Quote:
Originally Posted by habernac
We lost Friday to a team we should have beat. The refs were unusually competent. We had power play chances, were disciplined, all that stuff. Just couldn't score enough. Our goalie and one of our D had a miscommunication that cost us one. We then tied it but gave up another soon after that wasn't a pretty one.
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Not to go back and harp on an old post, but I just started reading this thread today and this kind of attitude towards refs really GMG. I am a minor hockey ref and the kind of sh*t that we have to put up with from players, coaches, and parents is insane. I've had coaches swear at me, tell me I am doing a sh*t job, that I am barely competent, and walk away at the end of the game without even shaking my hand. I get it, you're mad that I missed the offside that cost your team a goal, or the tripping penalty that happened behind the play 50 feet from the puck. Trust me, I am pretty annoyed at myself for blowing the call too, often times when something is missed I am hoping that neither team scores as a result. Even ex-NHL Referee, Kerry Fraser, says the same thing in his players tribune article,
'If I knew I had missed a call, a player would skate up to me and say, ' “That was bull####, Kerry.”
And I’d say, “You know what? You’re probably right. I’m sorry.”
There would be times when I’d say a little prayer: Please, God, do not let them score on this power play. I might have messed up.'
(It's an awesome article BTW:
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en...eferee-stories)
You mentioned earlier that your son was in peewee which likely means that the refs are typically in their first or second year. It is already hard enough learning to be a ref with the minimal training we receive and the giant rule book we are trying to remember. Let alone having players, coaches, and parents, screaming after every call. Imagine if your son was in his first or second year of hockey and had someone screaming at him every time he missed a pass, lost the puck, or shot wide. Being a ref is a thankless job and trying to keep everyone happy is impossible. Part of the struggle to get consistent reffing is the loss of first year refs. The last I heard the turnover rate for first year referees is over 50%.
So next time you ponder the competency of referees, realize that these are kids that aren't much older than your son doing this as a side job for a little extra cash. Better yet, why not take a reffing course and try to be one yourself. Besides all the crap we get it's great exercise and can be a lot of fun.