The art of officiating an NHL game is just that – an art. Sure, there are rules – upon rules, upon rules, upon rules – that are specifically spelled out, but there are also plenty of situations that are purposely left to the interpretation of the on-ice officials; namely, the Referees.
When should a player receive a game misconduct? When should they receive the rare double-game misconduct? What exactly are the parameters for major penalties? And Dear Lord, can somebody please explain when’s the correct time to call for a penalty shot or goalie interference?
These are just some of the subjective rulings the NHL leaves in the hands of the referees. But why are we interested in this? Well, it was 20 years ago this week – March 5, 2004 – that the NHL witnessed its highest ever single game penalty total. The Flyers and Senators combined for 419 penalty minutes in a regulation regular-season game, with roughly 95% of those minutes coming in the final 1:45 of the game. And clearly, not all of those record-setting penalty minutes were assigned strictly “by the book.” So, let’s take a peek into the art of how Referees dole out penalty minutes.
“Every level has different rules for these occurrences,” former NHL Referee, Bob Langdon told Blittner’s Blue Line via text message. (Langdon has served as a Referee at many different Hockey levels over the years, including; the AHL, ECHL, NHL, CHL, OHL and UHL).
“Every Referee has his own way of calling a game,” Paul Stewart, a US Hockey Hall of Famer and former NHL Referee explained. “(Kerry) Fraser, Dan Marouelli, myself (and others), we each had our own way of calling a game…The rulebook is a guide.”
“(In the case of fighting) the first fight (gets assessed a) major, then every other fight receives a game misconduct (if it occurs during) the same stoppage and so on,” Langdon explained. “Starting a fight with a non-willing combatant is an instigator (penalty) and the one who doesn’t want to stop after officials are in would be the aggressor.”
Ok, so maybe things are a little less murky than we originally thought, but I still believe there’s a certain level of interpretation that goes on.
“Sometimes, I’d just say to the guys, ‘let me know when you’re tired,” Stewart added. “I wasn’t going to get in the way of the guys’ livelihood.”
“Game time, score and other things can come into play,” Langdon admitted.
At least we now have proof that Referees will extend players some latitude when it comes to fighting, rather than just throwing the book at them right away.
“You can never prejudge a game or a fight,” Stewart chimed in.
“A lot of the newer officials were former players and not officials,” Langdon explained. “So I’m not sure they would even know how to handle those types of situations now, as they are so rare and sadly I doubt they teach it anymore.” (Langdon is referencing the 419 penalty minute game and how the situation got out of hand).
He has a point. Those crazy games where all heck breaks loose just don’t happen much anymore, so it’s not terribly surprising that newer officials wouldn’t know how exactly to handle those situations. But I do find it interesting that Langdon and Stewart essentially admit that sometimes the refs just have to stand aside and let the players do their thing.
“There were times where I held the linesman back,” Stewart said. “Sometimes you’ve just gotta let the guys go.”
With how badly that Flyers-Senators game broke down towards the end, it’s not a stretch to say the Referees had no choice other than to assess those 419 penalty minutes. Although, when you go back and read the box score, you will find yourself questioning how certain calls were made. Then again, it’s like Stewart explained over the phone. “You’re not Merlin, you can’t invent stuff.”
In other news, the NHL’s annual Trade Deadline is fast approaching and this year’s is shaping up to be as chaotic as ever. In fact, 22 of The League’s 32 teams currently either occupy a playoff spot or sit no more than eight points out of one. So who exactly is selling and who’s buying?
We’ve already seen a few high-profile trades this season, but with Friday’s 3pm(ET) deadline rapidly drawing near, you can expect business to pick up in earnest. Just based upon rumors, it’s possible there could be major shake-ups in the NY/NJ tri-state area.
Could the Rangers deal away Kaapo Kakko, thus ending his frustrating tenure with the team? Might the Blueshirts bring back an old face in Frank Vatrano? Will the Devils have to bite the bullet and trade Dawson Mercer in order to upgrade on defense or in goal? And would that net them somebody like Jacob Markström? Meanwhile, what does Lou Lamoriello have planned for the Islanders and their inconsistent season?
One name who we know is no longer on the market is Elias Pettersson. The Canucks ended months of speculation by signing the Sweet Swede to an eight-year contract extension over the weekend.
Pettersson’s $11.6M average annual value caught some people off guard, but a 25-year-old center with his numbers was always going to cash in when the time came.
Speaking of players who will be staying put, the Rangers rewarded backup goaltender Jonathan Quick with a one-year contract extension. That should allow Quick to become the all-time winningest U.S.-born goalie in NHL history and also the first U.S.-born goalie to reach 400 wins.
Meanwhile, Evgeny Kuznetsov has had a whirlwind several days. First, he was cleared to return to practice after being in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Then he was fully cleared to rejoin the Capitals and play in games. But before he could do so, Washington placed him on waivers and now he’s down in the AHL with the Hershey Bears.
Talk about your fall from grace.
And lastly, which do you think is the more impressive feat, scoring 70-goals in a season, or dishing out 100 assists in a season? Both are exceptionally rare and yet, both could happen this year with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid chasing down these respective milestones.
