Re: The Absurdity of Criticizing NHL Officials
NHL referees are generally flagrantly underrated; however, I don't think I would go so far as to make the statement that they are ALWAYS good at performing their job. I try very hard not to be the guy who criticizes particular calls / non-calls, and then transition to "it lost my team the game," because that's rarely (if ever) the case in a given hockey game. That's the beauty of hockey: so many things are happening in a given moment, that sheer number of events that can drastically change a game is myriad. Complaining about officiating to the extent that you are blaming the officials for a particular outcome is STUPID.
But saying that the refs, in general, are not doing a good job of officiating a particular game / series / etc. is a totally legitimate point to make in certain circumstances. If the refs are allowing a game to get out of hand, for instance, it is completely OK to call out the refs for letting the game devolve into madness, depending of course on the circumstances of the game/series. Saying the refs are not doing a good job, in general and in specific instances is more than OK; however, when it serves to shift the blame for a loss, count me out. I've criticized NHL officials plenty of times, but I steer clear of making the "outcome-determinative" argument. That's just silliness.
Also, no one should EVER be saying that the entire body of work for NHL referees is anything but exemplary. These guys go out every game and get the overwhelming majority of the calls PERFECT in a fast-paced game, whizzing by at speeds that are unparalleled in professional sports. What they do is incredibly impressive, and most of the time they should be lauded for their work. It's too bad, really, that referees are the unsung heroes of the NHL.
MounD - Double Threat FHL (18-19 champs)
10-Team Yahoo daily H2H Dynasty
3C, 3LW, 3RW, 6D, 2G, 7Bn (IR)
G, A, +/-, PPP, SHP, SOG, FW, HIT, BLK // W, Sv, GAA, Sv%, SHO
C: Bergeron, Barkov, Aho, Point, Kadri
LW: Marchand, Landeskog, Hertl, Marchessault
RW: Stamkos, Tarasenko, Laine, Palmieri
D: Carlson, Letang, Dumba, Weber, Pietrangelo, Ristolainen, Byfuglien*
G: Bobrovsky, Holtby, Lehner, Greiss-Varlamov
Farm: Turcotte, Cozens, Denisenko, Newhook // Sandin, Jokiharju, Dobson, K'Andre // Shesterkin