Bruins GM wants NHL and referees to answer questions about controversial calls

Bruins GM wants NHL and referees to answer questions about controversial calls originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins were on the wrong end of some questionable decisions in their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Florida Panthers.

Panthers forward Sam Bennett appeared to punch Brad Marchand in the head during the first period of Game 3, but escaped a penalty. He also has not been fined or suspended by the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Bennett was also involved on a controversial call in Game 4 when he crossed Bruins center Charlie Coyle with goalie Jeremy Swayman, preventing him from making a save. Bennett took advantage of the loose puck and scored to tie the game at 2-2 in the third period. The Bruins contested the play due to goalkeeper interference, but lost.

In your explanation of the decisionthe league said: “Video review supported the on-ice referees’ decision that Florida’s Sam Bennett’s shove of Charlie Coyle and subsequent contact with Jeremy Swayman did not prevent Swayman from playing his position at the line prior to Bennett’s goal. “

The Panthers won 3-2 and took a 3-1 series lead.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney held a press conference Monday before the team left for Florida ahead of Tuesday night’s Game 5. He hasn’t been overly critical of the league or the referees, but he wants those parties to get in front of a microphone and answer questions when appropriate.

“The general premise I have, to be perfectly honest with you, is that we shouldn’t ask the coach after the game what he feels about the officiating and what happens,” Sweeney said. “You guys should really be focused on what we didn’t do well throughout the game to win a hockey game.

“These questions should be directed to the referee supervisor, series supervisor and/or officials. If you want full access and transparency, put managers in front of the microphone to answer the question. the only ones who have the experience to deal with any interpretation they apply Rule 69 in that case. And that.

“Clearly we challenged it because of our interpretation. The only ones who can answer that don’t make a statement, they just stand in front and answer the question.”

For starters, there is no reason why a coach shouldn’t be questioned about the officiating after a game, especially when the coach makes the decision to challenge a call made by one of the referees. The coach should be asked to explain why he challenged the play and what explanation the referees gave him.

But Sweeney’s point about league officials and/or referees themselves answering questions about certain decisions makes a lot of sense. It would increase transparency and accountability if the league and referees did this.

Sweeney said this topic has been discussed in previous general manager meetings. But obviously not much effort has been made up to this point to put anything into practice.

The easiest solution is to have a pool reporter speak to one of the referees after the game. The NFL does this, for example. A reporter will ask the referee some questions about a specific call/decision that was a big storyline in the game. The NBA also does something similar. The NHL should too.

Even though the refereeing wasn’t great in this series, the The Bruins’ real problem is their lack of offense. They scored two or fewer goals in three of four games against the Panthers. They’ve also shot 18 or fewer shots in each of their last three games. That’s far from good enough against a Panthers team filled with elite offensive players.