During the second intermission of Game 4 of the finals on Monday, Ron MacLean interviewed Colin Campbell and took him to task for some of the calls and lack of calls during the playoffs. Campbell tried to spin it a little with the old “what do you want us to do, it’s the playoffs, and we have to leave the best players in there” line.
It’s simple. You had the whole regular season to get the folks used to the new changes. If they’re not used to the changes by now, TS. But hey, money talks, so that ain’t gonna happen.
I’ve been really disappointed with the role the officials have taken on this year. They’re miked up, and they’ve been putting on a show with some flamboyant arm-waving and signalling. They’ve further spiced up the game by being so inconsistent on what a penalty actually is, that no one – on the ice or off – really knows when something is going to get called.
While the officiating hasn’t adversely affected the outcomes, it’s frustrating to watch sometimes. Game flow is never really established, as the inconsistent calls keep everything off balance. Players and coaches can’t say a whole lot for fear of getting fined, but it’s evident from the looks on their faces these days that they have no clue what’s a penalty and what isn’t any more. It’s nice to see the media occasionally speak out, but it is a little late in the season to be doing so.
I agree with Ron. It’s a contact game, and so long as there’s no holding (not “holding up”, that’s the whole point of the contact), let the players hit the handler (and that includes goalies). Call the diving for what it is, and when you call a dive don’t call the other guy for a penalty too. If it’s a dive, then it shouldn’t be an infraction to the other guy.
Take the “embellishment” word away as an excuse. If the player dives, the player dives. Saying it was an embellishment of a foul every time and calling the “foul” at the same time gives zero motivation for players to stop.
Try for consistency in calls, which I think is something that was hinted at, but never stated in the interview. In any event, have a boo, it’s good stuff, and it reinforces a lot of what I think about Colin Campbell and the NHL.