Are Leafs held to a higher standard with officiating?

[Mickey Marner]

I don’t think there’s a referee bias. The DoPS on the other hand…

 

[Dekes For Days]

Yes. It's pretty undeniable.

 

[ACC1224]

I don't really see it, they were gifted a bunch last game.

 

[Suntouchable13]

You see what you want to see to justify your own bias. Like when other fans said that Jim Hughson was a Leafs homer, while Leafs fans said he was a Leafs hater. I am sure most other fans think Leafs actually get favourable calls from the officials. It’s all about your own perspective and your own biases.

 

[verdi]

They should be. There's more eyes watching a Leaf game.

 

[pcruz]

I looked at the Anaheim board today, and in their books they are the most hard-done-by franchise of all time.

Apparently the on-ice officials were wearing Maple Leafs on their hearts last night.

I don't think the officiating is great, but neither do I think it is purposely biased. When there are a lot of bad calls, they can randomly pile up on one team and I think that's all that happens.

The Leafs get a kick in the nuts now and then, just like everyone else, and when that happens it sure hurts.

Anaheim is the team that breaks the correlation of power plays to penalties.

They have been shafted badly if the NHL actually does want to even out the calls (and based on the rest of the league it is the case)

 

[Niagara Bill]

It was a little tongue-in-cheek.

But it's well known the refs "manage the game". The whole Tim Peel fiasco proved that. Just another way of introducing parity.

It would take a real leap of imagination to think they all came up with the idea themselves, and kept it propagating for all these years, without authorization from above.

That's where the Bettman reality steps in. Bettman becomes Prez in 1993. Since 1993 not one Canadian team has won a cup. Coincidence, I think not.

 

[RunItBackAgain]

I don't really see it, they were gifted a bunch last game.

Regular season don’t matter we will make playoffs almost undoubtedly and they know this. If we were a bubble team it might be different.

The refs will and have gotten us when it matters most.

 

[HolyCrap]

I don’t think there’s a referee bias. The DoPS on the other hand…

I came here to say exactly this.

 

[Enga Olly]

I can't spend a lot of time looking at the stats, but over the years it does seem that when the chips are down (critical moments in play offs) we get jobbed. That call on Holl when JT scored was complete shite, Bennett injuring Knies, Gudas with the stick grab, c'mon and of course the king daddy of PO outrage, Gretzky on Gilmour. That's just off the top of my head, my memory ain't great. So if one were to look at pure number of pp vs pk, it's not too egregious. But at those important moments, we get called on everything and our opposition seems to have carte blanche. DoPS - that's clear - we get jobbed almost every time, especially when it's our players getting hurt

 

[darrylsittler27]

After this year's playoffs everyone will know the NHL is rigged. The Leafs are a welfare team for the states. You pay to watch other teams like Boston get kid gloves. Why do you think Vancouver rioted? Leaf fans live under the delusion that they will be given fair treatment and allowed to win a cup. You won't unless you put Roy in net.

 

[TorMapleJays]

I just think the level of officiating is not where it used to be. They used to develop officials (Walkhom, im looking at you) where you could move through the ranks as a kid to the pros, but now they take “never was” players who have never dropped a puck in the life and they get thrusted into (game 6 vs Tampa) and make bad calls like the rookie did on Holl…

I think it’s less conspiracy and more incompetence.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Why do you think Vancouver rioted?

Because they were idiots.

 

[Razz]

Short answer is yes. I firmly believe that there is an implicit bias due to the intense media scrutiny that follows the Leafs.

People tend to clean up their behaviour when everyone is watching.

 

[Niagara Bill]

You see what you want to see to justify your own bias. Like when other fans said that Jim Hughson was a Leafs homer, while Leafs fans said he was a Leafs hater. I am sure most other fans think Leafs actually get favourable calls from the officials. It’s all about your own perspective and your own biases.

We can all agree he was a terrible play by play guy.

 

[authentic]

Over the last 2+ seasons, we have drawn 3.68 penalties per 60 (18th), and taken 3.66 penalties per 60 (16th).

Looks not only even, but very much 'middle of the pack'.

If you take away all the dumb 'too many men' penalties, then it looks like the refs are actually favouring us.

The playoffs are where it seems to get really bad. That first series against Tampa was the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. Then that one ref McCauley who the Leafs could never win with him reffing in the playoffs and one of the games he reffed last playoffs the other team didn’t take a single penalty apparently when they had numerous blatant infractions. Too many times even last playoffs we got penalties for touching a player infront of our net while the other team is allowed to slash and cross check as they please. I don’t doubt for a single second that other teams get away with way more than we do, it’s just too obvious every single series.

 

[authentic]

I can't spend a lot of time looking at the stats, but over the years it does seem that when the chips are down (critical moments in play offs) we get jobbed. That call on Holl when JT scored was complete shite, Bennett injuring Knies, Gudas with the stick grab, c'mon and of course the king daddy of PO outrage, Gretzky on Gilmour. That's just off the top of my head, my memory ain't great. So if one were to look at pure number of pp vs pk, it's not too egregious. But at those important moments, we get called on everything and our opposition seems to have carte blanche. DoPS - that's clear - we get jobbed almost every time, especially when it's our players getting hurt

You’re forgetting the phantom 5 on 3 Tampa had against us in game 6 two years ago. We were up 2-1 with 10 minutes to go and they got not one but two calls in a row that weren’t even actual high sticks on the replays, their players just basically pretended to get hit in the face twice in a row and it worked. Then in game 7 as Paul scored the winning goal Kampf had his stick held and sat on as Paul skates just in the vicinity of what could’ve been a poke check by Kampf, then to top it off Nylander was blatantly tripped when we had a powerplay in the dying minutes down 2-1 but we didn’t get what would’ve been a legitimate 5 on 3, and oh yeah that was after Tavares had a goal called back on an interference play that teams get away with against us all the time in the playoffs. Before that series I thought everyone who complained about the refs were crazy.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The playoffs are where it seems to get really bad. That first series against Tampa was the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. Then that one ref McCauley who the Leafs could never win with him reffing in the playoffs and one of the games he reffed last playoffs the other team didn’t take a single penalty apparently when they had numerous blatant infractions. Too many times even last playoffs we got penalties for touching a player infront of our net while the other team is allowed to slash and cross check as they please. I don’t doubt for a single second that other teams get away with way more than we do, it’s just too obvious every single series.

Last two playoff seasons we've actually drawn more (88) than we've taken (84).

By ice time, we're 8th (of 21 teams, so upper half) in penalties drawn, and 13th (so lower half) in penalties taken.

Sometimes perspective distorts perception.

But yes, I can't stand McCauley.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I can't spend a lot of time looking at the stats, but over the years it does seem that when the chips are down (critical moments in play offs) we get jobbed. That call on Holl when JT scored was complete shite, Bennett injuring Knies, Gudas with the stick grab, c'mon and of course the king daddy of PO outrage, Gretzky on Gilmour. That's just off the top of my head, my memory ain't great. So if one were to look at pure number of pp vs pk, it's not too egregious. But at those important moments, we get called on everything and our opposition seems to have carte blanche. DoPS - that's clear - we get jobbed almost every time, especially when it's our players getting hurt

I can't believe people are still whining about that play. It was an absolute textbook 'pick' that directly resulted in a scoring chance.

 

[Its not your fault]

More eyes equals more opinions on calls. The more they talk about a team the more anything that can be a talking point standsout.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Anaheim is the team that breaks the correlation of power plays to penalties.

They have been shafted badly if the NHL actually does want to even out the calls (and based on the rest of the league it is the case)

To be fair Anaheim had one of the worst rosters in the league and they were running a uniquely bad possession system with Eakins’ swarm defense. They should have been by far the worst penalty differential in the league on paper but by how much is the question.

 

[authentic]

Last two playoff seasons we've actually drawn more (88) than we've taken (84).

By ice time, we're 8th (of 21 teams, so upper half) in penalties drawn, and 13th (so lower half) in penalties taken.

Sometimes perspective distorts perception.

But yes, I can't stand McCauley.

That doesn’t mean anything when the other team has gotten away with way more. At the very least you have to admit that first series against Tampa was something else. Even against Florida they were getting away with tons of penalties and then we had that goal called back and then Gudas holding the stick on their series winning goal. This stuff has been pretty consistently blatant and at the most crucial moments

 

[notDatsyuk]

That doesn’t mean anything when the other team has gotten away with way more. At the very least you have to admit that first series against Tampa was something else. Even against Florida they were getting away with tons of penalties and then we had that goal called back and then Gudas holding the stick on their series winning goal. This stuff has been pretty consistently blatant and at the most crucial moments

We always see the ones against us, but not the ones for us. The idea that Tampa took a lot more that weren't called is a victim response, and doesn't hold up to dispassionate analysis.

The interference call was a textbook penalty. From what I recall, Gudas holding the stick should have been called except that it was very sneaky, and I can't blame the refs for missing it.

If anything, we should be criticizing Leafs coaching for not teaching our players how to play on the edge.

 

[authentic]

We always see the ones against us, but not the ones for us. The idea that Tampa took a lot more that weren't called is a victim response, and doesn't hold up to dispassionate analysis.

The interference call was a textbook penalty. From what I recall, Gudas holding the stick should have been called except that it was very sneaky, and I can't blame the refs for missing it.

If anything, we should be criticizing Leafs coaching for not teaching our players how to play on the edge.

Not sure what analysis you’re speaking of here but I strongly disagree.

We always see the ones against us, but not the ones for us. The idea that Tampa took a lot more that weren't called is a victim response, and doesn't hold up to dispassionate analysis.

The interference call was a textbook penalty. From what I recall, Gudas holding the stick should have been called except that it was very sneaky, and I can't blame the refs for missing it.

If anything, we should be criticizing Leafs coaching for not teaching our players how to play on the edge.

Not sure what analysis you’re speaking of here but I strongly disagree.

 

[Sniper99]

Why do you think Vancouver rioted?

Because actual fans mixed with fake fans looking to start trouble also alcohol mixed with probably any drug you can think of played a role in that stupidity.