I get that NHL officials have a hard job. Every professional league’s refs have it tough and get a bad wrap. NBA, NFL, MLB, and all of the others get criticized for every call they make, sometimes harshly criticized. Is that because we expect too much of these people or is it because they’re bad at their jobs or is it because they hate the Columbus Blue Jackets? Yes, yes, and yes.
Every game is televised, reviewed, and on-demand. Pretty much anybody that wants to can continuously analyze the game tape and critique referees. This is different from past eras where select games were broadcast and for the most part, were live once and that was it.