Report: NHL in contact with ECHL referees to possibly work as scabs

of the New York Rangers of the Philadelphia Flyers on April 11, 2010 at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jim McIsaac

If you’ve been stressing out a bit over the potential labor problems the NHL and NHLPA could have in a couple of years, it’s probably best to take a breath and relax. In the meantime, you can get worked up over the NHL and the NHL Officials Association not having a new agreement squared away. To make matters actually more nerve-racking, according to The Hockey News, the NHL is in contact with non-league officials to possibly work in the NHL this season while the NHL and NHLOA work out a new agreement.

THN.com has learned that with less than two weeks to go before the NHL starts holding pre-season games, the league and the NHL Officials’ Association are still without a collective bargaining agreement for this season. The previous agreement expired Aug. 31 and while talks between the two sides are ongoing, THN.com has learned the league has approached non-NHL officials in both the American League and the ECHL to determine whether or not they would be interested in acting as replacement officials should an agreement not be reached.

One minor league official contacted by THN.com said he has received two calls in the past two days from other minor league officials asking if he would be part of a group that would work games.

“I think it is wrong to be a scab,” he told THN.com. “I would never be a replacement (official), but there are a lot of my colleagues that are surprisingly jumping at the chance.”

Respecting potential picket lines is something that any of these officials will potentially have to deal with, as would the possibility of never being allowed in the NHLOA if they make it that far on their own. That said, this has nothing but bad mojo written all over it for the NHL if you’ve got extreme minor league officials getting called up from two levels down to work NHL games.

Think about it this way, most fans have severe complaints about the regular NHL officials as it is. Bringing up guys that aren’t as quick on the call nor as experienced has disaster written all over it. More than likely, this preparedness kind of move by the NHL is to make sure they’re covered in case things keep going slowly but it also doubles as a negotiation tactic to put pressure on the NHLOA to show them that they’re ready to continue on without them.

Of course, not having the best of the best in officials to manage games featuring the best of the best of its athletes doesn’t do anyone any favors at all. After all, there’s a reason why these guys work in the ECHL in the first place. Graduating them forcibly up to the NHL level is a nightmare scenario waiting to happen.