Former NHL referee proves once again game management is a thing, calls out Michael Bunting

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Sam Hutch
April 5, 2023 (8:09 PM)

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It's no secret that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting is disliked among National Hockey League officials, but, it's been a point of contention for the Leafs this season.

According to this former NHL referee, it's on Bunting to fix the relationship between the officials and himself, per The Leafs Nation.

Referees hate getting dupedWhen they get duped more than once by the same player, then they're hesitant to sometimes make a call When you see a player who has hurt you in the past and sometimes that happens that's not clear cut you would rather miss a call and then be shown you were wrong. That's the player that creates the narrative, not the referee.

There are a few things here, 1) Dave Jackson just fully admitted to not calling penalty's if a player has embellished in the past, which on one hand is fair. On the other hand, he just admitted to game management of sorts.

2) did he really just say refs alter the rule book because they have hurt feelings. If the player, I don't care who it is, has a penalty committed against them, you call it. Call the game by the book and you wouldn't have have an issue. Do people embellish? Yes. Is it limited to the Leafs? No.

To me, this is a ridiculous excuse and one that the NHL needs to actively attempt to stop. If it's a penalty, call it. It's really that simple.