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Two-ref system under fire

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Posted: Tuesday May 11, 1999 09:49 PM

The two-referee system, the darling of a National Hockey League midseason experiment, is coming under fire in the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Burns and Philadelphia coach Roger Neilson recently had some pointed criticism of the system, noting that it sometimes appears to lead to inconsistent play and inconsistent calls and that the game has become an endless parade in and out of the penalty box.

Buffalo Sabres captain Michael Peca recently came out against it, arguing that the system makes it difficult for players to get a sense of how the game is going to be called.

"With two personalities, you don't know how a game is going to go," Peca said. "With one ref, you've got one guy who takes charge of the direction of the game."

Others have argued that some pairs of referees have resorted to one-upmanship calls, going so far as to imply that there's a top-this approach from some referees, a claim that Philadelphia Flyers managing director Ed Snider hinted at during his tirade against the state of officiating last week.

Yet the numbers don't bear that out. Through the first round, the number of penalties called were lower than after the first round last spring, when the one-ref system was used.

In addition, the average number of minutes called in a first-round game was less than it was in the regular season -- whether the game had one ref or two.

During the season, there were 31.9 minutes of penalties when one ref was doing the game. In two-ref games, the number went up marginally to 32.1.

Through the first round of the playoffs, the average game netted 28.9 minutes in penalties -- a drop despite the fact numerous games went to extended overtime during the playoffs.

There are some inconsistencies, not the least of which is referee dueling, but there also has been a remarkable change in regards to penalties that traditionally took place behind the referee when play moved up ice. That kind of behavior has virtually disappeared in the playoffs.

And while there has been a perception regarding a so-called parade to the penalty box, it hasn't had an impact on scoring. During the season, the league average for goals scored in one-referee games was 5.2. If there were two refs, the number went up a mere one tenth of 1 percent to 5.3.

Not surprisingly, goal scoring is down in the playoffs compared to the regular season. Through the first round, the average was 4.8 goals per game.

There are two reasons for this. Teams that make the playoffs traditionally have better goaltending and, quite often, the man-advantage situations -- even the two-man advantage situations -- tend to even out over the course of a series. This means there are relatively few periods were teams actually have a meaningful man-advantage situation.

In terms of fine-tuning the two-ref system, the NHL might be wise to adopt a page from the NBA system and put an experienced referee with a younger one.

The Sabres' Michael Peca thinks the two-referee system creates confusion. Jamie Squire/Allsport

This not only allows the younger referee to take part in a learning experience under the eyes of a more experienced official, but it's likely to allow the senior referee to take and keep control of the game, eliminating charges of one-upmanship.

The current system in use in the playoffs puts veteran referees together, not a good idea in terms of personality clashes.

The concept of having a senior referee -- and then one who acts largely as an extra set of eyes -- is a good one. Over time, the junior referee becomes more experienced and that helps keep a steady flow of experienced officials in the game as the older referees retire.

Bruins-Sabres series getting physical

There's bad blood developing between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres, and it's starting to rival the Detroit-Colorado series in terms of physical play.

Bruins fans were enraged when Sabres defenseman Alexei Zhitnik took Ray Bourque into the boards from behind in Game Two of the series in Boston. Sabre players and fans were equally enraged when the Bruins took whacks at Buffalo's playoff meal ticket, Dominik Hasek, once in Game One and twice in Game Two.

Zhitnik took exception to charges that he intentionally hit Bourque from behind, nothing that he let up on the play and that Bourque knows it.

"I saw [his] back was turned and I eased up,"' Zhitnik said. "If I had hit him as hard as I could, he would be without life."

Bruins coach Pat Burns labeled the hit dirty, and Zhitnik did get a two-minute penalty. But Bourque was not hurt on the play and, in fact, quarterbacked the subsequent Boston power play.

Toronto's Quinn sighing with relief

Toronto coach Pat Quinn was breathing a sigh of relief after the Leafs evened its series with Pittsburgh, 1-1. But he ripped into his team for taking a soft approach to the series.

"You don't do that against Pittsburgh," Burns said. "They [the Penguins] don't get mad, they get even."

Quinn was particularly upset with the fact that once the Leafs got the lead, they seemed to sit on it making for a long night for goaltender Curtis Joseph.

Quinn wants more discipline from his team, because he can't afford to have Joseph worn out. The goalie has worked ever minute of every game through a grueling series with Philadelphia and likely will do the same in this one.

Joseph, by nature, is not a physical fitness buff and has had a tendency to run out of gas in the later rounds of the playoffs. That's largely been because he's often overworked, having played for some pretty poor defensive teams over the years. But if the Leafs are to get by the Penguins and on to the third round, they need their goalie to stay fresh and mentally sharp.

Barnaby's damaging assessments

Matthew Barnaby is beginning to make paying for off-ice damages a regular part of his checkbook.

Barnaby and former teammate Rob Ray last season were charged for damages to a locker room in Philadelphia after they used their sticks as wrecking cranes. The actions followed a loss to the Flyers, during which they were both expelled from the competition.

Barnaby recently did some slashing in the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, prompting management there to bill him C$300 for damages to walls and ceiling tiles. Seems Barnaby took exception to some heckling from a spectator after Pittsburgh's Game Two loss to the Leafs and took it out on the building with his stick.

Barnaby did not dispute the charges and said he would pay for the repairs.

Avs arguing among themselves

Out West there's some bad blood boiling in the Colorado-Detroit series, but some of it involves Colorado players in their own locker room.

Team captain Joe Sakic recently went on record claiming he was embarrassed by the undisciplined play of his mates in the first two games of the series in Colorado. He was particularly upset about a string of penalties that kept the Avs from mounting any sort of a comeback in Game Two, a game in which they failed to score a goal en route to a 4-0 loss.

Others were said to be unhappy that Peter Forsberg, arguably the Avs best player, got himself thrown out of the game for his hit from behind on Brendan Shanahan in Game One. Forsberg is a big part of the Colorado power play and the Avs need to keep him on the ice to have a chance at winning.

Detroit had seven power plays in Game One and eight in Game Two. That's too many, and it's making life difficult for aging Colorado netminder Patrick Roy.

Ray Bourque a legend in Boston

Lots of players have had years tacked onto their career because of expansion, but that's not the case with Boston defenseman Ray Bourque.

Bourque just completed his 20th NHL season and he did it in style, garnering one of three finalist slots for the James Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. It is the 14th time Bourque has been nominated for the award. He's won it five times, finished second five times and third three times.

And Bourque didn't back into the honor.

He finished third in scoring among defenseman this season with 57 points on a team not noted for offense. He also finished third in ice time, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game.

Bourque is a legend in Boston and the NHL. He's also still the target of every game plan designed to slow down the Bruins.

"He's the player we targeted when I was playing and we're still doing that," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "After all those years he's still a player you have to be afraid of."

In Game Two of the series with Buffalo, Bourque had 21 shifts and 35:19 in ice time. That works out to about 1:40 per shift. Most players average 40 seconds per shift and are exhausted once they play it.

Fighting down but violence still there

Once again fighting is almost nonexistent in the playoffs, but the level of violence has not gone down. When it comes to hitting from behind and stickwork, it actually appears to be on the increase.

"I think the players get away with a little more now,'' said Bruins coach Pat Burns. "We've made rule changes to protect players, and I agree with that, but did we make rules to protect players? I have to look at that.

"There's certainly more hitting from behind than there's ever been, ever. Certainly in this playoff [Buffalo-Boston], I've never seen this much. I think the stickwork is up much more -- two-handed slashings, just wicked and vicious.''

Burns -- and many others in the game -- argue it's because of the instigating rule. In the past, if you took liberties with a player, especially a star player, you had to answer for your actions via the team's tough guy. With rules in place to suspend players who instigate fights, that seldom happens any more. Players don't fear retaliation and thus come in with sticks high.

"In the '70s, if you were going to hit Bobby Orr, you knew [Wayne Cashman] was coming, or Terry O'Reilly was coming, or somebody,'' Burns said. "Now it's a situation where [the offending party says] "I'm all right.''

Cable is the answer for hockey

The announcement that ABC will televise the absolute minimum of four games on the network next season is likely to send shock waves through the NHL, but it shouldn't.

ABC paid nearly $600 million for the rights to NHL hockey largely to keep the rights for its cable affiliates ESPN and ESPN2.

Over the air broadcasts on the network have never been an easy sell, but the game does well on cable and seems to have found a home there.

If the NHL is smart, it will look to cable and direct broadcast as a way of building its fan base. The league does not have wide appeal on television largely because fans don't identify with teams and players outside their markets.

Cable can devote more time to teams -- especially with pre- and postgame shows. Once the league finishes its expansion plan, it can build a fan base with a salable product in 30 markets, 24 of them in the United States.

The league has tried for years to capture the national interest, but its not happening. A more focused approach through cable and direct service will take longer, but it appears to be the only way to build up a game that is exciting but only when traditional rivalries come into play.

The NHL needs to reach out to a younger fan base outside of its arenas. That base is now being sent over to wrestling and other sports. Putting lots of games on cable and getting kids to tune in will eventually create a broader base of interest.

Yashin excels at World Championships

Ottawa Senators captain Alexei Yashin went to the World Championships in Norway to escape some of the heat he's received for his poor performance in the first round of the playoffs.

He also found his game there, saving his team from relegation to the losers' pool at the championships. Yashin had all three goals in Russia's 3-3 tie with Finland. The Russians needed a win or a draw with Finland to guarantee a place in the next round. "It was such an important match," said Yashin, the Ottawa Senators captain and the only NHLer on the Russian squad. "There was a lot of pressure but the guys responded well."

Yashin is the subject of this week's hot New York Post rumor that says the New York Rangers are interested in acquiring him as a replacement center for the retired Wayne Gretzky. The report was highly speculative, but it's known the Rangers are on the lookout for a sizable center with good passing and scoring skills.

Veteran defensemen a valuable commodity

Want more proof that veteran defensemen are still a highly regarded item in the NHL. Chris Pronger -- arguably the best young defenseman in the NHL today and a Norris Trophy finalist last season as the best defenseman in the game -- failed to make it to the final cut this time despite having an even better season than last year.

Who edged him out? Detroit veteran Nicklas Lidstrom, Boston veteran Ray Bourque and Pronger's own teammate Al McInnis. Ironically, Pronger did the most to raise McInnis' profile this season, talking him up as the most deserving in virtually every NHL city.

Jim Kelley covers the NHL -- and the Sabres -- for the Buffalo News. His notebook appears weekly on CNN/SI.com.

 

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