Recently, it seems like there’s been a sharp increase in the number of injuries we’ve seen in the league, which is highly concerning. A huge part of this is due to the referees. The refs seem to have started slacking quite a bit, especially in penalty calling.

A penalty is a penalty, and no one is above that, right? It seems the refs might have a little bit of a different perspective. Especially in recent games, it seems like they have been calling some things that are unnecessary, specifically on certain players. In Tom Wilson’s 2018-2019 season debut against the Wild, not only did he score a goal, but he got called for goalie interference on the SAME goal. The same goal, AFTER he had already been credited for the goal. How does that even make sense? In watching replays, it seemed like what was called as “interference” wasn’t even Wilson’s fault. With refs watching specific players, and calling them on unnecessary things, they have a complete lack of focus on the entire ice, which leads to many other missed calls. It’s completely inconsistent.

Speaking of missed calls, many of these injuries have come from stuff that was missed. TJ Oshie was literally bodyslammed to the ice in the November 14th game against the Jets. It wasn’t like it was a hidden thing that nobody saw, because everyone else watching was outraged that such a dirty hit was missed, and no penalty was called. With these type of missed hits, players could take advantage of the idea that maybe the refs aren’t paying attention all the time. Even when the refs are paying attention, some of the calls are missed, such as the hi-sticking that caused Dimitry Orlov to have to wipe blood off his face. How is a call like that missed? Missed calls also tell the players that maybe there’s certain things they can get away with. By stretching rules like this, players can receive harder hits, leading to more and more of these dangerous injuries.

Refs are supposed to be the people that not only keep the game fair, but also keep hockey from being the severely dangerous sport it has the potential to be. With them focusing so much on unnecessary calls and missing some of the important calls that could keep people safe, more and more players safety is put in jeopardy. If we keep losing players like we have been recently, soon we won’t even have a league left. It’s time for the referees to step up and do what they’re supposed to do: keep players safe.