Hello from OHL hockey fan

[OHL fan]

I hope you will not mind me posting this on your forum. If so, please let me know & I will not post again.

I represent a lot of fans from the OHL. We're wondering if you are having the same problem we are having here. Our officiating has gotten out of wack and has become very biased. Every team in our league that has played against the London Knights, who will be hosting the Memorial Cup, have had the same problem.

Each of the teams have had numerous ficticious penalties called on them in order for the official to control the game. Also, Dave Branch has handed out fines & suspensions to the teams trying to cut down the chances of London losing to their opponents.

The London press started a while ago calling London "the best Jr. A hockey team in Canada" and their players have bought into it.

We would really like to see you Western boys come to the Memorial Cup and win. No one in Ontario is cheering for London to win the Memorial Cup. We just can't cheer for a team coached by Dale Hunter and supported by Dave Branch.

Everyone in Ontario is talking about this situation and we were wondering if it was reaching to your part of Canada too.

[Beaner]

More concerned here about the general terrible officiating going around the league as a whole.

Not surprised you are getting the same thing out there.

I'm sure our WHL representive will be more than happy to keep the cup where it belongs, the West.

[lovintherockets]

I can't speak for anyone but myself but I can 100% agree with the brutal officiating in the WHL. Being a Rockets fan is going to have people saying that I am a whiner but fly at it......Our Reffing has been beyond pathetic and it seems to me that it is only getting worse as the Playoffs progress. Maybe it is because there is more at stake now and I am noticing this but I don't think so.

In all of the series to date, there have been more goals called back, and I sometimes feel that I didn't get to watch the Hockey game that I paid for but rather paid for the Ref to get his 3 periods of fame. And now with the 2 refs gone from here to officiate the World's, I can't see it getting any better.

I hope Acheson takes a serious look at the training the Refs are getting and tells them to be less bias and call what should be called. Maybe He should also start handing out some fines to the Refs for their inept ability to destroy a good game because of their calls and make them accountable. I can't think of a better way to control situation other than to hit them in the pocketbook.

Anyone else have some ideas? Just my opinion.

Go Rockets Go !!!

[Tipped Off]

You know, there is a lot of concern on a few boards about the players being watered down once expansion comes to the WHL for the 2006-2007 season. Whether it be one, two or four teams. the fact of the matter is expansion not only means more players, but more refs. I bet if you think back on it each time expansion has happened is when the refs seemed to have gotten progressively worse.

Anyone who has read my posts knows I've NEVER blamed the outcome of a game on an official. I just can't bring myself to beleive it is impossible to overcome bad officiating. That being said I know I have/do officiate baseball & softball. For a while a few years back softball was booming. Seemed like every city's parks & recs department was adding leagues to their schedule...which was great for the players, but the officials who wanted to officiate didn't go up at the same rate. It only took a couple of years before all the players started talking about how poor the officiating had become.

The reason was officials who would normally begin doing low level games to get their feet wet were "called up" to ump the big boys/ladies games due to lack of availability. The relationship between players/fans and officials got proressively worse because of this situation. Even if you were a "good" ump your every call must have been because you favored one team or didn't hustle. There were many excuses built in for teams to complain about because they'd seen it from the other officials.

I guess my point is expansion ot only leads to watered down product, but if you bring up players who are less skilled and more likely to have to do things to make up for it & add to it an official who isn't as experienced as he should be, you are creating a bad recipe all the way around.

[Chilly75]

ya whl is in tough this year

[thomasincanada]

I hope you will not mind me posting this on your forum. If so, please let me know & I will not post again.

I represent a lot of fans from the OHL. We're wondering if you are having the same problem we are having here. Our officiating has gotten out of wack and has become very biased. Every team in our league that has played against the London Knights, who will be hosting the Memorial Cup, have had the same problem.

Each of the teams have had numerous ficticious penalties called on them in order for the official to control the game. Also, Dave Branch has handed out fines & suspensions to the teams trying to cut down the chances of London losing to their opponents.

The London press started a while ago calling London "the best Jr. A hockey team in Canada" and their players have bought into it.

We would really like to see you Western boys come to the Memorial Cup and win. No one in Ontario is cheering for London to win the Memorial Cup. We just can't cheer for a team coached by Dale Hunter and supported by Dave Branch.

Everyone in Ontario is talking about this situation and we were wondering if it was reaching to your part of Canada too.

It's really pathetic to see that you hate London so much as to start blaming the refs because your team just isn't good enough to compete. The only team that has even *remotely* competed with the knights in the playoffs has been Kitchener and London has had just as many penalties called as Kitchener and two players suspended to Kitcheners one. Also, three players from London have been fairly seriously hurt by Kitcheners players. How is this unfair referring? Are you even watching the games? Doesn't sound like it.

What a pathetic joke you are to think it's some great conspiracy for London to win. You don't represent OHL fans at all. I converse with a lot of regular OHL fans of teams such as SSM, Kitchener and Owen Sound and none of them are misguided and bitter as you apparently are.


Tom

[RunTheGoalie]

The OHL could easily have let Prust slide on that hit on Lashoff, as it really was borderline. Instead, it took a quick, strong stance and punted him 3 games.

That is something the WHL doesnt have the balls to do, as the non-suspension of Stone showed, along with a couple of other weakly handled incidents throughout the season.

That said, I cant comment on specific incidents, as we dont get to see the games here, but I can't say I have ever heard of a game before where both teams got 15 powerplays each.

However, when London goes 5-15 on the powerplay, and Kitchener goes 1-15, I have a hard time believing that the officiating is dictating the outcome. Certantly it suggests that the referees let the game get out of hand, and that they did a terrible job, but overall, I would sugest the Knights are winning because they are a damn good team.


I will say this: You guys should thank the hockey gods that Derek Herman is not a referee in your league.

[thomasincanada]

RuntheGoalie - the series has been the most physical I think I've ever seen in the OHL. Kitchener beat another top team (Owen Sound) by being as physical as possible, and had full intentions of using it to their advantage against London. London sees this as "goon" hockey (partly because they believe Kitchener is trying to take out their already thin defense corps) and has taken it very personally, responding in kind.

Whether London is right or wrong, this has caused a very physical series with lots of penalties. For the first couple games no one was able to capitalize on the penalties due to strong defenses on both sides, so there was little motivating each team to stop. London finally began to capitalize on some of the penalties and that, added to a couple suspensions, has toned the series down for the last game.

I don't think the refs could have honestly done much more to tone down the violence in this series, so to speak. I don't feel they are doing that bad of a job. Too bad you guys don't get this series out west, it's a doozie..

Tom

[OHLArenaGuide]

The worst thing is that he came running to the WHL board to whine about this.

[The_Vulk]

Well, I for one hope the London Knights wins the OHL championship.

(They are playing the Ottawa 67's for that title, whom by default, got into the Memorial Cup.)

I can't stand the 67's.