Referee Tim Peel suspended...and something's rotten

[cma3585]

So everyone knows that Tim Peel is supposedly a terrible ref who's had well over his fair share of terrible calls. He had a sit down with Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports/Puck Daddy and just had an honest chat with him about how games go and how calls go, with the guy who was arguably his loudest critic. Evidently the NHL wasn't keen on this and he is now suspended "indefinitely".

http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2 ... -wyshynski" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Something's rotten in this suspension. No one specifically knows why he was suspended but it's easy to assume it was how open he was about the process of reffing a game which every single NHL fan already knows how things go. He references the Pens game vs the Caps when we were down 4-0 and he handed out a double minor to Ovechkin for the collision with Ehrhoff. He in not specific words says it's a game management call, maintaining he wouldn't have made the call in a 1-1 game.

I'm of the belief that when he was hired, he was told to by the NHL to "manage" the games this way. So he did his job according to the NHL and now he's suspended for giving a tiny glimpse into what an NHL referee's world is like. To me, this is Roger Goodell levels of politics in sports where power and secrecy reign supreme over the sport itself. Someone dare give light to a glimpse of the truth and now they no longer are able to carry on with their livelihoods over what? Something every single NHL fan already knew? For me, this is severely disturbing.

[Avyran]

... if this is true, then this is absurd and ridiculous. And it really, really strengthens the idea that the NHL is a garage league.

[shoeshine boy]

game management is a part of officiating every single sport at every single level. NHL officials aren't allowed to speak to the media which is why Peel was suspended. move along, nothing to see here.

[mikey287]

game management is a part of officiating every single sport at every single level. NHL officials aren't allowed to speak to the media which is why Peel was suspended. move along, nothing to see here.

[Avyran]

Yeah mikey, as soon as I saw this thread, I knew you'd come in & say something like that.

Just because it's protocol doesn't make it right.

[Penspal]

He sat for only one game I read elsewhere.

[pcm]

Game mgmt does not have to include reffing to the score. The lack of consistency that results from this strategy is the biggest flaw in the the nhl's product.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

The refs should only exercise game mgmt when one team is trying to goon it up. At that point the refs should give out misconducts and instigators to put an end to the antics.

[DelPen]

The NHL would have to be completely inept in how it's officials actually do their jobs if this was news to them in what Peel said.

[Sarcastic]

Was he suspended because he blew some calls or because he let out an NHL dirty secret that refs are instructed to make phantom calls and non-calls to "manage" games?

[Avyran]

The latter. He was suspended a game for the interview.

[Sarcastic]

Then the NHL sucks.