Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Video- Ref Put In A Bad Spot

04/23/2013 at 3:03pm EDT

from Kerry Fraser of TSN,

I was watching the live feed of the game last night on the NHL Network and felt badly for my friend, referee Tom Kowal when he was unofficially creditedwith a 'helper' on Daniel Carcillo's goal. Beyond that feeling my immediate response was, "Oh no, not again!" (Referee in a traffic lane.)...

Officials occupy necessary space on the ice and must constantly navigate to avoid contact with players and the puck. Most importantly the Referee must position himself in the very best location to see the play with an unobstructed view in order to make a good judgment. That typically means out of high volume traffic areas.

I don't blame Referee Kowal or his colleagues for often standing in this high traffic area behind the goal with a less than perfect sightline and much greater risk for personal injury. They are only doing as they are instructed by their Superiors in the "new way" that is poorly thought out and defies logic and common sense. This change for the sake of change is a bad idea and results in a giant step backward with regard to Referee End Zone Positioning - 101.

read on and watch the goal below...

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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