“It’s not ice hockey anymore”: SCB coach Tapola sounds the alarm about the video marathon

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

Hockey breathless. SC Bern’s first performance under Jussi Tapola (49) is quite something. Drama, brilliant saves, emotions, beautiful goals, a hat trick from Tristan Scherwey and fights. The new SCB coach is satisfied with the performance of his team in the 4-1 opening victory. «Our fans gave us a lot of energy. This team has heart,” says the Finn, who led Tappara Tampere to its second consecutive championship title last season and won the Champions Hockey League.

But something annoys Tapola: the video marathon that referees Miroslav Stolc and Loïc Ruprecht complete. The duo imposed a 5-minute penalty on a Bernese three times and then checked the decision on the video. The penalty for defender Julius Honka was reduced to two minutes. With Samuel Kreis and Benjamin Baumgartner the original judgment remains. Because, at least in the case of Honka and Baumgartner, the camera settings cannot produce good images, the referees take forever to reach a verdict. They spend no less than nine minutes in front of the screen.

“I’m not sure I understand the rule about how often videos are viewed,” says Tapola. “They looked three times. I’m not sure that’s good for hockey. After this match, there needs to be a conversation with the league about how they want to handle video review for penalty kicks. You can’t watch videos all the time if the referees on the ice can’t see it clearly. Otherwise the fans and the players will have to wait, wait and wait.”

“It’s not ice hockey anymore”

The previous season’s nonsensical rule was corrected before the season. Previously, referees had to award a minimum of a 2-minute penalty if they had previously imposed a 5-minute penalty and checked it on video – even if the alleged perpetrator was innocent. Now the referees no longer have to penalize an unfairly accused player after the assessment.

However, this could lead to a flood of reviews, like yesterday in Bern. There is a fear that the referees will impose a 5-minute penalty if they already suspect that a serious violation has occurred. Because they are only allowed to watch the video if they are severely punished.

The referees find themselves in a difficult situation if the video images do not provide clarity. Then they must adhere to the decision made on the ice.

After the third review and the ejection against Baumgartner, Tapola goes on a rant and shows that he is moody. He is one of two linesmen who claims to have seen a handicap. “The head referee was right behind it and didn’t raise his arm, didn’t see anything. And then you watch the video,” says Tapola. “It’s not ice hockey anymore.” The video marathon and the penalties have no consequences for the SCB. The box play works, not least because new goalkeeper Adam Reideborn makes a number of top saves.

Source : Blick