Zebras: On Notice

The state of NHL officiating thus far in 2006-2007 can be described as non-descript, non-chalant, stagnant at best. I can't adequately describe what it is at its worst without resorting to vulgarities and profanity, so I'll just settle by saying it is beyond sorely lacking on several fronts.

Saturday night, in addition to watching the Flyers get their posteriors handed to them on the scoreboard by a 6-1 count, I saw (and heard on the way home from work) at least four instances where the referees failed to make either the right call, or any call at all. Sharks defenseman Rob Davison and forward Mark Bell were the main culprits, counting Flyers forward Alexandre Picard among their confirmed injuries when he was slammed from behind into the glass. R.J. Umberger was also upended from a precarious position with the Flyers bench door open, and Mike Knuble was served most barbarously right in front of the bench.

The only penalty called was one to Bell on the Picard hit, and even then, only a two-minute minor for boarding which looked suspiciously like a five-minute-major for charging. What's more, Boyd Kane was hit with the rare 2-5-and-10 for defending Picard by fighting Bell, while Bell only picked up a fighting major.

Whether it's a scrum after the whistle, or an infraction that draws blood, it's easy to figure out the directive from the league regarding calls and game flow: keep it as even as possible.

At the time of the Picard hit, the Sharks had built a 3-1 lead and carried all the momentum from that 3-goal first into the second. Would it have killed the referees to award the Flyers a five-minute power-play, or was it deemed to risky a venture in what was at the time a close game? The correct call might have given the Flyers something to hook on to, with the whole five minutes to score as much as they could. Instead, there was no call, Kane was sent to the sin bin for 17 minutes, and soon after, the Sharks pumped in a fourth goal. I can't remember the last time I saw a game officiated without an "even up" philosophy implemented - maybe sometime last December, and before last season, maybe 10 years ago or more.

One reason why games were so much more compelling in the early-to-mid 90's, was the fact that officials were not afraid to call one team for successive 5-on-3's without feeling compelled to give the other team equal opportunity. That's what begat blowouts, when better teams took advantage of those chances and ripped into their opponent. It must be an unintended consequence of keeping all 30 teams afloat now, not to tip momentum too much in one direction by actually officiating.

It's a shame every fan, broadcaster, writer and pundit complained bitterly over the incredible amount of penalty calls in the first half of last season. The league directive then, was to let the officials dictate flow of the game by making as many calls as necessary, to wean all players off the clutch, hook, and grab tactics which marked the previous 10 seasons. The resulting glut of power plays and power-play goals did much to boost the goals-per-game average, while also teaching players how strictly the rules would be enforced. However, after the New Year, the tide of rancor must have become too great for even Bettman and VanHellemond to bear, and the number of calls (and subsequently goals) dropped noticeably. The calls decreased, but it was not an indicator of how well players adapted to the new philosophy of more skating room on the ice.

This season, goals are down because coaches have found more ways to exploit the supposedly open ice for defensive purposes. There's more obvious hooking, holding, and tomfoolery after the whistle that is much-too-conspicuously going by the wayside without punishment. So now, we have four extra skaters in zebra gear on the ice with very little power, except when they confer to make calls that one or more of them did not happen to catch with the naked eye. That's what was so jarring about a game this week where the Blackhawks were whistled for nine consecutive penalties.

Without proper calls from the officials, games are already turning into the 2-1, 3-2 snoozefests where teams wait until overtime or the shootout to make their move. Please, go back to whistling six, seven, eight penalties per period. I won't be whining about messing up the flow of the game if the correct calls are made - I can afford to sit through an extra 15 minutes of game time to see the right things done. Don't be afraid to make calls that put one team in a deep hole - you're only punishing these teams who decide to cut corners. Don't make your lives easier by being a neutral arbiter just because the fans might complain, the league may call, or head coaches may want your head on a platter after their team lost a game - it's your job, and it's isolating and tough, but those are the breaks you accept when you take the job.