![]() If there is to be change in the way games are officiated, there must be a change at the top of the department. But that does not excuse the widespread incompetence and inefficiency on display across the continent on a regular basis, and that does not excuse the lack of public accountability from his department. Now, is it likely that Walkom operates independently from the wishes of Sixth Avenue? Not in the least. Sandpaper takes the stage in the playoffs. Talent is showcased through the regular season. One way for 82 games (or, in the alternative, 56) and another way for the games that count the most. Then, of course, come the playoffs, where officials willfully ignore the rule book and permit mayhem after almost every whistle under the guise of “allowing the boys to play.” Of course, this skews the tournament results in favor of brawn every time. That is the purpose of even-up, arbitrary calls - and, just as importantly, non-calls - that dot the landscape on a nightly basis. ![]() ![]() That is the purpose of the losers’ point. It is all about keeping it close in the NHL. How on earth do you think the Panthers were able to defeat both the Legion of Doom Flyers and the Mario Lemieux-Jaromir Jagr Penguins en route to the 1996 Cup finals, in which they were swept by the Avalanche? The NHL, which acted shocked, shocked we’ll say, that such a thing would exist in its universe, though the league, both before and throughout Walkom’s tenure at the top of the officiating food chain, has countenanced its officials managing games for decades.īefore introduction of the hard cap in 2005-06, the league permitted, if not encouraged, low-payroll teams to engage in blatant obstruction and interference in order to even the scales against clubs with higher payrolls and, thus, more talented squads. There’d been only one prior penalty assessed against Detroit, so the desire to even things up at that juncture seems odd, but then again, that’s Peel, who had long before announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. Peel, of course, was fired posthaste after a hot-mic clip caught the referee saying he “wanted to get” an “early” penalty against the Predators after he made a marginal tripping call 4:46 into the second period of their game against the Red Wings on Tuesday. Let me know when the NHL fires vice president and director of officiating Stephen Walkom instead of referee Tim Peel, and I’ll believe the league is onto something. Rangers not waiting on Joel Quenneville - but Penguins dysfunction raises Mike Sullivan questions Pass/Fail exercise for eliminated Stanley Cup playoff teams Yankees manager Aaron Boone is the one who needs to 'be better' Patrick Roy is exactly what the Rangers need Joel Quenneville likely isn't why Rangers' coaching decision lingers
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