The NHL cancelled the Maple Leafs referees at training camp. Then it turned out that they’d cancelled the offseason training by bringing in the “Barb Rule” in the new CBA, so what’s next?
You may have heard that other teams complained about the Leafs using real referees at training camp scrimmages. “It’s not fair,” was the cry heard round the NHL. So the Leafs had to stop practising like they meant it. Then we heard that the Leafs had to stop teaching their prospects how to skate properly in the offseason. “It’s not fair,” was again the cry, and so the Barb rule was enshrined in the CBA:
(b) Prohibited Off-Season Activities.