‘It’s just a game’: Young officials talk verbal abuse on ice

But the constant abuse from fans, coaches and players does not make that an easy task.

And often, the official responsible for that safety can be any age that Hockey Canada deems fit.

At times, young officials get it worse than older ones, due to the fact many coaches, fans and even players in the younger ranks feel as though they can get away with it.

BattlefordsNOW was able to speak to two young officials on what they see on the ice, the abuse they’ve encored, and what they would do to change the game to make it safer for all.

The officials wanted to remain anonymous for the fear of negative repercussions.

One of the two officials we spoke to has already hung up his skates for the season because of the abuse he has faced on the ice.

“Six of my last 10 games that I reffed were pretty bad. (They) involved me being yelled at by a fan or a coach. It started off pretty well, and it went downhill fast,” he said. “A few bad games, and I just lost interest in reffing.”

He pointed to one specific game in where everything started to go astray. He said he didn’t feel safe leaving the ice in between periods or following the game, and while it wasn’t the first time, nothing compared to the game in question.

Hockey Canada, along with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, have both preached the term safety. With games, especially when it comes down to playoffs and provincials, that are more highly contested, it seems that is thrown out the window, the official said, and wishes some games ended differently.

“There were a few games this season that I didn’t feel quite safe,” he said. “My dad (was) called out on a few things, and (was) yelled at by parents in one of my games.”

In nearly every rink in Saskatchewan, codes of conduct are plastered on the walls. Most of them include the words zero tolerance, yet these seem to go unnoticed. This official has a simple way of determining how those rules should be perceived and handled.

“If they break that code of conduct with respecting the officials and respecting all of the players, they shouldn’t be allowed in the rink,” he said.

When receiving verbal abuse from fans, coaches and players, the official said it is difficult to bite his tongue, and not retaliate. Most of these younger officials are brought up on the golden rule in treating others the way you’d want to be treated.

“I get angry when I get yelled at on the ice. I don’t curl up and get upset about it. I want to express myself back and I find that that’s not the best way to resolve the conflict in hockey,” he said.

He said multiple times this season, he has wanted to pack it in for good, but the love of the game is what keeps him coming back and hoping one day it will change.

“Probably three times this season I thought about selling my stuff and not reffing again, but I find that it’s fun when I’m not getting yelled at. I’m going to stick with it,” he said.

Throughout the abuse and the situations that these young officials are tasked with, they remain a part of the sport, and become young leaders within it. The official has a message for each official that may have doubts or want to walk out of the arena.

“Don’t let the coaches dictate what you do when you’re reffing, (or thinking of quitting), just keep doing it, no matter how tough it might seem,” he said. “Every time you step on the ice, just remember that you’re there to do your job. Call your penalties, call your game, don’t listen to what they say, it’s not always right.”

The second official also said they had an easy start to the year but a tough finish – a story true for many, seen through a decline in numbers as the season goes on.

The official recalled a few games in February where there was “constant yelling all the time,” no matter what they did.

“It (would) throw me off my game a bit. I start thinking about that while I’m reffing, (while still trying to focus on the game),” he said. “I want to go and deal with (it), like I would someone else my age.”

He said it’s hard to hold back and be the most mature one on the ice. Stooping down to the level that the fans, coaches or players are on, they both said, isn’t going to help or alleviate their positions on the game.

“It’s weird,” they said. “They’re grown adults and in any other situation, they wouldn’t be yelling at someone my age. They’re too into the game, they just need to know that it’s just a game.”

Saskatchewan Hockey does do its best to combat the issues surrounding the game. This year, they implemented an Officials Development Plan for the grassroots side of the game, all the way up to the elite level officials that has paid off immensely. In the development plan, the vision of the program was to “provide the best possible officials for all hockey in Saskatchewan.”

Coaches were able to take a free course and provide support for officials who were working in all age levels. It gave the ability for senior officials to give back to the juniors, and it was something that received praise throughout the association.

This particular official was coached throughout the season. They said it was nice to have the support.

“It lets you know that there are consequences for coaches when they are out of line, as long as you deal with it properly,” they said.

Both officials were asked if SHA had always been behind them throughout the year. They did agree that it isn’t the associations fault, and that the issue at hand is bigger than just a group of people trying to do the impossible. The second official did, however, have one recommendation when it came to giving advice to the higher powers of hockey in the province.

“Let it be known that there are consequences for getting out of line,” he said. “Making the consequences for getting out of line, and probably making the consequences even worse, because there’s no need to be screaming at a ref. Especially, when they’re young like me.”

All it takes is to take a step back and realize what you’re doing, what you’re saying, and who you’re saying it to, the second official said.

“It should just be a game. The kids are out there to have fun. There’s no reason to be acting like that,” he said.

Hockey Canada has tried instilling the factors of hockey just being a game, but the fact is it isn’t for a lot of these young officials. Hockey Canada, though, a few years ago came out with a new initiative, which still hangs in many arena foyers today.

The sign may go unnoticed, but the message is simple.

“Yelling at the refs will help your team win,” the sign says. “’Cause they really like that. (Do ya think?)”

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brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangBFN

by Brady Lang

‘It’s just a game’: Young officials talk verbal abuse on ice

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