Hey Ref

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You Make the Call

That's You, Standing There, Thinking about the Call

Game 6 - PHI at BUF - Mike Richards hit on Tim Connolly:


The call on the Play: Minor for Boarding

The call you make in a split-second decision: ?????

Does time of the game (13:57 in 2nd Period), type of player (Captain, Mike Richards) and game (Game 6, going to a Game 7) make a difference???

Ryan Miller, goalie for the Sabres, had this to say:  "If Mike Richards thinks we're getting away with murder I don't know what he just got away with. Mass murder? Are we stepping up a notch? Unbelievable."

Game 7 is Tuesday April 26, 2011 at 6:30 pm (CST) on Versus.

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Does the type of player make a difference in this hit?:

The call on the Play: Minor for Interference

The call you make in a split-second decision: ????

Does the type of player (bad boy, Jarkko Ruutu) make a difference in suspension?  Ruutu is suspended one game.

Talk amongst yourselves...

Hey Ref

Playoff Hockey

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Holy Close Play, Batman

"Make sure you are on the blue line, Robin."

Close play at the line on the rush that led to the O.T. winner for the Bruins over the Canadiens.  Yes, it is on-side and it is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of how line calls can be deceiving when viewed for the stands, the benches, on TV, or anywhere that isn't on the line, looking at the determining edge of the blue line.

I LOVE IT! (Plus, on a personal note, I love that the Bruins won, because I got them winning the Stanley Cup in my Ultimate Officials NHL Pick Em Contest...whew!  All things tied a two games apiece now.)

A Few Playoff Notes

Too many men?

Some interesting notes: 

Chris Rooney, NHL ref from Massachusetts, and guy who was reffing in the USHL when I first started lining in the USHL, broke his ankle in a game.  Suck wad!

There have been three suspensions in the playoffs so far:

Chris Kunitz: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=35&id=109543

Steve Downie: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=35&id=109558

Bobby Ryan: http://youtu.be/r7MEmL6EqOs

and NOT Raffi Torres: http://youtu.be/JeZDE9H3_vU

AND...

Poor Marian Gaborik: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=0&id=110118

What is a "Dirty" Hit These Days?

"What's the Buzz All About?"

Head contact...

Concussions...

Targeting the head...

Hitting from Behind...

Charging?....

All buzz words these days in hockey circles. I can't turn on Versus, the VS "Overtime" Show, NHL "On the Fly", nor NHL Radio on XM/Sirius without hearing them talk on and on and on about the aforementioned buzz words.

Before we even get on and on and on about the buzz, I have a video and a link for you and a recent NHL playoff article for you:


Zebra TV - Episode 3 from J.B. Olson on Vimeo.
Link referenced in the above video: http://youtu.be/m55RtBUyKcA

RECENT BOURNE ARTICLE LINK: http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/columns/when-clean-hits-look-dirty
(psst...I love the writing of Justin Bourne, former NCAA - Alaska-Anchorage - and Minor Pro Player)

RECENT NHL PLAYOFF STUFF:






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A few things I would like to say, as an ex-player first, and then, as a hockey referee second:

1. I played to hurt guys. Not injure them, but hurt them. What's the difference? The difference is (a) making a guy think twice about tangling in the corner with me again, and (b) I want that guy to feel the "sting" NOT (I repeat *NOT*) to put him in the hospital.

Hockey is a great sport because it can be beautiful, artistic, and at the same time BARBARIC. Me...I liked the BARBARIC side of the sport as much as any.

2. I think a lot of the increase in injuries is because we don't call CHARGING enough.

There are a number of reasons we don't call charging enough...like, does the guy go 100 mph and then set his feet prior to the hit, thus, negating the "taking two or more strides thing?

How about the fact that most times a ref calls charging everybody in the building screams "INJUSTICE!"?(well...half of the people involved).

How about the fact that players are stronger, bigger, and a whole lot faster than before, and no one seems to like the notion of cutting down on speed? Let's face it, there are some big dudes out there moving full tilt.

How about the fact that some of these things happen because everyone is moving full tilt and it is really hard to make an adjustment when we are taking "miliseconds". All guys have on their mind is "finish the hit". All guys are coached to do is to "finish the hit". When you have that demand running through your brain, and the guy you are checking suddenly turns or ducks...well...it's damn hard to stop your momentum.

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What's the answer? I don't have one. I just know that some of the things I have mentioned here are facts that are tough to disprove. Real tough.


(note: hitting from behind is not tough...it is gutless, but look at the Johan Franzen video in the "Bourne Article" and tell me whether Shane Doan was being gutless or not. I say "not" because...well...he was moving FAST!)