Crapshoot Penalties

Growing up, I didn’t really know any hockey fans. I had to introduce myself to the sport. I didn’t have anyone to help me understand the rules, but I developed a decent understanding fairly quickly. I would have to say that I understood the rules better the first time that I watched a game than I do after over six years of the post-lockout rules.

When the league returned after the lockout of 2004-05, they announced significant changes. When we saw them in place, they were called highly inconsistently. We were assured that the new rules were a work in progress, and that players and officials would eventually get the rules figured out. As for today, the rules are being called as inconsistently as ever. The only difference that I’m aware of is that they no longer call it a work in progress.

The post-lockout rules try to emphasize obstructive penalties such as hooking and holding. You tap an opposing player on the leg, and you might get a penalty. You take a hand off your stick and touch a player, and that could be a penalty. Sometimes, you can even get a penalty because the opposing player clamps his arm on your stick. At the same time, it seems like they are still letting bear hugs and water skiing slide. If it’s called, announcers will be quick to point out the “it’s called every time.” I’m sick of hearing the announcers tell such blatant lies.

Interference is another penalty that has become questionable. If two players collide, a referee might decide that one fell harder and should be rewarded with a power play. Other times, players will check an unsuspecting player hard who is nowhere near the play without any form of punishment.

How about tripping? Some players get called because the opposing player will either step on the stick or take a dive. That’s hardly irresponsible use of the stick. At the same time, intentionally taking out the feet of a player is frequently overlooked. A lot of other penalties are called in a questionable manner as well.

There have been numerous games since the lockout where officiating has raised questions regarding the outcome. I’m not just sick of the announcers insisting that the calls are consistent when they are definitely not, but I’m also sick of people defending officials with the phrase “consistently inconsistent.” This is how people are actually defending officials in the NHL. They are content with the idea that horrendous calls are acceptable because they even out.

From what I can tell, these inconsistent penalties are not about making the game any more exciting. The game has a much slower feel now, and the frequency of penalties seems to point at inflating power play opportunities. By increasing the number of power plays, the league can ultimately increase the scoring. Of course, this comes at the expense of quality hockey.

We also have to deal with the fact that touching penalties are penalized as much as some seriously dirty plays. Some of the dirty play even goes unpunished. It’s easy to justify trying to injure a player when the league insists that it’s no worse than incidental contact.

Combine the frequency and inconsistency of penalty calls, and what do you get? A coin toss. The league is injecting the element of chance into a game that use to take an insane amount of talent. This is why I refer to most penalties in the NHL as crapshoot penalties.