The NHL has bigger problems

In my internet reading I came across a story written by Bill Clement, of NBC and Versus, regarding diving.  Clement details how diving is ruining the game of hockey.

Policing those who make a habit of pretending to get fouled has always been on the league's radar, specifically that of the competition committee and Colin Campbell, the executive in charge of how NHL hockey is officiated.

But for the sake of the game, the NHL needs to take a harsher, no-tolerance policy on diving next season.

Although I agree that diving takes some integrity out of the game, my thoughts regarding diving are "who cares".  If guys want to dive and take themselves out of a play than so be it.  I say let them do it I really don't care.

This takes me into something I've been planning on for weeks.  The NHL has some major problems that need to be fixed before they should concern themselves with diving.  The first thing the NHL needs to focus on is more consistent officiating.  It used to be that players didn't know what was going to be called from game to game but now they never know what the standard is.  The officiating has become more and more inconsistent.  

I think the inconsistency is a direct result of the two referee system the NHL has implemented.  In having two officials they have created a system where each referee sees things differently and therefore call different penalties.  This is in the way they interpret the rules not in what they see and don't see.  I would love to see the NHL go back to a one referee system which would help the players get a better feel for the game.

The second thing the league needs to look at is hits from behind and to the head.  The practice of giving a cheap shot is becoming rampant in the league and they aren't doing enough to curtail this behavior.  I think it is ridiculous that you see hits from behind go unpunished while guys are being fined $1000 for falling on the ice.  If the NHL wants to fix the game this is where they should start and allow the players to take care of the guys who dive.