Altogether now – one, two, three – WE LOVE THE REFEREES! Dead silence. That's not fair.

The toughest job in sports – no runner-up – is National Hockey League officiating. (I dare you to provide a runner-up.)

Refereeing was tough  during the Original Six Era and it is even more so now with the Maximum 32 teams.

Make no mistake, Commissioner Bettman and staff have an endless crusade to make officiating more efficient but the laws of nature won't let them.

The players skate faster than ever. They are bigger than ever. They collide harder than ever. What's more they are up against the harshest critic of all – instant replay.

To be even more specific about the action, Bettman, Inc. created what we like to call  "The War Room" in Toronto to improve accuracy.

Like it or not, The War Room has magnified speedy plays never available to the naked eye and helped make calls more accurate. But it too has an obstacle, hockey is by far the fastest team, sport on earth speed works against the Zebras naked eye. That's just a fact of life.

You can bet that on any night – ANY night – the refs will be booed at The Garden, with one possible exception – if the Rangers are leading 9-0!

The Remaking of Matt Rempe And Other Not-So-Crazy Thoughts <b>1. </b>Matt Rempe has officially discarded his Sideshow Charlie image. Hiring Hall of Famer Adam Oates as his personal instructor means – as they say – a whole helluva lot. Ergo: Plenty.

In my years covering the NHL, the two best quotes about officiating were heard in New York.

1. I once asked Hall of Fame referee Bill Chadwick – a native New Yorker – to explain the keys to efficient officiating. He cited two words: "COMMON SENSE!" 

2. I once asked Islanders coach Jack Capuano about his philosophy on officiating. His reply: "I only hope that at the end of the season, IT ALL EVENS UP!"