Officiating a hockey game is the hardest job – to do right – in the world.
Trust me; I tried it once and wouldn't go near a whistle again. That's primarily because I'm protective of my sanity.
Frankly, I can't imagine what those NHL zebras go through because their challenge is more intense than ever.
Start with 19,000 fans screaming over every other call. Then, add the irate coaches, the players and – by far the worst of all – video replay.
Before going on with the latest "Make Officiating Better" idea, lemme say that no organization has worked harder than the NHL to "get it right." (And I don't mean maybe either.)
But the game has gotten so fast, and the players so big, that split-second decisions have to be made over and over again. That said, listen up to this idea.
Herbie Lewis, who starred on Detroit's double-Cup-winners (1936-37), put his mind to the ref problem as far back as 1940.
According to an article in Puckstruck, "Herbie would build a high perch for the referee, somewhat like those used by tennis officials. From there he would regulate the game with a system of lights and be out of the reach of irate players."
The lights would be set into the boards and a flash of red would stop play; amber would signal a penalty.
"Other lights on the scoreboard," according to the article, "would show the nature of a penalty and on whom it was called."
Lewis built a table top model with lights and all. He insisted that, "If we can get this kind of a system installed we'll have better officiating and less trouble."
Ah, but the trouble is fighting. Who is going to break up a one-on-one battle, let alone a line brawl? Or, as one critic put it, "Would there be much brighter lights to illuminate their misconduct and/or temporarily blind them?"
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At the end of last season both the Blueshirts and the islanders missed the playoffs.
The Maven retroactively credits Lewis with a good idea – but only in theory. The bottom line is this: BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED!
That's not to say we should give up. The Hockey News' columnist Adam Proteau suggested that one of the referees be removed from the ice and make calls from the stands.
Or, as Proteau put it, "an eye-in-the-sky capable of whistling down plays his on-ice counterpart may have missed. Fewer replays, more space for the NHLers to perform."
I like that idea. If you think you have a better plan, let The Maven know. Better still, I'd like to know what the Referees Union has to say about it.
Probably something like, "Leave us alone already, we've got enough problems!"