The Problem
No apparent mechanism exists for NHL referees to be held accountable. At work, if you do your job poorly, are you held accountable? I know I sure am.
The Rant
Who do these guys report to? Why are they so special? I have to answer to my boss for my screwups, why don't they?
When listening to Gary Bettman's show on satelitte radio, his politically correct answer to all refereeing problems is the same - "I look to see if the referee is in the correct position. If he is, he usually makes the right call". What the heck is that? The NHL referee is judge and jury during a game, but we cannot confirm if this judge and jury have their judgements reviewed at any time to ensure they meet the criteria put forth by the NHL. I know that when I watch a game, I see many penalties that go uncalled.
How to Implement
Building off the ISO 9000 idea from the previous post, each referee would have the same number of blind quality audits performed during a season. Information from the audit, including "What worked well", deficiencies, corrective actions, etc would be tracked.
This information would be compiled to create a reference list of each referee's performance. The referees would be ranked against several categories, including:
1. Consistency
2. Compliance with standards (see next post)
3. Ability to handle pressure
4. Game Communication Management
5. Etc
A scoring system would be used to determine who would be ranked as the NHL premier Referees, good refs, poor refs, etc.
This ranking would then be used to assign playoff work, layoffs or outright firings.
Showing posts with label CAAST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CAAST. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
CASST - Consistency
The Problem
Each referee calls the game in his own way. Each referee is granted, by the NHL, to interpret each rule withing specific guidelines, including when in the game the infraction occurs.
The Rant
Strict adherence to whatever standards are in place on an ongoing basis is a MUST. This will require a tremendous amount of oversight. No longer can the NHL change "Interpretations" of rules that are already in the rulebook. If the rulebook requires clarification, clarify it. If not, the referees must make the calls. Hooking in the first period is the same penalty as hooking in the third period. A referee who "Interprets" leaves his imprint on the game. Make every call and let the players decide who wins.
How to Implement
Quality Assurance. Plain and simple. Have the NHL Refereeing system implement ISO 9000-type standards. Why not? ISO audits are used to judge the consistency of a product. Isn't the refereeing of the most prestigious Hockey league worth implementing a system to make sure it is done the same way every game?
People earning minimum wage at a call-centre (call-center for my American friends) have their work audited to ensure they match the company's standards. Have you ever heard "This call may be monitored for quality assurance"? Surely, the "best referees in the world" can pass the same test that many of us are subjected to by our employer.
This includes written instructions that the referees must follow, escalation procedures, quality audits, notification of deficiencies, and corrective actions.
Each referee calls the game in his own way. Each referee is granted, by the NHL, to interpret each rule withing specific guidelines, including when in the game the infraction occurs.
The Rant
Strict adherence to whatever standards are in place on an ongoing basis is a MUST. This will require a tremendous amount of oversight. No longer can the NHL change "Interpretations" of rules that are already in the rulebook. If the rulebook requires clarification, clarify it. If not, the referees must make the calls. Hooking in the first period is the same penalty as hooking in the third period. A referee who "Interprets" leaves his imprint on the game. Make every call and let the players decide who wins.
How to Implement
Quality Assurance. Plain and simple. Have the NHL Refereeing system implement ISO 9000-type standards. Why not? ISO audits are used to judge the consistency of a product. Isn't the refereeing of the most prestigious Hockey league worth implementing a system to make sure it is done the same way every game?
People earning minimum wage at a call-centre (call-center for my American friends) have their work audited to ensure they match the company's standards. Have you ever heard "This call may be monitored for quality assurance"? Surely, the "best referees in the world" can pass the same test that many of us are subjected to by our employer.
This includes written instructions that the referees must follow, escalation procedures, quality audits, notification of deficiencies, and corrective actions.
CASST
I've covered the issues surrounding the Refereeing in the NHL in my recent and not-so recent posts. While I take great pleasure in complaining, that isn't the reason I started this blog. This blog was created to present my solution to the Issues I see in the NHL.
So, what is my solution to the NHL Refereeing issues? The answer boils down to Consistency, Accountability, Standards, Separation and Transparency. The CAAST system.
I wanted to look into each of these points in this blog post, but the post became way to large way too quickly. So what I'll do is post a series of articles that look into each, starting with Consistency.
So, what is my solution to the NHL Refereeing issues? The answer boils down to Consistency, Accountability, Standards, Separation and Transparency. The CAAST system.
I wanted to look into each of these points in this blog post, but the post became way to large way too quickly. So what I'll do is post a series of articles that look into each, starting with Consistency.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
