hether you like it or not, when the top league makes changes in the game, the rest of us are affected. Just like other major sports, how the game is called is about to get a major overhaul in the hockey world.

That's a balk

As an example of how we amateurs follow, the enforcement of balks in baseball is a clear-cut example. In the late 1980s MLB began calling balks much tighter. The focus was on ensuring that the pitcher would stop during his delivery while in the set position. That year, the same thing became an immediate focus for amateur umpires in Canada as well. Like the MLB guys, we got lots of grief. When MLB backed off the call, so did we. Like obedient sheep, we followed the example of the boys.

In basketball, the three-point line and the shot clock were both inventions of the NBA. Those things are now part of any amateur league.

Continued...