from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

With players, officials, coaches and general managers all living in the same bubble, the referee who made the game-deciding call could well end up in a Starbucks lineup with a group of players from the affected team. A linesman who whistled down a play for an offside will come upon that team’s head coach and GM walking to breakfast, still griping about the call he made.

“We do see a lot of players. There are 12 teams,” said linesman Jonny Murray, who we spoke with over the phone from inside the bubble earlier this week. “We see coaches. We see general managers. I have no issue talking with them — I’ve been in the league for 20 years. I’ll chat with those guys. I’ve had some good and bad conversations with anyone who has been in the league a long time. There is respect.

So far, so good, he said on Tuesday.

“Now, we’re starting on Saturday,” he cautioned. “Today everyone is loose and happy. I don’t know how it will be when a team is down two games to nothing.”

Spend some time around NHL officials and you’ll hear their mantra: “Fifty per cent of the people are going to disagree with every call you make.”

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