Louis Jean

More and more referees are relied upon to diffuse dangerous situations on the ice.

It’s time to make some changes to Canada’s national pastime. I propose that from now on, the on-ice officials be sworn in policemen with the same powers as the authorities.

This way if anything happens on the ice the officials can arrest the perpetrator, file an official complaint and carry on with the game.

A little extreme you say? Is it really? How long before it comes to that?

Take the Patrice Cormier elbow on Mikael Tam for example. There is no place in the game of hockey for an incident like this and Cormier deserves to be reprimanded. But is it asking too much to allow the QMJHL to rule on the hit?

In case you missed it, an official complaint was made to the local police after the game. But here’s the kicker: The man that filed the complaint is non other than Patrick Roy, the Remparts’ head coach.

Regardless of Cormier’s intentions, Roy’s complaint to the police smacks of hypocrisy considering his outrage when his own sons were charged. Jonathan Roy had to stand trial for his assault on Bobby Nadeau during a QMJHL playoff game. Frederick Roy delivered a vicious high-stick to Vincent Bourgeois’ face in November 2008, which led to a police investigation. The four-time Stanley Cup champion also had to answer to the authorities for a shoving match in Chicoutimi.

Roy felt that involving the judicial system sent the wrong message; his main point of contention was that the league needed to solve its problems internally and any police involvement reflected badly on the QMJHL.

So what is to make of the fact he went running to the cops this time? How could the QMJHL possibly benefit from this potentially going before the courts?

Is Roy doing this for the greater good of the game? Is he so concerned about eliminating shots to the head that he felt this would be the best course of action? Is he being spiteful: “You charge my son, I’ll charge this kid?” Is he doing it to protect his player? Is he looking for a competitive advantage?

Remember one thing: Roy showed in the 2006 Memorial Cup there were no boundaries to winning. Even if that meant getting into an opposing netminders head to get him off his game. Forget gamesmanship; for Roy, anything goes when you’ve got a shot at the Cup. If it means crushing a team that could get in your way, so be it. If it means potentially hurting a kid's career, too bad.

So if the game has come to this, why not just hire cops to do the officiating. There could be a penalty box for minor infractions. If you cross the line, you’re thrown into the cell just next to it.