Referees: How to deal with the Ref/Linesman

[jsykes]

As a beer leaguer, I try to be as respectful as possible towards the refs. Largely because they are doing it because they love it and they don't get paid much. When we play our games at 11PM they have to be there too. Without them there is no competative game.

I disagree with this, at least in our league. Sure some of them enjoy doing it, but its not for "love of the game" and most of them its for the pay. Ours get $75-$100/game, when they can do two a night, they're getting paid very good money.

The problem is, when they show its only for the money by trying to move the game along and speed things up by not calling icings, etc, just so they can collect their check and get home as early as possible.

I even had a ref flat out say before a game he had "two games tonight and so anything I can let go to keep the games moving I'm going to do."

BS - call it as it should or stay home on the couch.

 

[Achronos19]

Last game was a consolation game and each side only had a couple extra skaters so we all knew it was pretty meaningless going in. It was tied 4-4 halfway through the third when the other team iced the puck. Basically everyone stopped skating except for one guy because it was clearly icing.

When the refs didn't call it our goalie tried to get it cause nobody was back and he turned it over and that guy who was still skating?...ended up getting an open net goal.

From a ref standpoint is it really such a big deal to skate from the blue line to the end boards, bend over to pick up the puck and throw it down to your partner? Oh I forgot about blowing the whistle in there too. Clock runs anyway so the only thing that blowing the whistle does is lets us get a break which we ALL wanted anyway cause both sides were skating with 7 guys.

It was just lame. I wasn't mad because of the meaningless game even by beer league standards but come on. I guess I just don't get the mentality.

 

[keysersoze98]

I'm shocked this thread turned into "complain about adult league refs" time.

 

[Summer Rose]

Last game was a consolation game and each side only had a couple extra skaters so we all knew it was pretty meaningless going in. It was tied 4-4 halfway through the third when the other team iced the puck. Basically everyone stopped skating except for one guy because it was clearly icing.

When the refs didn't call it our goalie tried to get it cause nobody was back and he turned it over and that guy who was still skating?...ended up getting an open net goal.

From a ref standpoint is it really such a big deal to skate from the blue line to the end boards, bend over to pick up the puck and throw it down to your partner? Oh I forgot about blowing the whistle in there too. Clock runs anyway so the only thing that blowing the whistle does is lets us get a break which we ALL wanted anyway cause both sides were skating with 7 guys.

It was just lame. I wasn't mad because of the meaningless game even by beer league standards but come on. I guess I just don't get the mentality.

I screwed up an icing call once that resulted in a goal.

**** happens.

I guess it was messing up and waving it off when everyone thought it was instead of just being lazy, though.

 

[mbhhofr]

My template for being a successful referee:

Earning the respect of players, coaches and fellow officials is a very important part of the game. It makes your job easier. You do that by skating hard, knowing the rules, being honest, being fair, being in good condition, showing respect to the players and using common sense. Also, be consistent, firm in your calls and in position. I used the Rule Book as a guide not a God. Learn from your mistakes, because you will make them. And don’t criticize fellow officials behind their backs. Don’t hesitate to help younger and newer officials.

 

[Fanned On It]

My family owns the rink that I play in and I'm pretty tight with all of them, but the *beer-league* refs in my rink are absolutely brutal... they couldn't care less about the game and are only there for the pay-check. Some of the games are late (after 10pm) so they try to rush the game as fast as possible... this includes rushing warm-ups, not calling CLEAR icings, letting clear penalties go. They just don't give a ****... at all. There's this one guy who is ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL and is pretty much afraid to make any calls of his own. He'll never call an icing on his own even when HE is the one that's supposed to make the decision lol... he blows tons of offside calls BOTH ways. My father is also a ref here and every single ref knows this guy is terrible.

It's just sad that these guys are here controlling the game when they don't give a crap about it.

 

[Slats432]

I disagree with this, at least in our league. Sure some of them enjoy doing it, but its not for "love of the game" and most of them its for the pay. Ours get $75-$100/game, when they can do two a night, they're getting paid very good money.

The problem is, when they show its only for the money by trying to move the game along and speed things up by not calling icings, etc, just so they can collect their check and get home as early as possible.

I even had a ref flat out say before a game he had "two games tonight and so anything I can let go to keep the games moving I'm going to do."

BS - call it as it should or stay home on the couch.

As far as I know there isn't a beer league in Canada that pays $100 a game. Where is this?

And all refs are not this bad, too bad these are the ones that get remembered.

 

[WhoozYerrDaddy]

Last game was a consolation game and each side only had a couple extra skaters so we all knew it was pretty meaningless going in. It was tied 4-4 halfway through the third when the other team iced the puck. Basically everyone stopped skating except for one guy because it was clearly icing.

When the refs didn't call it our goalie tried to get it cause nobody was back and he turned it over and that guy who was still skating?...ended up getting an open net goal.

From a ref standpoint is it really such a big deal to skate from the blue line to the end boards, bend over to pick up the puck and throw it down to your partner? Oh I forgot about blowing the whistle in there too. Clock runs anyway so the only thing that blowing the whistle does is lets us get a break which we ALL wanted anyway cause both sides were skating with 7 guys.

It was just lame. I wasn't mad because of the meaningless game even by beer league standards but come on. I guess I just don't get the mentality.

Really?? They THROW the puck to their partner ??

 

[Green Blob*]

Really?? They THROW the puck to their partner ??

They do that in my league too.

Thats not really a big deal though in a beer league.

It would be pretty unprofessional in any sort of youth/school/pro level.

 

[Achronos19]

Really?? They THROW the puck to their partner ??

What's hard to grasp?

 

[Siamese Dream]

These guys have obviously not discovered the genius of the magical 3 puck system when running a 2 official game

 

[WhoozYerrDaddy]

What's hard to grasp?

Ummm...the front guy that blows the whistle to stop play is supposed to pick up the puck and skate it the length of the rink back to his partner in to defending zone.

That's how we do it here, even in beer leagues.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Ummm...the front guy that blows the whistle to stop play is supposed to pick up the puck and skate it the length of the rink back to his partner in to defending zone.

That's how we do it here, even in beer leagues.

And then if you do want to save time and be lazy, the 3 puck system involves the puck you play with obviously, and each official carries a puck in their pocket. When there's an icing the back guy just takes the faceoff and then the front guy who blew the icing just picks up the puck and only has to skate back to the blue line and by that time the players are already nearly set for the faceoff.

If one ref ends up with 2 pucks in his pocket he takes the next offside faceoff or whatever with his extra puck and the other guy picks up the playing puck

It saves time and you don't look unprofessional, so it's a win win. We often do it with running clock tournaments.

 

[shoeshine boy]

Ummm...the front guy that blows the whistle to stop play is supposed to pick up the puck and skate it the length of the rink back to his partner in to defending zone.

That's how we do it here, even in beer leagues.

in a running clock game I'd rather the far ref just tossed it down, especially if the teams aren't changing. as for the 3 puck rule, that's a no-no in our league because that makes it almost impossible to ever be playing with a cold puck.

 

[Siamese Dream]

in a running clock game I'd rather the far ref just tossed it down, especially if the teams aren't changing. as for the 3 puck rule, that's a no-no in our league because that makes it almost impossible to ever be playing with a cold puck.

is it really that big a dea if the puck isn't cold? It's beer league.

 

[Slats432]

I have reffed in several leagues. Two of them don't allow the puck carry.

It seems more professional, and I feel that I am in the game more when skating.

 

[mbhhofr]

is it really that big a dea if the puck isn't cold? It's beer league.

Yes it is. Who wants a puck that bounces all over the place, even if it's beer league?

We started out with blue pucks in the WHA. It lasted for only the first month because they bounced too much. The league went back to the black puck.

 

[Green Blob*]

Yes it is. Who wants a puck that bounces all over the place, even if it's beer league?

We started out with blue pucks in the WHA. It lasted for only the first month because they bounced too much. The league went back to the black puck.

Nobody can even tell...puck gets cold in 30 seconds

Lol blue pucks? Well obviously those are going to bounce, they are like half the weight of a normal puck and are for kids under 6 years old, why in the hell would any adult league use them??

 

[Siamese Dream]

I have reffed in several leagues. Two of them don't allow the puck carry.

It seems more professional, and I feel that I am in the game more when skating.

I do prefer not to carry a puck. I'm usually on the line for semi-pro and sometimes I get thrown in to the occasional 2-ref game for youth or women's hockey I end up getting cold or bored if I don't skate so I will always haul ass after an icing. It also looks professional because I wear my name and some of the players will have watched the pro team and seen me so if I don't skate hard it's a bit disrespectful.

3 puck is mostly just for the lazy officials, playing running clock, or trying to finish a game before curfew

 

[WhoozYerrDaddy]

3 puck is mostly just for the lazy officials, playing running clock, or trying to finish a game before curfew

Thank you....somebody else gets it.

All our games are played to completion, and are stop time.

If you are lazy, it will show.

 

[shoeshine boy]

Nobody can even tell...puck gets cold in 30 seconds

Lol blue pucks? Well obviously those are going to bounce, they are like half the weight of a normal puck and are for kids under 6 years old, why in the hell would any adult league use them??

in the Deep South in the Summer we need all the help we can get.
the blue puck thing reminds me of a story though: I was scorekeeping a game and the original puck we started with was shot out of play so I toss the ref one of the extras that were given to me before the game. they use it for a about 5 minutes and then right before a faceoff the ref skates up to me and asks for another one while tossing me the one he had been using. I realize that it feels a little weird. taking a good look at it I realize that it's actually a blue puck that some toolbag has colored black with a Sharpie!

 

[Jarick]

Oh, beer league refs.

 

[mbhhofr]

The blue pucks that the WHA used were regulation size and weight, not the ones that are now used in Might hockey, that weigh less.

 

[WhoozYerrDaddy]

Oh, beer league refs.

Oh, beer league players.

 

[CunniJA]

The non-calls on clear icings in the third period are really the only things that get to me as a player. The other periods are run-time anyway, so they get called more often.

I don't really care when a referee makes a questionable penalty call because they go both ways and for every questionable call there's also a questionable non-call. I've been sitting on the bench plenty of times remarking to teammates that we really lucked out on a non-call sometimes (usually a trip that doesn't get called). Wrong calls on off-sides, missed high sticks (hitting the puck), and getting in the way occasionally (if it's constant, it's a problem) are all no big deal things to miss.

I think the refs are pretty good in my league; I don't take many penalties, (1 penalty every 9 games) but on all but one penalty my whole time, they were no-doubter accidental trips/high sticks/etc. and I just went to the box. The other was a really soft call, but I still just went to the box. I like being competitive out there was much as anybody, but that doesn't mean you should disrespect the refs. In all of everybody's arguing how often do they actually get a call reversed? :p You're more likely to just add minutes on if you start complaining like a princess. In fact, if you're a princess, you'll probably start getting called more often (particularly if you're a princess and a ringer... poor league management...).

I haven't actually reffed hockey before, but I have reffed soccer quite a bit. In my experience, most people who badmouth referees and complain all the time have never actually held the whistle themselves. At any level in any sport, it's difficult. Little things go on all the time and it's impossible to call everything 100% correct. This is why I agree with the advice that "if you think you've been hooked, tripped, etc, then just keep playing and going for it." After all, in both soccer and hockey, the play doesn't stop until you've lost advantage anyway. Maybe if you kept chasing the puck, you just may have scored.

Remember what your old coaches told you and play to the damn whistle! The ref ain't going to catch everything, so get that illusion out of your head.