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View Full Version : 20 WHL Officials Selected for Holiday Season Tournaments


Beaner
12-20-2005, 05:52 PM
from, www.whl.ca


Created: Dec 20, 2005
Calgary, AB -- The Western Hockey League is proud to announce that 20 officials have been selected for several prestigious international tournaments over the Holiday Season.

Referee Rob Matsuoka has been selected to the officiating team for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships in British Columbia in December and January. It's the second time Matsuoka has been selected as a referee for the World Junior tournament.

Six WHL officials have been selected for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Saskatchewan in December and January. Referees Nathan Wieler and Colby Smith will participate along with WHL linesmen Bobby Bedingfield, Derek Fox, Justin Hull and Jeff Smoliak.

WHL Officiating Supervisors Brad Howard and Lyle Wilhelm will also join the officiating team for the World U-17 tournament.

Meanwhile, eight WHL officials have been chosen to the officiating crew for the Viking Cup, which runs from December 26th to January 2nd in Camrose and Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

Referees Kyle Rehman and Derek Zalaski will join the officiating team for the Viking Cup tournament, while linesmen Blake Bradburn, Chris Carlson, Dan Cowley, Shayne Davis,. Kelly Reitenbach, and C.J. Senkow will also work the event.

Three other WHL officials - referees Ryan Bonnett and Brad Yoshida, and linesman Tyler Adair - have been selected to the officiating team for the prestigious Mac's Midget Tournament in Calgary in December and January.

The WHL congratulates the preceding officials on their selection to these tournaments, and wishes them the best of luck.

I can't believe Matsuoka got the call for the WJC. He did one of the WORST jobs this year for a Giants game vs. Medicine hat.

At least I didnt see Savage or Hermann anywhere ont hat list.
RunTheGoalie
12-20-2005, 05:56 PM
I'm amazed Herman even has a job. He has no buisness around any hockey game with any impact on any tournament.

Agreed on Matsouka. If he is the best this league has, then this league has a massive problem when it comes to officiating.

I always find it interesting that the Jr A tournament - Viking Cup - uses WHL officials instead of AJHL officials. Not that I blame them, but not exactly a vote of confidence in the ability of the referees at that level.
HAF
12-20-2005, 05:56 PM
Glad to see Battimo at home drinking egg nog too. That guy is brutal. I agree with your call on Savage as well.
Beaner
12-20-2005, 06:01 PM
Whats really pathetic is that since the WJC tournament is in a WHL city, they could only find 1 guy that they thought was qualified to do it. Not even 1 linesman......

I think that says more than anything about the quality of officiating in this league.
C.F
12-20-2005, 06:53 PM
I too was reading this list hoping to not see Savage on the list. :laugh:
ihlemic10
12-21-2005, 09:21 AM
I feel sorry for the teams that have to deal with Zalaski and Rehman, they are the worst in the league, IMO. Matsuoka isn't that bad, he can call a good game here and there. It just sucks going from him one night and then Savage the next. Savage can really blow a game.
Willis on the Welfare
12-21-2005, 10:00 AM
Matsuoka is a great official. Everyone has their off nights but Matsuoka is very consistent.

It's amazing that Chris Savage has been selected to ref important international games in the past and is now off the list. It's nice to see his playing god has finally caught up with him.

dip****

Willi$
Beaner
12-21-2005, 10:49 AM
Reading the province this morning I couldn't resist putting this quote in about the Team Canada game last night.



They were also hurt offensively when one of their more gifted players, Benoit Pouliot, was tossed midway through the second period, thanks to a phantom elbowing major from referee Chris Savage.


Why oh why is he even doing pre-tournament games....
Chipper
12-21-2005, 11:44 AM
Reading the province this morning I couldn't resist putting this quote in about the Team Canada game last night.




Why oh why is he even doing pre-tournament games....


I know I was shaking my head after that hard clean body check.
prospera
12-21-2005, 02:49 PM
is savage. he reffed the worst game in kelowna for team canada. if we as fans can support these kids the least the league can do is bring proper officiating.
RunTheGoalie
12-21-2005, 05:03 PM
I feel sorry for the teams that have to deal with Zalaski and Rehman, they are the worst in the league, IMO. Matsuoka isn't that bad, he can call a good game here and there. It just sucks going from him one night and then Savage the next. Savage can really blow a game.

Derek Herman doesnt make his way to Everett often then, I take it? I swear he is the worst referee I have ever seen, at any level, including Jr B and ACAC.
SectionNDeserter
12-21-2005, 05:55 PM
None of the officials are really all that good, mostly because the WHL doesn't pay them as much as they make with their real jobs at the car wash, or the gas station. One observation I have made however, is that it seems that the worst, most biased WHL officials seem to be the ones that make it to the NHL, go figure.
langdak
12-21-2005, 05:59 PM
How about Savage's phantom tripping call on the Czech player just before they put the puck in the net

There was no trip on that play, Canada got lucky with that one there, but nobody has mentioned that yet

I agree that Savage can be quite the homer, but the brutal calls went both ways last night and honestly i think Canada was fortunate to skate away with a win in regular time
ihlemic10
12-21-2005, 06:27 PM
Derek Herman doesnt make his way to Everett often then, I take it? I swear he is the worst referee I have ever seen, at any level, including Jr B and ACAC.

Yeah he has, he is not on my list of crappy ones right now. A few of my friends saw him playing at a Drop-In and told him their two cents about him. On another note about refs, Andy Theissien was reffing a game here in Everett, got checked and supposedly sustained a concussion. He completed the game. If its true, he should have stayed out of it, he didn't do that great a job before or after it.
Wildeyes
12-21-2005, 11:53 PM
booo hooo hoooo cry cry whine whine all of you make great refs in the stands
GRAB A WHISTLE AND GET IN THE F*CKEN GAME
IR GARD
12-22-2005, 01:11 AM
I will have to agree with Wildeyes on this one, in part. Some of these guys are excellent at what they do, some not so good. I watched the officials that Canada sent to the World Junior Tournament last year and were far more superior than what the other countries sent. It was a shame for a guy like Chris DeHaan to not be able to Gold Medal game due to Canada playing. He deserved to be there in my opinion.

Being an official at this level with the speed of the game and without the two line pass Junior hockey should explore the 2 Referee system even or closely. Then we can pick that apart too. :spineyes: