THE NHL / HELENE ELLIOTT : Amid ‘Human’ Errors, Playoff Officiating Deemed Better

Think the officiating in the playoffs isn’t as good as it should be?

“Some nights, I’d agree wholeheartedly,” said Bryan Lewis, the NHL’s director of officiating.

But most of the time, he believes the NHL has identified its best referees and linesmen and they’re doing the best possible job of making quick decisions under intense pressure.

“That doesn’t mean they’re not going to make errors,” Lewis said. “There’s certainly human judgment involved. I was at a game (last week) in Toronto and there were certain things I wish hadn’t happened. There was a game Kerry (Fraser) did in New York that I could pick out a couple of things I didn’t like, but in the context of the entire game, you understand it.”

Referees and linesmen are monitored during the season and rated at season’s end. The ratings aren’t revealed to the officials. The NHL chooses playoff officials on merit, as does the NBA. Postseason baseball umpiring assignments are determined on merit but with restrictions, such as a minimum amount of experience, and no umpire can work both the playoffs and World Series.

The officials’ contingent starts at 11 referees and 19 linesmen. It’s cut to eight referees and 10 linesmen in the quarterfinals, six referees and eight linesmen in the semifinals and three referees and four linesmen in the finals. Eliminations are based on judgments by Lewis and series supervisors, who include former referees Dave Newell and Wally Harris.

The system isn’t perfect. Andy van Hellemond, long rated among the top referees, has ignored a lot of restraining fouls and has allowed several games to get out of hand. He also missed Pavel Bure’s brutal elbowing of Shane Churla.

Dan Marouelli has been behind plays and Terry Gregson has been so-so, although both New Jersey Coach Jacques Lemaire and the Rangers’ Mike Keenan complained about him last week.

Lewis wouldn’t comment on specific officials, but said he is satisfied with the overall quality of their work.

“In terms of complaints and issues, we haven’t had anywhere near this year what we had last year,” he said. “Our ability to pick apart what officials are doing is greater because of technology, and there’s not a damn thing wrong with that. If the right team wins and the officials have made minimal errors, then they’ve done their job, and I firmly believe we are.”

NICK KNACK

In the pantheon of King general managers, Nick Beverley ranks in the middle of the pack.

He wasn’t as bad as Larry Regan, who traded the draft picks that became Reg Leach, Steve Shutt, Pierre Mondou and Mario Tremblay. And he wasn’t as bad as George Maguire, who gave up the first-round pick Boston used to draft Ray Bourque and the first-rounder Buffalo used for Phil Housley.

But he wasn’t as good as Rogie Vachon, who got Kelly Hrudey from the New York Islanders, Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato from the Rangers, Mike Donnelly from Buffalo for Mikko Makela, and Paul Coffey from Pittsburgh.

Beverley’s peers lined up behind him when he and Coach Barry Melrose clashed over personnel moves.

“He’s a good hockey man,” they said, a euphemism meaning he’s a member of the old-boys’ club and Melrose is a brash, young pup. Melrose was out of line in that case, but Beverley was no genius. Still, he worked under difficult circumstances. The Kings’ front-office setup meant decisions had to be approved by Beverley, club President Roy Mlakar, Melrose and Vachon. Too many voices, too little decisiveness.

As for those who suggest Melrose should have become general manager, we say no. He showed no great eye for talent when he asked Beverley to get him Gary Shuchuk, Phil Crowe and Marc Potvin, and his affinity for Doug Houda is mystifying.

Melrose was summoned to Los Angeles last week to meet with club officials, who told him his coaching job is safe--for now.

MELROSE AT THE MIKE

As ESPN’s studio analyst, Melrose has learned much about the game--including how easy it is to coach when you’ve got replays and assorted camera angles.

“I’ve watched a lot of hockey and really gotten to watch players closely,” he said. “I know the NHL better than I ever knew it before. I’m not second-guessing (other coaches), more watching what they do. Sometimes I say, ‘Geez, I might have done that differently.’ It’s been hard, seeing the excitement, knowing what’s going on, not being there after being there last year. . . .

“What (doing commentary) has done is reinforce what I believe should be done with our team. The teams left are the big teams with physical guys who can skate and grind and make the big play when they need to.”

ONE IN SEVERAL MILLION

Mike Barnett, who represents top-rated draft prospect Radek Bonk, denied reports the Czech teen-ager is seeking a five-year, $20-million deal. Last year’s top pick, Alexandre Daigle, got $12.5 million over five years from Ottawa.

“There haven’t been any numbers discussed with anyone,” Barnett said. “Most teams are playing things close to the vest. And we did not sit down and have an absolute, predetermined dollar amount and number of years.”

BAFFLING BRUINS

Here’s a puzzler: Boston General Manager Harry Sinden is considering John Ferguson to fill the vacancy left when Mike Milbury resigned as assistant general manager.

Sinden had planned to retire after next season and give most of his responsibilities to a younger man. At 55, Ferguson doesn’t quite fit that bill. Ferguson, formerly general manager of the Rangers and the Winnipeg Jets, is Ottawa’s director of player personnel. He and Sinden have been cronies since the 1972 “Super Series” against the Soviets.

SLAP SHOTS

Vancouver goalie Kirk McLean takes a 135-minute 23-second shutout streak into tonight’s potential clincher against Toronto. The Canucks’ speedy forwards have also played key roles in building a 3-1 series lead. Bure, who has a 14-game point-scoring streak, has been nearly unstoppable, and left wing Geoff Courtnall and center Cliff Ronning are creating havoc. . . . When Ranger Coach Keenan benched Brian Leetch, Brian Noonan and Craig MacTavish Saturday, he was trying to cover up shoulder injuries suffered by Leetch and MacTavish and Noonan’s knee injury. Mark Messier is slowed by rib and hip problems.

Ron Corey of Montreal will probably succeed Bruce McNall as chairman of the Board of Governors, but Calgary co-owner Harley Hotchkiss is also a strong candidate. . . . Jay Leach, coach of the Flyers’ American Hockey League farm team, is favored to replace Terry Simpson in Philadelphia.

Whaler players didn’t respect 32-year-old Coach Pierre McGuire. Firing him “was the best thing that could have happened,” winger Pat Verbeek said. . . . The Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League won the Memorial Cup (Canadian junior championship) with a 5-3 victory Sunday over Laval of the Quebec League. Kamloops center Darcy Tucker, a 1993 Montreal draft pick, was the tournament’s most valuable player.