Monday's Moral: Unfair is Fair

Every Monday I'll examine the latest outcries in the NHL or a derivative thereof. This week we examine blown calls and lack of accountability


The Headline?

Disallowed Goals Alter the Outcome of Games

The Story?

This past week two games were decided (or their outcomes were altered deeply) by blown calls. In each game the puck clearly crossed the goal line but because there was either "inconclusive evidence"-which there wasn't- or the ref had "intended" to blow the whistle-which he didn't-each goal was disallowed. Again, I will reiterate, in BOTH OF THESE GAMES those disallowed goals would have altered the outcome and provided the team scoring with a win. Still, is there good reason for the fans of these teams to be a pissed as they have been?


The Moral?
Unfair is fair, but stupid isn't


The Point?
OK, let's look at this from a purely mathematical standpoint. Referee's are human, they are not going to get the call right 100% of the time. In any given night a ref is faced with, literally, hundreds of decisions about what call should be made or not made. Now, what if Referee's, like goalies, had a correct call%. For the sake of argument we'll say they operate at around 95%. That means that of any 20 calls 1 is likely to be incorrect. Now, what that means is that EVERY team gets screwed over. Not every one will be as bad as a disallowed goal, but sometimes it is. And sometimes, a bad call which puts a team down a man with 1 minute to go is just as bad. The point is, folks, that every team gets screwed out of numerous opportunities to score. And while a sure goal being disallowed certainly stings more. 5 powerplays not called for a team that operates at 20% provides, on average, the same result-a goal disallowed.

The Solution?

My major issue with these calls is not that the goals were disallowed it's that there were rules in place to allow them to be disallowed. Confusing? Damn right it is. Lookit, there is too much that needs to be done to overturn a no goal call. There will always be mad scrambles on these plays and obstructed views. But if a glove is in the goal, and the puck is in the glove, is the goal disallowed because we can't see the puck? Let's not be stupid about this. Does the "no goal" call stand because the ref intended to blow the whistle? I intended to be an Fireman when I was 5. Does that mean I can start axing doors and using a firetruck as my main means of transportation. According to the NHL, it does. Unfair can be fair (especially when dealing with blown calls-which happens to everyone over a 82 game season), but stupidity is an entirely different story.