Re: NHL Playoffs 2013 - Walruses, Trolls and other assorted creatures.
How many "oh, whoops, we *ed up," center ice face-offs has the Redwings/Ducks officiating crew done this series? Unbelievable.
Officiating is getting out of control. There needs to be a small office in Toronto or NYC for NHL officials similar to what MLB has for umpires. Every game, someone watches and grades the officiating crews on their calls. Missed calls, judgement calls, speed and accuracy. MLB has a system in place now for this, and that's how their umpiring crews are rewarded with playoff games.
The late decision making, waiting for the outcome of a play to make a decision if it's a "hockey play, 2 minutes, or 5 minutes" all could be minimized if officials knew they needed to make that decision immediately. It isn't like the home plate umpire gets a few minutes to think about a 3-2 pitch before calling it.
That's the thing that irks me about the Abdelkater call, the zebras all had to wait until Lydman was scraped off the ice before skating to the penalty boxes, shooed away BOTH the red wing and duck player to confer, then skated over to the benches to give the call. In fact, Abdelkater stood at the bench until Lydman was escorted down the tunnel, unsure of what the call was going to be.
So frustrating to see such incompetence rewarded.
