New Hockey Post

LenerT ..yes, refs and linesmen are eaueavtld throughout the year and during the playoffs. They use computer video as teams do, to go over their mistakes with their superiors. If an incident happens in a game, sometime after the game is over, the officials will go over the incident with their superiors to make sure things were handled correctly. If handled incorrectly, things will be addressed, too. Refs and linesmen get eaueavtld on everything from understanding and interpreting the rule book, to skating skills and on ice communication. They have camps every year that they must attend, too. Only the BEST refs and linesmen get to participate in the post season games. The guys you see in the NHL are the best of the best. Period.Even at the collegiate and high school level, the game is extremely fast and violent, at times. Yes, even those refs get eaueavtld. Most of the time, your decision has to be QUICK and DEFINITIVE. It is the toughest job in sports, without question. You also have to be in excellent physical shape to keep up with the pace of the game.Remember, most, or all of the refs and linesmen were highly drafted hockey players that just couldn’t make it to the next level. These guys all know the game and what happens on the ice. I know a few NHL linesman and they all take their job very seriously and are proud of what they do.Everyone on here was calling for the head of the linesman who was closest to Hossa when Hossa was hit. The truth is this: When you are that close to an incident like that it is tough to see everything that happens, that fast. You’re better off to be some distance away so you can get a better visual on what exactly happened. As far as the other officials, there is no way that you can see everything on the ice, all the time. Remember, they don’t have the advantage of slow motion, either.I will tell you this, believe me, after that game, all those officials had a meeting with their superiors about that hit. Remember the game in Pittsburgh with all the fights? The league put their foot down the next day and changed the protocol for fighting penalties and majors. The league knows how hard it is to call a game.The next time you want to curse out a ref, remember this ..they don’t make players salaries, they get injured just like players, they don’t get to take a shift off and sit on the bench, they have to make the right call all the time and, believe me when I say this, THEY KNOW WHEN THEY SCREW UP!!Without the refs, there is NO GAME!! LOL.