beliveau1 Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 Veteran refs being pushed aside..... Very interesting analysis of the way veteran referees have been dropped from the playoff rotation this year because they didn't adapt from the old 'let the players decide it...' school of though - it also points out how Marouelli and LaRue have fallen by the wayside after missing the Koivu incident..... Screwup and be held accountable - about time in the NHL. Hopefully they stick to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted May 28, 2006 Share Posted May 28, 2006 I certainly hope so. It's a shame this didn't happen to McGeough though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortcat1 Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 (edited) Veteran refs being pushed aside..... Very interesting analysis of the way veteran referees have been dropped from the playoff rotation this year because they didn't adapt from the old 'let the players decide it...' school of though - it also points out how Marouelli and LaRue have fallen by the wayside after missing the Koivu incident..... Screwup and be held accountable - about time in the NHL. Hopefully they stick to it? I sympathize with you and that position but I have to think that the NHL was just chopping some heads for a call that was likely legitimately missed in the case of Marouelli & LaRue. There is probably more of a PR thing going on here. As to dropping the 'veteran' refs, there could be more of a PR thing here too. I'm not aware, like all of us here , of the overall performance of these refs over the course of this last season but to just drop them As to the comment: "there was a feeling that some of the veteran referees remained too wedded to the old style", who had that feeling? Was it Strachan himself? Was it a feeling that was substantiated? Was it a feeling that developed a life of its own?, etc. The same goes with the expression "pushed aside". Those words in the headline are likely chosen as good eye&brain candy. I'm not automatically trusting of what a journalist says to begin with. Lets face it, they do have a way with words that can create a scenario which may or may not be there and/or there to that extent. If the NHL is actually and verifiably seeing that the veterans are struggling with the new direction of the NHL. Yet to simply 'push them aside', is pretty drastic. I hope it only means they're not going to be the ones chosen to do the playoff games. Or, if they are being 'pushed out', I hope that they will be treated with respect for the work that they did over the years. They will surely have done good enough work to have been there as long as they have. They did follow the rules and interpretation guidelines as they were directed to do. If this is all just a big PR act, one that says "Hey, watch us, we're making YOUR NHL get better and better', then that would be a disputable way to act. You'd better hope that OUR EMPLOYERS never treat us like that when we're become 'veterans' in our jobs . :king: :hlogo: :king: Edited May 29, 2006 by shortcat1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromage Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Didn't Larue and Marouelli ref game 4 when Williams highsticked Markov? I wouldn't be suprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalHab Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 I have absolutely no problem with this......too many refs like Kerry Fraser have made bad calls that have turned around an entire series (Tor Vs LA in '93, Mtl vs Carolina in '02).....a little too much power for any one is not good......another guy that needs to get off his high horse is McGeough (sp?)...his gesticulations when making a routine call (especially for the home team) are just pure grandstanding.......... imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beliveau1 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 Actually the concept of dropping refs from the rotation as the playoff progress is nothing new - it has always been routine for less experienced staff to not advance to the finals. Staff was reduced at the completion of each round, but rarely so based on performance. For a ref to be dropped in mid series/round the problem would have had to have been horrendous. What is new to this NHL, is the fact that certain veteran referees who are not performing up to par are being shed in favour of younger refs. In the past a veteran ref had to really screw up in order to be dropped out of the rotation, as the senior members were expected to be there when the games counted most. Now refs like Fraser, who are routinely expected to work the finals, are being held accountable for their mistakes and their overall performance. Is such accountability a good thing? Obviously it is...... just like it is anywhere else. In the real world employees who fail to live up to their expectations on a regular basis often suffer the consequences. It shouldn't be any different in sports? Rewarding those who perform their task as expected is not a slap against the veterans who have allowed themselves to slip back into the old 'let the players play' mode in the playoffs. However if they are dropped just for young blood regardless of their performance quality, then that is wrong - ust plain wrong. In this case I think the NHL is on the right track and hopefully it will continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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