Lassi Kuisma
There have also been harsh offsides, writes Lassi Kuisma.
KalPa’s head coach Sami Tervonen’s team noticed a clear offside by Ilves. Niklas Pehkonen / AOP
There is a massive problem in the ice hockey SM league playoffs: The linesmen don’t dare to whistle for offsides.
During the playoffs, a clear trend has been seen where the linesman leaves the offside without blowing the whistle, if he is not 100% sure of the whistle.
In the background, of course, is the coach’s challenge made possible by the rules, thanks to which the line judges have been able to outsource their work to the teams.
If a goal is scored after the offside was passed by the referee, the teams have the opportunity to challenge the situation. The referees look on the video to see if the situation is offside, and if so, the goal is disallowed.
The possibility of a challenge has caused a situation where line judges whistle offsides only when they are – not 100% sure, but – 100% sure.
What’s the problem with that? In the end, the judgments are correct and the goals that came immediately after a possible offside are erased after the challenge.
– Hockey is a momentum game, said Juhani Tamminen once.
An ice hockey match is a constant struggle between two groups of people playing in different colored shirts for the upper hand. If the game has been in your own defensive zone for a long time, the task of the five can be only to get the start in the opponent’s end.
It can translate momentum.
Except you have to get it right with a high percentage for the fair flow of the game. In the end, even in terms of the final result of the game, it can be essential whether a situation ends up in an offside whistle or a starting point in the end zone.
And challenges don’t always save offside goals either. In the opening round of the playoffs, Ässät scored an offside goal in Kiekko-Espoo’s net. For one reason or another, K-Espoo didn’t realize how to challenge the situation.
The last violent offside was seen on Tuesday between KalPa and Ilves. Ilves’ Erik Borg was offside by about the width of the Hatanpää highway before the puck went into the net.
KalPa knew how to challenge this, but it seemed funny that such a clear offside was the responsibility of the team.
Although the problem is at hand, Finnish sport does not need more referee hatred.
It is even likely that there is a higher-level policy behind what is whistled and what is not.
An attempt has been made to choose the lesser evil.
