"Diving" after getting high-sticked?

[Tinkeric]

Hey everyone, I play in one league that has some beginners that don't know how to control their sticks. With one team in particular, both times I've played them I've been unnecessarily high-sticked just skating through the neutral zone.

I wear a full cage, but both times I exaggerated the play by grabbing my mask and letting out a painful yell. Obviously, it didn't hurt, and I also wanted to draw a penalty. Without a cage, it would have been bad though.

Is that unsportsmanlike? I think those kids should learn from the penalties to control their sticks, especially since other people don't wear any shields.

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[McNasty]

Yes. You have a cage, naturally your head might jerk up if your hit hard enough, but grabbing your cage is obviously just a cry to the officials as it's very unlikely he hit your cage hard enough to cause any pain.

 

[mbeam]

Give it the old head kick, no need for a grab-and-cry.

 

[Gino 14]

Is that unsportsmanlike?

Yes.

Try talking to the officials at a break in play and just explain to him what's happening. If you do it as a concerned player rather than a complaining PIA, they may start watching a little closer.

 

[nullterm]

Yeah, tell the ref during a stoppage. My experience is they'll call it or they won't in the moment. Getting the penalty from yelling about it won't happen. Don't expect help from the referees after the fact.

Just be careful to keep your cool, I've seen way too many penalties from players getting overzealous with how their opinions differ from the referee's.

Letting the player know to keep his stick on the ice I'm all for. Especially in lower divs. Sometimes with colourful language.

I've got a huge scrape on the side of my visor from some guy's stick during a puck battle. Would have carved me pretty good. No call, no nothing from the ref. Just had to keep going on my shift.

 

[Stripes]

Hey everyone, I play in one league that has some beginners that don't know how to control their sticks. With one team in particular, both times I've played them I've been unnecessarily high-sticked just skating through the neutral zone.

I wear a full cage, but both times I exaggerated the play by grabbing my mask and letting out a painful yell. Obviously, it didn't hurt, and I also wanted to draw a penalty. Without a cage, it would have been bad though.

Is that unsportsmanlike? I think those kids should learn from the penalties to control their sticks, especially since other people don't wear any shields.

It absolutely is unsportsmanlike. How can a high stick hurt you if it hits your cage? How can letting out an obviously fake painful yell make a referee make the call? If he doesn't see it, he doesn't see it.

Yeah, tell the ref during a stoppage. My experience is they'll call it or they won't in the moment. Getting the penalty from yelling about it won't happen. Don't expect help from the referees after the fact.

What is telling the referee during a stoppage going to do? I have players come up to me all the time with comments about something that happened to them as if it's somehow going to make me magically see what I don't see for the rest of the game.

Referees are watching so much during play that they are going to miss some things that happen. That's the nature of the game. Get used to it.

 

[LarryO]

If a referee happens to fall for one of your dives, you're making him look bad. Once he realizes that, he might be less sympahetic with you when real penalties occur. It's the story of the boy who cried wolf.

 

[EmptyNetter]

What is telling the referee during a stoppage going to do? I have players come up to me all the time with comments about something that happened to them as if it's somehow going to make me magically see what I don't see for the rest of the game.

Referees are watching so much during play that they are going to miss some things that happen. That's the nature of the game. Get used to it.

What?? There's a big difference between complaining about every non-call and alerting an official to a recurring problem. Proper protocol is for a player to tell his captain and the captain to mention it to an official during a stoppage. Something along the lines of, "Hey, ref. I understand some of these guys are beginners but could you talk to them about keeping their stick on the ice?" It makes the ref aware of a safety issue, the ref cautions the other team that he's going to start sending players to the box if it continues, then play resumes. Players need to control their sticks and they don't always hit you harmlessly in the cage. I got butt ended in the neck hard enough to have a rectangular abrasion mark for about a week.

 

[BadHammy*]

Give it the old head kick, no need for a grab-and-cry.

I agree. If you want to embellish it, jerk your head back a little to make it clear that the stick made contact with you.

 

[swharto]

Letting out a yell after getting hit in the cage? That is pretty unimpressive in my book. If you get hit hard enough to jerk your head back and they call it, great. If not, suck it up. One of the only times I have complained to a ref was I got a stick in the face (no cage) and was bleeding. I skated over to tell him there should have been a call, and he said he didn't see it.

The refs have a hard job. Don't make it harder by diving and flopping around.

What do your teammates think of your acting. If you were on my team I would tell you to grow a pair

 

[Gino 14]

What?? There's a big difference between complaining about every non-call and alerting an official to a recurring problem. Proper protocol is for a player to tell his captain and the captain to mention it to an official during a stoppage. Something along the lines of, "Hey, ref. I understand some of these guys are beginners but could you talk to them about keeping their stick on the ice?" It makes the ref aware of a safety issue, the ref cautions the other team that he's going to start sending players to the box if it continues, then play resumes. Players need to control their sticks and they don't always hit you harmlessly in the cage. I got butt ended in the neck hard enough to have a rectangular abrasion mark for about a week.

When I'm reffing I have no issues with a guy approaching me about a problem, I know I don't see everything. I'll watch for the issue and if it comes up, fine. But, it works both ways, if I find the guy complaining is trying to get a call, he may get it, just not the way he's hoping.

 

[Reckless Abandon*]

Just yell out **** and start grabbing your throat pretending they hit you there.

 

[Canad93]

I typically don't like it when refs call high sticking on cages for that purpose, because in my league everyone wears cages, but there are the odd times when it isn't a harmless hit in the cage...I've had the wire in my cage broken to the point where it cut my face, I've had my helmet lifted, etc.

The ref just needs to call it when it becomes forceful. However, with some people not wearing cages, that's another story. That should be called for sure.

 

[nullterm]

What is telling the referee during a stoppage going to do? I have players come up to me all the time with comments about something that happened to them as if it's somehow going to make me magically see what I don't see for the rest of the game.

Referees are watching so much during play that they are going to miss some things that happen. That's the nature of the game. Get used to it.

Everyone occasionally needs a reminder on how todo their job.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Everyone occasionally needs a reminder on how todo their job.

Yep, a kindly reminder that they're missing the game never hurts.

 

[Stripes]

What?? There's a big difference between complaining about every non-call and alerting an official to a recurring problem. Proper protocol is for a player to tell his captain and the captain to mention it to an official during a stoppage. Something along the lines of, "Hey, ref. I understand some of these guys are beginners but could you talk to them about keeping their stick on the ice?" It makes the ref aware of a safety issue, the ref cautions the other team that he's going to start sending players to the box if it continues, then play resumes. Players need to control their sticks and they don't always hit you harmlessly in the cage. I got butt ended in the neck hard enough to have a rectangular abrasion mark for about a week.

No good referee is going to "caution the other team" based on what a player tells him for things like this. The referee is not being fair if he does that. If I'm the coach of a team being "cautioned" by a referee simply because the other team's captain told him something, I'm not happy about it.

The only time I've ever talked to a coach about something the other team has told me was regarding alleged racial slurs. It wasn't a warning because none of us officials heard anything, but rather a piece of advice to the coach that he should make sure his players are keeping their mouths shut. I did that favour for the captain who raised the issue only after making him a deal that in order to keep it fair, that he tell his players the same thing I would tell the other bench about keeping their mouths shut.

Again, referees never see everything. The ONLY answer I can give a player who tells me that something happened to him is, "if it happens again and I see it, I'll call it". Nothing more can be said or done. I can't tell a player that I will watch for something or keep an eye on a certain player because doing that takes my attention away from the rest of the game. I'm not out there to look for penalties to call, and I'm not out there to avoid calling them either. My job as a referee is to react to what I see happen.

Just yell out **** and start grabbing your throat pretending they hit you there.

Ok. Do that. If I can confirm with my linesmen that you didn't get hit in the throat, guess who is getting the penalty? If I can't confirm that with my linesmen, and you're out there playing your next shift, guess who is likely not getting a call for the rest of the game?

 

[Ti-girl]

Hey everyone, I play in one league that has some beginners that don't know how to control their sticks. With one team in particular, both times I've played them I've been unnecessarily high-sticked just skating through the neutral zone.

I wear a full cage, but both times I exaggerated the play by grabbing my mask and letting out a painful yell. Obviously, it didn't hurt, and I also wanted to draw a penalty. Without a cage, it would have been bad though.

Is that unsportsmanlike? I think those kids should learn from the penalties to control their sticks, especially since other people don't wear any shields.

Yes.

I play with guys so I'm always the shortest one on the ice (well most of the time unless they have some itty bitty guys who are under 5'8) so I'm at elbow/stick level to most of them.

I won't dive or embellish getting hit in the cage, but if it keeps happening, usually during a stoppage in play I'll skate by the ref and just say "Hey, can you keep a look out for some high sticks? I keep getting knocked around."

Usually that does it and the ref keeps a better eye on it. No biggie.

I had one who told me "Well then you should go and play ringette."

That, didn't turn out well. At all.

 

[Cams]

Diving in a rec league is pretty lame. For one, it makes the ref look bad. Plus, as mentioned in another post, it is basically crying wolf. Especially with a full cage!!!! How can a grazing stick cause you to yell out in pain??? I personally would laugh pretty hard at that. Diving is one reason I will never respect Corey Perry, who was the worst diver I've ever seen when he played for London. Guaranteed, it happened at least once a game. It got to the point that you wondered if he had his skates sharpened wrong or something. Purely disgusting.

Just suck it up. What benefit is there to diving in a rec league? It could lead to the game getting more chippy, and I've seen it happen. Sounds like lots of beginners, so full cage is probably the best option. It almost certain, you have a much greater chance of getting sticked, on purpose, or accidentally, the more you play with begginer type players, or those you never really play organized hockey. I did the dive thing once, and afterwards, man did I feel like an idiot.

To answer the question: yes, it's unsportsmanlike. It's unsportsmanlike, no matter level of hockey is being played.

 

[pcgflyers12*]

Yes.

Try talking to the officials at a break in play and just explain to him what's happening. If you do it as a concerned player rather than a complaining PIA, they may start watching a little closer.

+1. just tell the ref or the linesmen to watch them. tell them that you have been high sticked and that you would like to see a call or two on it.



hopefully you can get it figured out.

 

[Gino 14]

I typically don't like it when refs call high sticking on cages for that purpose, because in my league everyone wears cages, but there are the odd times when it isn't a harmless hit in the cage...I've had the wire in my cage broken to the point where it cut my face, I've had my helmet lifted, etc.

The ref just needs to call it when it becomes forceful. However, with some people not wearing cages, that's another story. That should be called for sure.

Wrong. Just for future reference, you don't have to make contact with anyone to get a high stick call, at least for USAH. If I see contact, forceful or not, you're gonna get the call. You have no reason to have a stick up high in that area, the pucks on the ice and that's where your stick belongs.

 

[vivianmb]

Hey everyone, I play in one league that has some beginners that don't know how to control their sticks. With one team in particular, both times I've played them I've been unnecessarily high-sticked just skating through the neutral zone.

I wear a full cage, but both times I exaggerated the play by grabbing my mask and letting out a painful yell. Obviously, it didn't hurt, and I also wanted to draw a penalty. Without a cage, it would have been bad though.

Is that unsportsmanlike? I think those kids should learn from the penalties to control their sticks, especially since other people don't wear any shields.

well i may be a little old school, but next time he's on the ice pass the puck to his feet and then run him. keep it clean, and then nicely tell him WHY you did it .

 

[IniNew]

well i may be a little old school, but next time he's on the ice pass the puck to his feet and then run him. keep it clean, and then nicely tell him WHY you did it .

Chances are, if he's talking about beginners, that it is a no-check league.

 

[Tinkeric]

You guys are right. Diving after a high-stick is lame and I'm not going to do it anymore. (I've only done it twice and I actually apologized to the offender before the next face-off.)

In the context of the game though, I'm a competitive player and I saw it as an opportunity to get my team back into the game with a power play. It's obvious that NHL players overreact to high-sticks since it's a guaranteed minor, but then again, rec league isn't NHL.

 

[vivianmb]

Chances are, if he's talking about beginners, that it is a no-check league.

it's probably a no-highstick league as well

 

[IniNew]

it's probably a no-highstick league as well

Two wrongs don't make a right?