I had a couple of things happen in recent weeks that have really annoyed me. I typically don't use this as a forum to complain but I think I'm going to get up on my soapbox for an entry. Last year at Worlds, one of the officials from Switzerland gave out riot pads (little note pads we carry in our pockets on the ice) that on the cover said "No refs no game." There is no truer statement, without refs you can't have a game. And if people continue to abuse officials, nobody will be willing to put on the stripes. The number of registered officials is declining and while I think there are a number of reasons for that the biggest one is people are sick of taking the abuse.
Now as a referee you have to have a thick skin, it comes with the territory. And believe me when I tell you I've put up with some brutal stuff over the years. But I also think the abuse has gotten a lot worse in the last few years. I know I'm not dreaming because I have seen more articles about fan/coach altercations with youth sports officials in 2015 than I have in the last few years combined. Over the last month I've worked a number of games for various leagues and every other official I spoken with has said the same thing "I can't wait until hockey season is over, I'm sick of the bs." I don't remember it being like that in years past. Listen, I will be the first to admit that I make mistakes out there. And trust me when I tell you nobody beats themselves up over it more than I do. I made a mistake earlier this season that I saw on video after the fact and I swear I didn't sleep for 3 days, I kept replaying it over and over in my head, thinking about how I could have done better. There was a fantastic article that I read (click here to read it) earlier this year about hockey referees and game control, blown calls and other misconceptions. I said it should be required reading for all parents and coaches before the enter the ice rink, both at the beginning of the season and again come playoff time. That way, when I have a coach of a u14 team tell me that because I called a penalty in OT on his team I "stole the game from his girls and broke their hearts" I can say, have you read that Sports Illustrated article? (True story, by the way).
Another example, a few of us officials were sitting up in the snack bar area at the district tournament. I'm fairly certain the mother at the table next to us knew we were the refs because she certainly had a lot to say about the officials, both those who were working the current game her daughter was playing but also those that had worked the game those same two teams played earlier in the day. Heaven forbid little (insert name here) ever does ANYTHING wrong - it was always the ref's horrible call. It took everything in me to walk down to the locker room, grab a whistle out of my bag and slam it on the table in front of her and say "if you think you can do better, there is a certification seminar on April 12th, I'd love to see you there." Because to me, if all you can do is complain and talk about how horrible the refs are why don't you do something about it.
Those are just a few recent examples, it has really been going on all season. And not to pull the girl card but I think it is even worse as a female. I was fortunate enough to be the first female to work a boys Flyers Cup Final this year. After that game, the one guy in the penalty box came over and was chatting with scorekeeper (a sophomore on the West Chester University women's hockey team) and I. The guy asked the girl if she would ever try to be a referee - he reasoned she would make a lot more money on the ice vs sitting in the score box (a very true statement, I made 5x what she made that game). Her response "I couldn't handle being yelled at by parents and coaches." It is sad that this young girl won't try officiating because she knows she is going to be abused.
Speaking of females, part two of my rant is about to occur. Back in 1997 the IIHF made the decision to go with all female referees for their World Championship Tournaments (read about it here). While I'm certain there were some growing pains, in the end it was a fantastic move as there are so many great officials around the world who now have something to work for. USA Hockey and the IIHF have done a fantastic job of promoting female officials. They work hard to put us in situations where we can learn, grow and succeed. NCAA hockey, on the other hand, still isn't where we need it to be in terms of supporting the female officials. The Frozen Four for both D1 and D3 are taking place this weekend. They bring in 3 4-person crews for each level. Of those 24 people selected, guess how many were women? If you guessed 2, you are correct. How sad is that? Are you really trying to tell me that there aren't more than 2 qualified women working NCAA hockey? I struggle with this greatly. NCAA hockey is, for all intents and purposes, the best women's hockey in the world outside of the national teams and the small pro league that exists in Canada. How can we only have 2 women working the WOMEN'S championships? It doesn't have to be me personally out there, I just want to see more of us females out there.
Something needs to change but I'm not sure what the answer is. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. This post has turned into way too long of a rant. I promise I'll get off my soapbox now. If you ever read my blog again, my next post will be way more fun. It will include all of my travel plans and some details about my specific tournament. I can't believe I leave on Wednesday!
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