Referee Experiences

[nahc]

The biggest problem I see with 0 penalties being called in the Pee Wee game described by Dmom is that if 2 other officials had called the game, the boxes may have been full of skaters.......its the consistancy thing....

[watchdog]

i said its rare that missed calls will change the out come of a game. theirs plenty of games that the outcome is from calls that are made. 5 minutes for a cross check is probley over the top. my sons team was playing the blades last summer and they called his team for a 5 minutes on boarding. they scored three goals with a 5-3 final blades win!!

[DMom]

i'd rather argue whether it changes a game, than whether it happens. If the kids know after the first ten minutes that the other team will have their way with them in the corners and nothing will be called than they are going to be more tentative in the corners and dump the puck quickly. that changes the game. it can take a more skilled, quicker team off of their game. good coaching? taking advantage of what the refs give you?

[inthestands]

Good point Dmom. There isn't much question "if" it happens.

The standards of play emphasized a few years back is suppose to greatly reduce putting those more skilled, quicker teams behind the eight ball when playing rough and tough teams.

As coaches, we all have to recognize how the officials calling each game interpet those standards. If we compare game calling today, to game calling 5 years ago, I think we'd all have to agree "hockey players" are more important today than they were in the past. Years ago if you were big and mean enough you could intimidate, slow down, and beat up most teams better than you.

Today, that type of play gets penalized more consistently and should continue too. Not to say playing tough, and taking a faster more skilled team off their game isn't a good idea, as long as you can do it without playing short handed.... That is a coaching decision based on your specific game situation.