Refs

[sampy]

Maybe if Kesler wasn't a whiny diving bit$h the Nucks would get the odd call. Shockingly enough, the one time Kesler stayed on his feet he got a call. So embarrassing. I wonder why a lot of fans dislike the Nucks?? Hmmm, integrity.

[Jester13]

I have an idea because I agree that the reffing is so bush league in the NHL that it's disgusting.

Imagine: fans all over the league thru yellow flags on the ice from time to time as a protest like it was the NFL!

The NFL has the best reffing in sports by far. They have a challenge rule which is awesome, and the refs see everything. The NHL could learn a lot from them. Bettman et al needs to know that his style/plan of game management diminishes the NHL's integrity and the fans, and I'm sure the players too, hate it.

START THROWING YELLOW FLAGS, PASS IT ON!

[Clonedanielsedin]

The fans protests will never change it. The NHLPA and GM's are the ones who need to speak up.

[WL Canuck Fan]

Wish it was just lately but I really feel it has gone back many years, maybe even back to 1980, maybe Nielsen humiliating the refs is still in their minds especially when we erect a statue out front commemorating it.

Its amazing that if anyone else in any other job was so feeble at their profession at minimum they would be fired or perhaps even actually put in jail.

I realize its not the Canucks only problem, I know, but come on it is boarder lining on the absurd, how can a team sustain offensive pressure constantly killing bad call penalties while the exact same thing is let go when the roles are reversed?

I really dislike whining about reffing but I watch the games, I try to be objective, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, that it is a fast game, and human error comes in to play, but why is it always an uphill battle with the Refs? When was the last time we could honestly say the reffing was ridiculously in favour of the Canucks?

I really think that for the sake of the league, to be assured that prejudice doesn't come into play, there needs to be an overhaul of the reffing system.

I know it will never happen but I feel a joint US/Canadian government regulated reffing system needs to be adopted where there is accountability for the mistakes made. Again I know it is just fantasy, but maybe its a potential solution should things get bad enough across the board and is actually talked about in mainstream media (should something crazy like a betting scandal emerge or something like that)

[Geoff Peterson]

As I've been saying...the Ref's are root of all that is evil...the inconsistency is so over the top, it is starting to look rigged. It all started about four years ago, when the Blackhacks... won the cup...its all about marketing....America loves a winner.

[D-Money]

I usually don't get caught up with blaming the refs...until I saw that "embellishment" penalty.

WTF? Our leading scorer has a clean break to the net, and you actually think he's going to dive? GTFO!

[5minutesinthebox]

I cannot stand the refs anymore. They are driving me crazy. Everytime we build some momentum hamhuis brushes beside a guy and boom what do you know he's sent to the box. Or we are cycling the puck and there's a trip that a 5 year old could make the call on, but they just allow play to continue. I mean how is the Burrows getting punched in the face not equal to or worse than the Hansen suspension on Hossa? Daniel has no reputation of diving what so ever and gets a stick between the legs and its diving? Like come on. Everyone will say that the Canucks are to blame and the refs have barely anything to do with it, but it's hard to do anything when you get in a rythm and the refs ref like they are blind folded with broken whistles that they swallowed. Anybody else feel the same way?

[5minutesinthebox]

Biggest mistake the league made was taking the Names off the refs jerseys. zero accountability.

[Ginu]

As I've been saying...the Ref's are root of all that is evil...the inconsistency is so over the top, it is starting to look rigged. It all started about four years ago, when the Blackhacks... won the cup...its all about marketing....America loves a winner.

[Buckeye Fruit]

MG...take the fine and call these SOBs out!!!

All GMs need to just suck it up, take the fines and speak their minds, otherwise nothing will ever happen.

Refs are RUINING the game!

[Ginu]

Easy for you to say. Kinda hard to play 60 minutes when the refs make you shorthanded with phantom penalties.

You should know refs can screw a game plan and change the momentum in very few whistles if they want to, and it will all appear innocent 'due to the speed of the game'

[apollo]

It's burrows fault he isn't as fragile as a toddler like Hossa is. Absolute joke. How Hansen gets suspended and then nothing for the hit on burrows.

[cammy]

The problem stems from the whole franchising system, the league itself is a business which in turn means it has its own objectives. It also controls the refs which is a conflict of interest.

Not in North America the franchising system wont go away, so it seems that the refs themselves need to be split from the league into their own body. Would be nice if they came under the umbrella of the IIHF - with them monitoring the standards and promoting/demoting them to differing tier levels ( like what happens in most European sports)

[panelguy]

I saty we might aswell go back to a one ref system.

I'm sure we wouldn't see a difference.

[Airjasper]

What about that massive slash on Hank when they were cycling the puck early on. And that embellishment call on Daniel was down right brutal.....And Burrows getting punched in the face on a puck in the air...Maybe Hank should have went and cried to the ref and Burrows should have laid on the ice motionless for 5 minutes.

I feel there is just 0 accountability for the refs. They are allowed to screw up more than your local weatherman.

I think NFL is a MUCH harder sport to ref since there are so many individual battles going on everywhere...Yes they screw up from time to time, but it is very rare when compared to the NHL. It's like in hockey we are permanently stuck with the replacement refs.

[King Heffy]

League has to return to a 1 ref system. There aren't enough competent refs in the league to provide 1 decent one per game, let alone two.

The league also needs to implement some kind of system to pevent the same refs from screwing the same teams:

• O'Halloran screws Canucks - Gillis makes formal complaint (in private)

• O'Halloran is not assigned to any Canuck games while incident is reviewed

• If proven to be a terrible call, O'Halloran is warned that this is unacceptable before return to work

• O'Halloran screws Canucks again - Gillis makes formal complaint (in private)

• O'Halloran is not assigned to any Canuck games for the duration of the season

• If proven to be a terrible call, O'Halloran is warned that this is unacceptable and barred from workinng during the playoffs

• O'Halloran screws Canucks - Gillis makes formal complaint (in private)

• O'Halloran is not assigned to any Canuck games ever again

• If proven to be a terrible call, O'Halloran is fired

[Quoted]

I think what kills me most is not the missed calls where something happens and no one sees exactly what, but the ones (like the slash on Henrick) where the ref is staring right at it, and tells the player to stop (or whaterver he said) rather than calling the penalty.

[Tokasmoka]

To give one a penalty for tripping and another for diving on the same play has to be the most moronic call in sports. It's either a trip or a dive ffs!!! Or blow the whistle and call it as it is to the crowd "I cannot comprehend what infraction was just comitted and for that I am going to take 1 man off from each team for 2minutes."

[lolwut?]

Lol i cant help but laugh when I read people say "you cant blame the refs for the canucks losing" even though nobody really ever blames the refs entirely for the canucks losing but rather say that they arent fair..whoever blames officiating outright for a loss is braindead anyway.

I also love the lamers that say stuff like "its just part of the game" as if this means it should be tolerated.. the nhl is supposed to be the best league in the WORLD and some fans are happy to just ignore the poor officiating, player discipline etc.. pathetic.

I knew this was coming for several years now.. its because this league and the officials have been watered down, you have 4 frigging officials on the ice for every game yet there is more incorrect calls this year and its gotten worse every single year. Anyone who doesnt see this either isnt watching the games or is a blind nhl fanboy.

Sadly I doubt anything will change until the GMs put pressure onto the league to overhaul how they train officials as well as the rulebook. That said, there does appear to be a degree of game management that occurs within games.. also hard to refute when you witness some of the outright crap that happens and more importantly, when.

Seriously I have about as much faith that in the nhl as I do in online poker at this point.. hard to beleive it isnt scripted in some way form or shape, but thats just my belief.

[SamJamIam]

I actually love the yellow flag idea. Line your coats with flags and every time a bad all is made, people flood the ice with flags. Refs will get a taste of their own medicine by fans disrupting the flow of the game and the league will have to get their crap together as the event makes news and brings shame to the sport.