The Leafs have not had good luck with referees this season, or any season dating back to the infamous missed high stick on Doug GIlmour by Wayne Gretzky in the 1993 playoffs. Year after year the Leafs are among the bottom teams in the league at drawing penalties, it hurts the team, especially in the playoffs. Recently the Leafs have started with a new tactic to help build better relationships with the on ice officials. They post the headshots and names of each referee working the game they're playing in the dressing room and on the benches.
It makes sense, its much easier to have a dialogue when it starts with " Hey Steve, can I talk to you about this?" instead of "Hey ref!" It adds some humanity and not only makes the refs feel better, but reminds the player that they're talking to a person, not just an official. The Leafs believe that by having better relationships with the referees, they'll have an easier time getting their point across when they need to talk to them about an issue.
It may seem like a small thing, or a soft thing, but at this point any way the Leafs can get themselves into the ref's good books is worth a try. Referee's are known to have players and teams that they favour, even if they do so inadvertently. The Leafs could use some friendly refereeing against heavy teams like Boston or Tampa in a few weeks when the playoffs begin. If minding their manners and showing respect is the way to make it happen, more power to them.
