Enjoy the game guys... our kids grow up WAY too fast.
This is the best message board advice I've seen in a long time.
Rules?
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
correlation
Sadly, there is a strong correlation between the quality of refs and the amount of abuse they endure (in any sport). My 13-year old son has been a soccer ref for 2 years and only infrequently gets subjected to abuse. That's because he knows the rules and calls them correctly. He makes mistakes, of course, but calls them as he sees them with confidence. Calling offsides in hockey is easy. Try calling offsides in soccer and it's infinitely more challenging. I'm sure that the percentage of refs who care about their job is much higher than 5% and refs still should not be subject to on-ice criticism. However, they must be held accountable for the quality of their work. How are refs graded and what mechanisms are in place for assisting refs who do a sub-standard job (e.g., additional training, only allowed to ref certain age groups)? Again, though, if the refs do a good job, or more importantly are at least conistent in their calls, they would suffer much less abuse, at least from those who understand the game of hockey.