Hockey
Time To Get Tough!!
So we all watched the abuse shown toward NHL Linesman Scott Driscoll as in what some are stating the league over-reacted.
There is no question that with four officials on the ice, penalties should be called, yet clearly are not assessed by the officials and you ask why?
Regardless of your stand the officials simply do not make the call for one reason and one reason alone, that being its big business.
Should he (the Referee) make a call against one team and the team GM or owner complains to the league, they stand the chance of not getting any further playoff games or advancing to the final round.
The amount of stick work that is not called shocks everyone, but the players know this and thus they continue to take cross-checks, high hits and even head shots and could care less about showing respect to a fellow player.
It’s about time the league get’s tough on the players that act out of line and using the like’s of a player with the Wild as an example is a good way to start.
He has and will be suspended again, yet the league tends to look at his actions, that he simply doesn’t mean to do it.
Who are you kidding, his actions alone show a lack of respect for the opposing player, his team-mates, the league and/or himself, but he say’s “I’m sorry” and he’s given a second, third, fourth, etc. chance.
Dan Carcillo threw an elbow at Scott and some say that Scott over-reacted by shoving him off the ice, so he (Scott) could simply do his job and get back to the altercation.
Are you serious?
Rule 40 provides authority for the referee (officials) to impose a player suspension; which include a range of game numbers.
This rule and the history date back to 82 and was finally put in place following a hard line stance taken by the NHL Officials Association (NHLOA) when players that physically abused (in various manners) any official were slapped on the wrist and told not to do it again.
Former NHL Referee Andy Van Hellemond was crosschecked and then punched in the chest.
I am told that Van Hellemond, and Dave Newell (President of the NHLOA) and legal counsel Jim Beatty, pulled NHL president John Ziegler away from the annual office Christmas party in Montreal on Dec. 23, 1981 telling them about the concerns they had as officials.
Possibly if the league handed out stiffer suspensions, that the likes of these few players would change their attitude toward on-ice game officials.
In a game played on the night before Halloween (1983) Tom Lysiak of the Hawks was ejected from a faceoff by linesman Ron Foyt.
Following the puck drop Lysiak skated directly into the faceoff circle and deliberately tripped Foyt from behind causing him to fall, where the game referee Dave Newell, suspended Lysiak for 20 games.
Lysiak managed to go to court and got a temporary injunction and the long term result was that the suspension stuck.
As with pro sport and the lack of respect shown by the league, NHL Linesman Ron Foyt was terminated at the end of the following season.
And you say there is no politics in sport and clearly this was considered a full case of retribution over the Lysiak affair.
Daniel Carcillo is suspended under rule 40 by the officials working the game and the League held a conference call with the NHLPA to review the Referees application of this rule
The player (or the officials) may request the Commissioner to review and all are subject to the status of the rule.
The penalty that was assessed by the game Referee must be filed (in writing) within 72 hours following notification of the penalty.
A hearing was conducted by the Commissioner in a quick manner prior to the second game missed by the player due to the automatic suspension status.
Carcillo knew what he was doing and deserves to be suspended by the league.
On a side-note, let’s not forget this is big business and the officials are quite often forgotten, which is very sad.
Talk about poor sports, this ranks up with the situation at UBC with the Coach tripping a player?
