NHL officiating hasn't changed at all on the 1-year anniversary of Tim Peel's firing
One year ago today, a hot microphone caught former NHL referee Tim Peel saying that he wanted to call a penalty on Nashville early in a game. Peel said the quiet part out loud and exposed what many speculated about how NHL referee's call games. A year after the incident took place, NHL officiating hasn't changed at all.
Peel faced little consequences for saying the quiet part out loud. In order to avoid disrupting the status quo, Peel got to retire a few months early and the refs continued their game managing rather than policing - and it's arguable that NHL officiating is worse than ever this season.
Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen the referees cost teams games because they officiate in a manner in which they don't want to impact the game. Unfortunately, their lack of wanting to have an impact on the game cost both the Leafs and Oilers games in recent weeks. Both teams are currently in tight playoff races and the officials' incompetence may have a direct impact on playoff seeding.
In a tweet, Tim Peel reflected on his "mistake" one year later.
Peel's tweet shows zero accountability for his actions and the only "severe" consequence he had faced was an early retirement. Peel chose the wrong words and said the quiet part out loud. There's room to question the integrity of hockey when refs are picking and choosing which penalties to call. Unfortunately the officiating is another reason as to why the NHL will never be on the same level in popularity of the NBA or NFL.
In other major sports leagues, at least the way officials call the games benefits the star players. In the NHL, the way they train their officials benefits players who skirt the rules type over skilled players like Auston Matthews. It holds the sport back and it only gets worse as the games get more important.
A year after Tim Peel revealed the ugly truth hidden in plain sight, the NHL has done what they always do. Sweep things under the rug, hold nobody accountable, and maintain the status quo. If this incident didn't change how officials call games, nothing will.
