New Rule Will Force Referees to Take Accountability for Bad Calls in Europe

You've seen interviews with players after hockey games, but what about refs?

According to @nhlbreakers on Instagram, this has become standard practice in multiple European leagues for referees to have post-game television interviews, particularly if a call they made in-game is seen as egregious. The format is much like when players are interviewed remotely by TV analysts during games.

This practice has become increasingly common in leagues like Sweden's SHL, where referees are interviewed — and sometimes grilled hard — by TV anchors after games if they make an especially controversial decision on the ice. Take a look at the photo below (credit u/TheMightySwede on Reddit) for an example of what it looks like.

The Instagram post from @nhlbreakers also indicates that this practice has been well-received by fans, players and coaches, as it helps humanize referees in the game when their job is often seen as being thankless. In fact, there's already been some debate among hockey fans as to whether the NHL should also adopt this.

They can explain their side of the story when they make an unpopular call, and even be quite honest about it, including if they know they made the wrong decision. Perhaps the NHL, whose referees have received all kinds of criticism in recent years, could follow this example one day, too.