filling the stands for games, or kids from pursuing round-ball scholarships. Both sports enjoy lucrative television coverage, filling the schools' coffers with extra cash -- compare that to the meager TV exposure for college (and even pro) hockey. It would take some getting used to, for the players, fans, and the officials themselves, but you can't tell me that three pairs of eyes watching for rules violations wouldn't clean the game up considerably. A conscientious effort by the leagues to form compatible, cohesive triads of officials would be a prerequisite, and as I said, it would take a while for the system to jell, but I think it could work. And that doesn't even include the idea of an instant-replay official... !?! O.K. -- fire away! HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.