Dave Hodge: "NHL officiating falling way short of doing things right."

[Tavrohorvat53]

Quote

Dave Hodge
1/9/2016 8:48:13 AM

"Thumbs down" to what amounts to a rather large disconnect between NHL referees and the league's Department of Player Safety. The Washington Capitals are playing without two forwards, who were both recently suspended for acts that bothered NHL officials in the video room more than they did the refs on the ice. Zach Sill was given a two-game suspension for boarding and injuring Boston's Adam McQuaid, while Marcus Johansson will be out for two games after hitting Thomas Hickey of the Islanders in the head.

Sill received no penalty for hitting McQuaid at the time and Johansson sat in the penalty box for two minutes. The league's decision to suspend Johansson was a clear message that a minor penalty wasn't sufficient punishment.

So, there are a few things wrong here.

According to the league, the refs aren't making the proper calls. Corrections made after the fact do nothing to satisfy the teams that deserved better during the game.

Where video review and coach challenges are concerned, it's all about transparency and getting the calls right, but that's not the case with penalty calls. It should be.

Apart from addressing the need to show that the refs and their overseers are working from the same rule book, the NHL should treat all calls by officials the same way. If the legality of goals can be determined by video and not by the refs' eyes, if coaches can challenge the failure to call goalie interference and offside, hits such as those delivered by Sill and Johansson should be subject to review on the spot, and proper penalties and power plays awarded.

It's too late the following day. And it's too late to make the argument that the refs' judgment needs to be respected. It isn't anymore.

100% agree with his views. It's time for the NHL to review questionable hits, within games , when they occur and hand out appropriate penalties and degree of punishment for the infraction.

The NBA does it with flagrant fouls, why not the NHL with dangerous looking hits or incidents. This way guys will pay the consequence for dangerous or cheap shots in a way that  matters in the grand scheme of things, costing their teams for being undesciplined and resulting in more losses.

 

[Odd.]

I feel for Adam McQuaid.

He's been injured soooo many times. 

He's only played 3 seasons above 60 games and never had a full 82 game season due to injuries. 

I agree with this article.

[Shift-4]

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[Mackcanuck]

In my opinion the Department of player safety people are just as inept and biased as the refs! 

[Smiley2051]

4 minutes ago, Mackcanuck said:

In my opinion the Department of player safety people are just as inept and biased as the refs! 

They are definitely both inconsistent.

[Qwags]

As long as Bettman is around, the only constant in this league will be inconsistencies.

[Green Building]

More in game reviews is a bad idea that will only ruin the flow of the game. Basketball already has a million stoppages so nobody notices any more of them when a potential flagrant is under review. 

Fact is there are 2 people on the ice and if neither one can get the call right then they need more training, maybe some of that hocley IQ people have been talking about these days.

Refs are human and will make mistakes no matter what, making the game slower isn't the right way to fix it. In my opinion more reviews would be a reaction to a problem that begins at the top (player safety) and trickles down to the refs. Nobody knows what they are doing.

[SilentSam]

The Kesler "slough foot" into the back of Prust's knee last week was another example at what should get looked at. The video clearly showed Kesler eyeing up Brandon Prust's feet placement and driving towards that.

im also a firm believer that punishment in most cases where injury occurs in illegal contact,. The suspension is at least the length of the injury sustained, plus the suspension.   The NHLPA, for their own sake should try to ratify this.. After all it is about their health and well being.    Thumbs up to the ICONIC Dave Hodge, who has  been historically outspoken for the better of the game ! The man deserves to be in the HHOF.

thanks Tavrohorvat53

[Hairy Kneel]

nah just take one ref off the ice and put him in the penalty box with a feed to double check hits and dives...can retract dives and embellishment penalties and add penalty time to cheap hits/slew foots needed

[DIBdaQUIB]

The only way to get the cheap hits out of the game is to penalize harshly at the time of the infraction.  Fines and suspensions aren't hurting teams or players.  5 minute major and a game misconduct effectively doled out will hurt teams on the score board an in the standings and the team ownership and management will curtail the behavior themselves. 

 

 

 

[Where's Wellwood]

1 hour ago, SilentSam said:

The Kesler "slough foot" into the back of Prust's knee last week was another example at what should get looked at. The video clearly showed Kesler eyeing up Brandon Prust's feet placement and driving towards that.

im also a firm believer that punishment in most cases where injury occurs in illegal contact,. The suspension is at least the length of the injury sustained, plus the suspension.   The NHLPA, for their own sake should try to ratify this.. After all it is about their health and well being.    Thumbs up to the ICONIC Dave Hodge, who has  been historically outspoken for the better of the game ! The man deserves to be in the HHOF.

thanks Tavrohorvat53

But then a team could potentially keep their player out a bit longer to keep another teams player out of the line up.

[MovesLikeDatsyuk]

2 hours ago, Odd. said:

I feel for Adam McQuaid.

He's been injured soooo many times. 

He's only played 3 seasons above 60 games and never had a full 82 game season due to injuries. 

I agree with this article.

Sorry but McQuaid is a deuche. I never feel sorry for him

[RWMc1]

Dave Hodge must be wearing a tinfoil hat. Does he honestly think there is some kind of League-wide conspiracy against the Canucks?

That's usually the response by the local League reps when officiating is criticized.

It's so obvious that someone with a solid reputation like Dave Hodge is speaking out about it. Manipulating outcomes is status quo now.

[Fanuck]

2 hours ago, SilentSam said:

 

im also a firm believer that punishment in most cases where injury occurs in illegal contact,. The suspension is at least the length of the injury sustained, plus the suspension.   

I'm all for the NHL doing something to make the system better/more consistent,  but sorry,  that's just ridiculous. 

In your suggested system a first time offender who, a little too aggressively, hits someone with preexisting concussion problems would have his own career ended if the injured player never returned to resume his career, this would be just ridiculous imo. 

[PlanB]

3 hours ago, SilentSam said:

 

im also a firm believer that punishment in most cases where injury occurs in illegal contact,. The suspension is at least the length of the injury sustained, plus the suspension.   

So you would advocate that Berts career should have ended because of Moore?  That's laughable.

[viking mama]

Dave Hodge: "NHL officiating falling way short of doing things right."      

^Gheeez...that's the understatement of the decade.

 

When league king-pin, former league-sherriff & GM & current NHL-team President, Brian Burke comes out with a statement telling players to take league discipline into their own hands by being prepared 1st & foremost to 'police the game themselves' with vigilante justice,...and puts that ahead of the administration or intervention of league officials and league justice...well, he's practically inviting anarchy out there on some nights. That says something about this league! Burke is leads us to believe that he has NO real faith in NHL referees to properly officiate, interpret or aptly apply the rules of the game within a typical NHL contest then. Nor does he think the league's players are capable of respecting their fellow union bros,...nor can their coaches effectively preach this mantra t or effectively control their own players. So very little admiration for the type of discipline it takes to become some of the highest paid athletes or motivators in this elite sport - eh? That's WWE-style speak then - Burkie!

 

Instead of encouraging violence to beget more violence,...how about working to better the circumstances for the on-ice police force & give 'em the tools & better odds to properly assess & penalize all infractions - so that players don't grow obsessively incensed with revenge after injurious incidents when some under-penalized player is allowed to stay in a game. That's always akin to a waving red flags infront of bulls? How about properly 'vetting' these officials, and NOT appointing them for their so-called 'experience' when clearly they have botched previous match-ups, 3, 4, or maybe even 5 times previously. Fresh eyes and there's 'no' cause for carry-over justice accusations or of dis-trusting the 'returning' crews - right?  Got a lot of work to do on that front, NHL!

Where is the integrity in this sport, if a man with Burkie's credentials thinks he's 'right'  to encourage his players to defy, break & disrespect the rules of the duly constituted NHL rule-book, to play the game well, in his estimation? Does any one else see how twisted that fossil is now? 

 

The 21st century has developed more than enough technology to assist the NHL in ascertaining the truth out there, for meting out proper consequences & discipline for in-game infractions, and swiftly, too. Video replays could prove the validity of an injury, attempts to injure an opponent, or even attempts to deceive the officiating crews. Off-ice officials could assist in relaying relevant info to on-ice crews. The days of a missed dive or teams getting incensed by a player who unjustly stays in a game, could come at an end. Or would they?

 

If ya take away all of the current ambiguities, how would 'old school' refs be able to employ their particular brand of subjectivity to mis-read drama for entertainment's sake, or enact some desired carry-over justice of their own?!  It would take away the league's 'easiest' opportunity to game-manage & manipulate results. Is this why the league & their all-powerful traditionists (like the BOG Chairman in perpetuity Jacobs) continued to drag their heels on 'more' reviewable video re-plays, until just recently? Mixed messages like naming the NHL's top leadership award after 1 of the most-enabled & sheltered head-hunters in league history (Messier Award), indirectly models what this league really wants its' players to take more notice of.... and NOT weak-kneed waffling messages of non-violence or reform that Bettman or the appointed DPS use to feign some political correctness.

 

Burke knows full well the plethora of advantages the kingpin owners enjoy now, when vigilante violence, fighting & their accompanying dramatics stay present within a hockey game. Almost all other sports ...pfffftt - even all other hockey leagues,....know how to use their own  rules & technology to curb the violence that crops-up from time to time, better! Burke is a hypro-crite to claim that 'enforcers' (fighters and retribution specialists) are needed to ensure player safety out there, when it's the enforcers themselves who pay the lion's share of the price in CTE-type afflictions & other life-impacting mental diseases, disorders or addictions. 'Old-school' codes were manufactured by an 'ol' boys club' themselves long ago to inflame passions for ticket sales & for entertainment purposes. American football is a very heavy-hitting & violent sport too, yet they've managed to let their officials police their games and remove fighting by penalizing it heavily.

 

Staged-fighting is goonish  & deplorable. Someone needs a spark they say - eh?!  Nice message to send-out into a world that battles terrorism & jhadists. It's about getting NHL players & crowds that watch  'em to don Roman-gladiator mentalities, that's about it. What? An honest timely hit not enough?Roughing doesn't suffice? This league is clearly anxious to answer the demand for their particular violent niche, thats lauded over other elite sports leagues ...like the NFL, NBA, MLB or MLS. Boo to that! De-thrown this antiquated leadership group & all of the Messier-worshippers at the top. Supplant them with persons of more progressive quality & with a larger quantity of them - please! Nill, Linden, Sakic, Yzerman, & Lafontaine as Presidents and/or GM's are a decent start. I only wish the DPS had some more progressive & regional representation upon it!  Biased-appointments (retired players with 'old school' leanings or O-6 allegiances & nepotism appointees like Patrick Burke) by league king-pins is the newest hammer of choice being used to crush the hopes of the out-siders, now.

 

What if - more ownership groups developed a progressive nature or enough integrity to oppose the BOG's in-house ways & shake the current group of king-pins from their roosts of power? Nice dream, eh?  Yet, it's always about the money for the NHL's winners & losers. As long as 1 of the fore-ordained wins the SC, it's more to their collective good & the integrity of the game be completely damned.

[SilentSam]

4 hours ago, Where's Wellwood said:

But then a team could potentially keep their player out a bit longer to keep another teams player out of the line up.

... Given it becomes a suspendible offence, meaning it was blatantly non-accidental, with intent to harm, hurt, or injure... Then perhaps that scenario should be taken into consideration by the perpetrator...   Then perhaps that should become even more of incentive NOT to infract in those scenarios.    

[SilentSam]

2 hours ago, PlanB said:

So you would advocate that Berts career should have ended because of Moore?  That's laughable.

No, your right, but if perhaps if what I've written below was part of that scenario... Maybe if Bert knew that could have been part of the equation,  then maybe Bert avoids that scenario? Just tryin to stimulate a healthy conversation here "Plan B",  feel free to add  

2 minutes ago, SilentSam said:

... Given it becomes a suspendible offence, meaning it was blatantly non-accidental, with intent to harm, hurt, or injure... Then perhaps that scenario should be taken into consideration by the perpetrator...   Then perhaps that should become even more of incentive NOT to infract in those scenarios.    

 

[McCannon]

The NHL has been fearful since forever with criticizing its officials (as most leagues are), but I think the NHL is / has been in a perpetual state of denial of the errors of its referees.

It seems like Buttman and Co feel by that if they ignore the fact the officials are inconsistent, awful many nights, the fans will eventually become blind to that fact as well. This is pure stupidity and fails to accept that

1) The fans are quite smart when it comes to how the game is played

2) It actually hurts the marketability and legitimacy of the game

3) Fixing it will actually IMPROVE the game and won't be seen as bad since all the fans watching it, players playing it, GM's gm'ing it, coaches coaching it KNOW there needs to be improvements.

Buttman needs to stop thinking that by pretending its not an issue publicly that it won't be an issue..it is. I watched the Ana/STL game last night and the reffing was ATROCIOUS.....I can't imagine how this board would be going off if the Nucks experienced what the Ducks did last night stick work wise. Violent dangerous hits uncalled, hard slashes and cross checks un called..just awful

Call the game properly, not with marbles in the pocket and 'evening it up'. In fact even during the game, the commentators said at one point after Anaheim started getting some calls, "The Ducks need to be careful here after getting 2 pp's in a row"  - what other professional sport other than fake wrestling thinks that violations to the rules by one team need to be 'even' with the other.

The fact hockey has accepted this idea alone, tells us that something is wrong with officiating and the mentality of officiating in this sport.

[PlanB]

56 minutes ago, SilentSam said:

No, your right, but if perhaps if what I've written below was part of that scenario... Maybe if Bert knew that could have been part of the equation,  then maybe Bert avoids that scenario? Just tryin to stimulate a healthy conversation here "Plan B",  feel free to add  

 

Sorry if my comment sounded overly critical.   I do appreciate you encouraging debate. 

I just feel your concept leaves the door too open for abuse.  I mean if a players suspension rested too much on whether it was or wasn't blatant, then we know that would be abused.   Raymond's injury back in the finals was absolutely blatant imo,  but you ask a pos Bos  fan, what are they going to say - know what i mean?