Officially, it stinks.

For years, even back when I was playing, I have sympathized with officials in every sport. It’s not easy to tell people they did something wrong with the adrenaline pumping like it does during sporting events, whether it’s basketball, hockey, football or whatever.

There are not many times I can recall that I have blatantly disagreed with an official’s call. Usually, I can see things from their point of view.

Doing radio for a while about seven years ago, even when I disagreed with a call, I would generally argue that even though the player in question may not have actually committed the infraction, he had put himself into a position where the official could have construed that action as a penalty.

In hockey, that happens a lot.

Many calls for hooking, for example, involve very little “hook.” The penalty, though called hooking, is usually made for apparently impeding the progress of another player with the stick. In this day of the so-called “new rules,” that basically means that any time a stick comes up into a player’s midsection with that player at full stride, look for an official’s hand to reach for the sky, signaling a penalty.

Fair enough. The guideline is there, and it’s fairly straightforward.

Last weekend, too late for me to comment about it in last Sunday’s edition, one official in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League made a mockery of the very league by which he is employed, and he made a mockery of the game he was employed to cover that night.

And it wasn’t his first such offense.

But it was his first in a long time, at least here in Lewiston.

Last season, Nicolas Dutil called several games in Lewiston. He, along with Francis Charron, were among the league’s best in terms on consistency and fair calling. By and large, he let the teams play with little interference, and very few times did his games get out of hand.

Perhaps that’s why he has seen more games this season. That only makes sense.

Some Lewiston fans want to remember back to the playoff games with Rouyn-Noranda in Year 1. Dutil was an official in a game when a pair of goals that might or might not have counted in this age of video replay were both disallowed. The Maineiacs won the game, but a segment of Maineiacs fans won’t let it go.

For three years since, Dutil has been booed by these fans in every appearance, yet until this season, he was one of the league’s better officials.

By far.

This year, though, for whatever reason, something changed, and that something reared its ugly head last weekend.

An official from the league, Director of Hockey Operations Raymond Bolduc, watched the game from the press box. He jotted down notes as the game wore on, some good, some bad, regarding the officiating.

He even asked to see a replay after a non-call at the end of a period, and he went back to writing in his notepad.

In the third period, Dutil called a penalty shot against Lewiston, on a play where the Bathurst player was never clear of the defenseman, on a play where the Bathurst player never really had control of the puck. The Titan scored, and won in overtime.

Maineiacs’ head coach Ed Harding muttered something to Dutil. Harding was suspended for a game, and the organization was fined $1,000.

Harding will serve his suspension this afternoon in Saint John.

But perhaps there has been a measure of justice. On a busy weekend in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, during which there have been 14 games, Dutil has not skated again.

Like I said before, Dutil used to be a good referee.

Perhaps the problem is within the league. The QMJHL is not only a training ground for players, but for officials, as well. There has to be some measure of leniency when it comes to the officials in this league, because of that fact.

But the league should also have a system of checks in place, and the will to suspend or otherwise discipline its officials when they do something wrong, instead of trotting them out week after week, like nothing has happened.