Referee in ice hockey: Missing punishments endanger player life!

Referee in ice hockey: Missing punishments endanger player life!

In the intensive playoffs of the ice hockey scene, referees are faced with enormous challenges. These games, which are played according to the knockout system, bring immense stress with them, both for the players and for the referees. While the speed and intensity of the games rise, the pressure on the official, the correct compliance with the rules is also growing. According to Tagesanzeiger emphasizes that mistakes are often evaluated more stricter than that of the players, which influences the entire perception of errors.

The referees make up to 500 decisions per game on average. Although mistakes are inevitable, as Andreas Fischer, the head of the Swiss referee, emphasizes, this leads to a high degree of public criticism. Last season there was a controversial whistle that canceled a goal and triggered great discussions. This pressure can increase the mental burden of the referees, which means that some, like the professional referee Micha Hebeisen, avoid social media in order not to be influenced by what is said.

Health of the players in focus

The sports world agree that the health of the players should be a top priority. The set of rules, which is perceived as less serious during the playoffs, is a hazard. Viktor Trilar, the new Head of Officiating at Win2day Ice Hockey League, was vague about critical scenes, which is observed in many. There is an urgent need for measures to ensure the safety of the players and to make the referees to enforce the rules more strictly.

The ice hockey playoffs that have been held in Germany since 1981 consist of several rounds: pre-playoffs, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals to determine the master. Teams in places 1 to 6 of the main round qualify directly for the quarter -finals, while places 7 to 10 are fighting for the last round. The best-of-Seven mode, which is permanent in the DEL, requires the teams to win four games, and the home rule ensures that the better-placed team has the advantage of playing out certain games at home.