No refs, No hockey.
900 refs hit the exits in Massachusetts, that's not good..
The biggest news of the week, by far, was the announcement that Massachusetts Youth Hockey is facing a “referee shortage”. Mass Hockey is one of the most respected organizations in youth hockey, so this got my attention. In the article, Mass Hockey states that there has been an exodus of 900 referees and they leave no question as to the reason why: abuse. Abuse by parents and abuse by coaches. From my own observation, I have also seen much more back talk from kids than I had in the last 5 years or so. But that’s an issue for another time.
Check out the article here: https://www.mahockey.org/news_article/show/1187173
Myself and my family are no strangers to Mass Hockey. Our boys played in the system for about two years at a town travel club, and it was excellent. But, it was not without drama. And, every weekend there seemed to be some kind of drama. Now, this was when my oldest was young and playing as a mite and squirt, so not too crazy. But, even at that age, parents were going wild about missed calls, screaming over the glass, yelling curse words at the refs. It was not all the time, but it was often enough for me to have those occasions etched in my brain. In one game, I don't know where it was exactly, parents from opposing teams got into a fist fight and the police had to be called. It was not a huge brawl, but it was enough to make every single person uncomfortable. To this day, I have never seen anything quite that bad, but it has come close. Just a few years ago in New Jersey, on my youngest boys’ team, one of the parents was so incensed by the refs calling a penalty on his son in the final period, he started climbing over the glass to get onto the ice. I mean this is someone that I shared a coffee conversation with not 60 minutes prior, and now he is getting thrown out of the rink by a teenage manager and the parents of the opposing team. We were at their rink, and it was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen, and one of the most embarrassing by far. Truth be told, the son was just like the father, and even though it made our game more difficult, the son got what he deserved, a 2 and 10 for boarding. It was not a close call, the ref and everyone in the stands could see it from a mile away.
Have I, as a passionate hockey dad, yelled for a call? Yes, but not in a personal way. Have I said, “terrible call” out loud so everyone can hear me? Yes. I think the referees expect some of that. Just this last weekend, for a 12U game, a parent was yelling “you don't know what you are doing, you saw nothing and you know it.” They aren’t paid to listen to that crap. This graphic from Mass Hockey is helpful, but do we really think that parents are going to see this and think twice? I really doubt it.
The article lays out several penalties, mostly centered on suspensions. It's a good step, but it brings up several questions, namely who is going to enforce the suspensions? The teams I guess, who will require the parent to not be present for the specific amount of games. Ok, I guess that could work, but most teams and clubs are very chummy and it would be hard for them to enforce this effectively, in my opinion. The reality is, until there are fines passed along to the parents, nothing is going to change.
I love Mass Hockey, and what I have learned bringing my kids to arenas in different states, is that every state has this problem, it is not confined to Mass, even though they play hockey at a different level of intensity than other states we have played in, by far. There is no question that hockey is an investment, and it is not as cheap as other sports, but it doesn’t entitle any parent to abuse anyone: another parent, a coach or a ref. That's not a hot take, we all know that. How many times have we heard: “come on it’s youth hockey!” when parents square off? So many times.
No doubt, it can be so hard to let the game play itself out, especially when a penalty or missed penalty, involves your son or daughter. But, still it comes back to the startling figure: 900 refs headed for the exits. That’s crazy and destructive to the youth hockey ecosystem. Who is going to take their place? At the bantam level, having two refs is essential to keep the game flowing and to keep kids safe. Playing Bantam and above with one ref as a standard operating procedure, can you imagine that? Honestly, I would not want to put my kid on the ice in such a circumstance. Would you?
I am working on an interview with someone from Mass Hockey to talk about this situation in depth, but clearly, no matter where your team plays, if we can’t have refs, we can't have this game. Sobering thought.
Note: Over the course of time, I will be interviewing intriguing brands and taking a look at the story behind their success. From the personalities to the products, from the big brands to the boutiques, I am excited to explore the intersection of retail and youth hockey. Please share if you know someone who would enjoy the conversation.
Don’t miss the next interview. Subscribe today to get Youth Hockey Digest in your inbox every Saturday morning before the Zamboni hits the ice.