As a ref, coaches and parents, please stop yelling at us. Especially if the referee is younger. It's kids playing hockey. It's not serious. I'm almost 30, so I can handle it, but the amount of young officials I've seen that get dejected because some donkey coach is screaming at them over a tripping call is ridiculous. Only 1/3rd of first year referees come back for a second year. If you have a concern with a referee, call him over, step down from the bench, and talk to him in a respectful way.
Your job isn't to yell and berate us, it's to set lines and manage your bench. You are just as responsible, if not more-so, for keeping the games under control. Your kids don't follow my example, they follow you. If you get pissed off over a missed call, they do. If you remain calm, they remain calm. Referees are human, and they're going to miss calls. Most of us don't do it as a career. We don't get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to do this like NHL referees do. We do it for fun, spare change, and to stay involved in the game we all love.
This idea that referees are responsible for keeping hockey games under control is complete and total nonsense. It's on the coaches. Full stop.
It's truly embarrassing how adults act over minor hockey. The kids rarely complain. It's the 40 year old losers behind the bench that get pissed off the most. You ruin the game for the refs and your kids.
As a referee, Tim Peel should know this. What a joke he is.
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