On Saturday afternoon, I took in the question & answer period held at the Coliseum featuring Gilles Courteau. The primary topic of conversation between fans and commish was easily the state of officiating. Talks of seemingly blatant missed calls, inconsistency, even vague suspicions of homerism (or non-homerism, as it were) were discussed. For his part, Mr.Courteau handled these questions and concerns with grace and as sympathetic an ear as he can afford to lend. One solution that the CHL has toyed with according to the commissioner is the notion of a league-wide centralized pool and training ground for officials, making their jobs within hockey a full time position as opposed to the part-time job it currently is. One of the drawbacks to this notion, of course, would be the ability for all three leagues to come to terms with the finer details of this proposition, mainly the logistical and financial side of the agreement, particularly from those representing smaller, less centrally located markets as this proposal would require the backing of all teams. From where I sat, the perception I was under was that this sort of restructuring would be many years away at best.
In the meantime, the QMJHL muddles on as best it can with the rules as they are laid out before them and the officials they have. However, is there some sort of solution that could somehow improve both the quality of the work from the men in stripes as well as their ability to develop into more competent, confident arbiters in their own right?
I should stop at this juncture and make it perfectly clear that I respect the job these men do night in and night out. These are people with full time jobs during the daytime, sometimes rushing to get to the rink for their assigned contest, casting authority over two teams of fast, aspiring teenage boys coached by men that are more and more becoming products of some form of the professional ranks in front of thousands of rabid (not to mention impatient, when it comes to them) fans. They barely have time to prepare to call a game in which they are both bound to miss or misinterpret what they see in front of scores of discerning people. It's a totally thankless job in which I wouldn't want to do for scads of money and they should be applauded for their efforts far more than they actually are.
On a couple of occasions, while still a commentator for News 91.9, the topic of officiating and how to improve it came up on air. The suggestion I had brought forth on those occasions was to modify the officiating structure in the league to what it once was before the CHL-wide mandate on four official games were implemented, where either one referee worked each game or - when possible- two referees on nights when the schedule was lighter. However, when two officials are working one game, it should be assured that a relative newcomer is paired with a veteran.
Of the three major junior leagues in Canada, the QMJHL has the lowest hockey playing population base of which to draw from. It would stand to reason, therefore, that the per capita number of officials would be similarly skewed. Therefore, it's probably a safer bet that year after year newer officials are being brought up very quickly in order to compensate. Referees that have relatively little experience at this level can sometimes be put into four official games as the "senior" ref... which essentially means the two men making the rulings on the ice have the potential to lose control or make errors in judgement more readily. This begs the question, when is bringing up these arbiters quickly considered to be "too quickly".
Perhaps some streamlined process could be implemented whereby once officials reach a set number of games, their responsibilities can be increased. That way, the requirement to gain experience as quickly as possible is diminished and the overall confidence (as well as competence) level of these men could only be more firmly established.
Each league tries to keep their base rules as uniform as possible. With rare exception, teams are capped at three 20 year old players each. No team can have more than two European import players playing in any one game. Each league's entrance age (once again, with rare exception) is 16. However, many other major facets of the game can vary from league to league. Where the WHL and QMJHL follow the no-touch icing rule, the OHL does not. Rules regarding fighting and general violence vary from league to league. Protected lists and draft regulations also vary. The leagues differ in these rules based fundamentally on what each league feels will serve their own greater good the best. There is no reason to believe that modifying the two referee rule in the Q wouldn't serve that same purpose.
As previously stated, these guys are working men first, referees second. They love and respect the game as much - if not more - than you or I. By making a modification to the rules such as curtailing the number of four official games, I think in some ways it would allow the game to alleviate the quickly intensifying pressure the newcomers to this level of officiating experience as well as improve the overall quality of the game for everyone from player to coach to fan. Just as importantly, it would allow the league to reciprocate that level of respect all referees have for the sport. On the surface, it would appear as a slap in the face to the men in stripes... in my opinion, it would be an encouraging pat on the back, allowing them a comfort zone they are currently not afforded.
In the eyes of many, the refs are always wrong... what harm would it do to employ fewer "wrong" people if it could lead to the betterment of the league's on-ice product?
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