Brian Murphy is approaching his new job as Hockey East supervisor of officials the same way he did when he worked as an NHL linesman.
“My relationships with coaches and players is what got me through 32 years in the NHL. I don’t think it’s going to be any different here,’’ Murphy said on Tuesday.
“It’s being honest with them. They may not like the answers they’re going to hear, but they’re going to hear a consistent message.’’
Murphy, a Dover, N.H., native, went back and watched games from last season to get a line on refereeing in the league.
In a 75-minute Zoom call with head coaches and their staffs last month, he started laying the groundwork for what he expects once the puck drops.
“They know the standard that’s being expected. There’s no real dramatic change. It’s not like we’re going to call more penalties. We’re looking to call better penalties. My motto for the season is ‘Judge the act, not the result.’ Just ’cause a player goes down doesn’t mean it’s a penalty,’’ said Murphy, who worked as a linesman in Hockey East early in his career.
“My philosophy is that player safety is paramount. That’s A-1. Next is I want to allow offensive players to be able to play offense. Basically, most fouls fall into a player-safety category or they fall into a category of fouls that reduce offense. I want to allow good offensive players to play. They shouldn’t be slashed. They shouldn’t be hooked. They shouldn’t be held. I want good offensive players to be able to play the game.’’
Last season only one Hockey East player was suspended — it was a one-game penalty for spearing. There were no suspensions for dangerous or careless hits. Don’t be surprised if that changes this season.
In the Zoom call, Murphy said he showed the coaches “clear video on how I would view certain plays with regard to supplementary discipline. Like I said, player safety is paramount. That’s important to me. The biggest thing we went over with the coaches was headshots and hits from behind.
“Categorizing the hits, they’re either careless, reckless or intentional. That’s how I’m going to look at them. I laid out a framework for the coaches so they know where I am with supplemental discipline. It’s certainly something that I know is going to be challenging, but I’m prepared to accept that challenge.’’
“Overall, I think (the officiating in the league is) pretty good. I think we have an issue with faceoffs. That’s something we’re going to try to clean up a bit this year. It’s a point of emphasis for the NCAA.’’
The NCAA rule on faceoffs is now similar to the rule in international hockey.
“The centerman is never ejected from the faceoff. Basically, if there is a faceoff violation, the first violation is a warning to the team and the centerman stays in. The second violation at the same faceoff, to the same team, is a bench-minor penalty. It’s intended to speed up the faceoffs. That’s the whole point of the rule, really. So you’re not swapping players out,’’ Murphy said.
“Overall, I think the officiating is in a pretty good spot, but there are some things we’re going to be fine-tuning, one of them being conditioning. If they’re not in good shape and they can’t skate, they’re not going to be working in the league.’’
Murphy recognizes that in-game delays because of lengthy video replays were a hot issue at times last season. He has plans to make the process work better.
“There’s two issues. One can be a technology issue, where sometimes it’s slow for the replay to come up. That’s part of the problem and something we’re going to try to work on.
“Second issue is the officials are being instructed to go over, take a look at all available angles, and make a decision. They are not to micromanage the replay. They are to make a decision. They should not be looking at the replay multiple, multiple times in order to make a decision,’’ he said.
“The other thing is, and I think you see this in all sports — college football, the NFL — unless there is clear and conclusive evidence that they’ve made a mistake, they should stick with their original call. They’ve been instructed to do that.’’
Once a decision is make, referees will not go to the benches to speak to the coaches.
“There’s no communication with the benches after video replay. They’re going to tell the captains what the answer is and we move on. There is nothing to discuss after a decision has been made. There are other opportunities in the game — a commercial timeout or following a period — to communicate with the bench when it’s not delaying the game.’’
Changes in officiating staff
Geno Binda Jr. will be refereeing in Hockey East this season. He is a former American Hockey League referee who called games in Atlantic Hockey and the NCHC last season.
“He’s the number-one-rated referee in the NCHC,’’ said Murphy. “He lives in the Boston area, decided to come to Hockey East and work for us this year.’’
Jeremy Tufts, who called some Hockey East games along with AHL and ECHL games last season, will take on a bigger Hockey East workload this season, Murphy said.
Tufts has worked the IIHF World Championship and the World Junior Championship in recent years.
“We’re not flying officials this year, so you’re not going to see Jamie Koharski (who lives in Florida). It’s strictly because of COVID protocols that have been decided on by (commissioner Steve Metcalf) and I,’’ Murphy said.
Rehab for Abruzzese
Nick Abruzzese, Harvard’s leading scorer as a freshman last season, is at home in New York taking classes online and rehabbing after surgery on his left hip in September.
Long before Harvard canceled its season, some of Abruzzese’s teammates left school early and signed pro contracts. Others are playing junior hockey.
The 21-year-old Abruzzese, drafted in the fourth round by Toronto in 2019, is too old for juniors. And, coming off surgery, the timing’s not ideal to turn pro. There are academic considerations, too.
“Leaving now would make it a lot tougher to finish school and get the degree. It’s a tough situation right now. I’m just trying to figure out what the best step is at this point,’’ said Abbruzzese, who estimates he could be ready to play again by March.
“Obviously, I have the opportunity to turn pro. It’s a possibility, something that maybe I’ll look into now that we’re not going to have a college season. It’s tough to go a year and a half without playing hockey,’’ he said.
“There’s not too much else to say. Being caught in the middle is tough. It’s day by day right now.’’
Adams to Transfer Portal
Expect Union College’s Jack Adams (Boxford, Mass.) to hit the NCAA Transfer Portal, after the Dutchmen canceled their season on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-6 winger should generate a lot of interest. He was drafted by Detroit in the sixth round in 2017 after leading the USHL in goals with 37 while playing for Fargo.
Adams missed the 2019-20 season with a knee injury. His late brother, Mark, played for Providence College’s 2015 national championship team.
