Referees have beef?

[RangerSteve]

Okay, I'm fed up. Let me just say a few things before I go into my rant. I've always been taught that the officials are not the reason why you win/lose a game, but if something goes against you then you must play through the blown calls. My friends and I have joined a roller hockey league and this is currently our 2nd season. I know a lot of teams yap at the officials for not making certain calls(slash, trip, interferenc etc.) but tonight was it for me. We've seen the officials laughing it up with teams that have played in this league a lot longer than we have, and they've seem to have received the benefit of the doubt on numerous calls while my team seems to be well getting shafted.

1-My buddy tried stuffing the puck home at the side of the net, and the goaltender did NOT have full control of the puck. My buddy continued to hack away until he heard a whistle. Finally, a whistle is blown shortly after the goaltender finally covered the puck fully. The referee, who apparently said my buddy slashed the goaltender, did not make a call for a slash. Instead, he decided to move the faceoff OUTSIDE OF THE OFFENSIVE ZONE TO MAKE AMENDS FOR THE SLASH!!!!

2-I'm screening the goaltender like I usually do and one of our defensemen took a slapper from the point and the puck tailed off head high. All of the sudden, the goaltender sticks his stick up trying to knock it down, and i get the tip of his blade right into the corner of my eye-NOTHING called and the referee was standing parallel with me along the boards when the puck came towards the net, and where the goaltender's stick made contact with my face.

Along the way there were numerous slashes/trips/holds which were not called again, but this time it was for both teams.

Has anyone else ever had this problem in any leagues? Maybe it is just me *****ing/moaning and complaining and no way am I saying that the referees are at fault for my team losing. I thought in some respects the zebras are to protect themselves and the players on the rink. I, along with my team, am just about fed up with the calls that are being made in this league. Apologies for the rant. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know as it would be greatly apppreciated.

Click to read more...

 

[vexXed]

It's a tough one... In professional leagues, you can expect most of the bias to be all but gone, ( I think...) but from there downwards to the recreational leagues it gets more and more widespread. I for one am certain some referees are biased purely because they are human. I've had my share of uncalled penalties, some blatant and some not. It's difficult to control that anger of not getting justice you deserve, but you just gotta get on with it and play harder as a result. I notice that some players, when the ref misses a penalty, will just give back what they took and take a penalty on themselves. When they are skating to the box they calmly chat to the ref that they aren't going to take crap the whole game even if the ref misses it and that they are sure the ref would do the same thing.

Many times I have been sticked in the face, boarded in a non-checking game, tripped, slashed, hooked, you name it, all without call and each time I've been more pissed at the ref that the player for not giving him the penalty. However, I never shout at the ref or give him a hard time cause it gives him more reasons to be even more biased. Of course, he may not be biased at all and may have just messed up, so I then try to point out that he should watch the offending player cause someone might get hurt. What I do now is try too think of the ref as a good friend that I've known for years.

If you are certain that they are messing you guys around, try get someone to film your games and then send it to the people at the top. Stress that you all have jobs to go to the next morning and don't want to be on the receiving end of a stick to the face by some pathetic loser who uses the sport as an excuse to take out his life's frustrations on injuring people. I know there are a few of those people that play.

 

[Whiplash27]

Rec league refs suck. No matter where you go. They get paid by the game (it's actually not bad either, like $70 a game), not by how well they ref or how long the game goes so they just want it to end and go home. Most leagues/rinks are short on refs to begin with or just have enough, so the refs are usually not in danger of being disciplined for bad reffing. This leads to many penalties not being called when they should. Sometimes they wave off icings that definitely should be. Stuff like that.

If you do complain to the refs they'll have it out for you even more, so just watch for that. I've known people who ***** almost every game to the refs and they'll start to remember you and then you get penalty after penalty. I know there've been times where I commited a penalty and it doesn't get called... Refs don't know me and I don't complain. When I get a penalty I just skate to the box and shut up. It could also be that I'm a smaller guy and they give me the benefit of the doubt because I took out a bigger guy, but that's besides the point.

Either way, that's how rec league refs are. It sucks, but what can you do.

 

[Brunomics]

when your playing rec league roller hockey it doesn't really attract any quality officials. Most of them get paid like 15 a game and don't really care either way about it. They are just there to screw around and hang out.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Hopefully refs will be unbiased, but it is asking a lot for them to be good. When they are it's rarely appreciated.

 

[Gino 14]

1-My buddy tried stuffing the puck home at the side of the net, and the goaltender did NOT have full control of the puck. My buddy continued to hack away until he heard a whistle. Finally, a whistle is blown shortly after the goaltender finally covered the puck fully. The referee, who apparently said my buddy slashed the goaltender, did not make a call for a slash. Instead, he decided to move the faceoff OUTSIDE OF THE OFFENSIVE ZONE TO MAKE AMENDS FOR THE SLASH!!!!

Sounds to me like you got a break. A faceoff outside the zone is much better than a man down and the faceoff outside the zone, which is what you should have gotten.

2-I'm screening the goaltender like I usually do and one of our defensemen took a slapper from the point and the puck tailed off head high. All of the sudden, the goaltender sticks his stick up trying to knock it down, and i get the tip of his blade right into the corner of my eye-NOTHING called and the referee was standing parallel with me along the boards when the puck came towards the net, and where the goaltender's stick made contact with my face.

I guess you're one of the many that feels that a ref should always see the penalties against you, just never the ones you commit.

I play in a men's league and ref there also. Men's league games have the worst babies and the least skill and ***** the most. Letting a few marginal calls go for the sake of keeping the game moving is not uncommon, but neither is missing an occasional slash or high stick, the refs don't see everything. If you don't like the reffing, write to the local ref-in-chief, get over the calls, or quit. It's part of the game, like it or not.

 

[javorka]

Our older son refs, not because he is appreciated (which isn't often) or because he thinks the $20 per game is great (he can make that much working at McDonald's for two hours), but because he feels he is helping everyone on the ice have a positive experience. Yeah, he blows a few calls, but he does his best, like most of the refs we know. And yeah, there are some refs that are just jerks. But for the amount of complaining that goes on about referees, why don't some of you guys just play without one?

 

[RangerSteve]

Sounds to me like you got a break. A faceoff outside the zone is much better than a man down and the faceoff outside the zone, which is what you should have gotten.

I guess you're one of the many that feels that a ref should always see the penalties against you, just never the ones you commit.

How can you get a break when the official doesn't make a call? The referee doesn't have the right to assign a face-off outside of the zone when the goaltender covers the puck up. It is suppose to be at the face-off dot either to the left or right of the goaltender. Maybe there is something you know that I don't, but I use to ref and I never saw anyone do this.

I guess you're one of the many officials who feels that a player has no right to speak, not yell, to an official during a game about a questionable non-call. I don't know about you, but a stick to the eye area is dangerous. What is the point of paying the official when the puck is near the area of the incident? I realize that all officials don't see everything but come on. As far as the ones that I commit, I know when I've taken a penalty and I go straight to the box. What is yelling like an idiot going to do? The guy can't change the call anyway.

 

[Whiplash27]

Sports players will always complain about refs, it's just the way of the world. They suck when they call stuff against you and are the best when they call stuff for you.

 

[phiflyers2003]

Yea i remember during one of my hockey games the ref was clearly freinds with the other team, he made up a threat that one of our players was going to shoot him with the puck, when my freind only said drop the puck already. He got thrown out for this supposed threat and we eventually got killed like 9-4. But on more then one occasion refs have been horrible i been kicked in the stomach, crosschecked in the the head on many occasions and the refs dont call anything. Basically they make 40-50 dollas a game and sometimes dont do anything.

 

[Gino 14]

How can you get a break when the official doesn't make a call? The referee doesn't have the right to assign a face-off outside of the zone when the goaltender covers the puck up.

If the ref had called the slash, the puck would have been outside the zone and you would have been a man down, but you knew that since you used to ref. Must be you forgot that rule?

 

[RangerSteve]

Yes, you're absolutley right. If he had called the slash, then I understand why the face-off is outside the zone like you mentioned. However, he didn't make the call therefore it should have stayed in the zone. I didn't forget the rule. If anything I was puzzled about how he decided to move it outside anyway.

Thanks for everyones feedback. It was greatly appreciated.

 

[nexusrage21]

Roller Hockey ref's don't care about the game being called right.

The league I play in, they generally pick one player out and only call players on them. And its not that the person shouldn't be called, its just that almost everyone else is getting a free pass.

And they always act like they don't want to be there, which I'm sure they don't, but let me tell you, if you acted like that to a customer in any other job, you'd probably get ripped a new one.

 

[Burgmania]

I'm currently playing in a rec roller league, and the officiating is so bad that I'm going to see if I can become a referee for next summer's rec roller hockey season. (I would start reffing this year if I wasn't playing.)

Are there any classes or anything that I should have to take to become a ref at the rec level - or is that something I should just call the rink up and ask about?

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Roller Hockey ref's don't care about the game being called right.

That's an interesting overgeneralization.

 

[Burgmania]

That's an interesting overgeneralization.

The roller hockey ref in me would care about having the game called right. It's a reflection of your abilities as a referee if the game is called right or not.

 

[nexusrage21]

Ok, maybe it is a bit of overgeneralization. However, it has definitely been the case the places I've played. Last season I had a ref tell me on a faceoff that he was "hardly paying attention"

A lot of these refs are guys who are players who hang around the rinks and needed jobs.

 

[javorka]

....A lot of these refs are guys who are players who hang around the rinks and needed jobs.

So if you get a ref who calls a particularly bad game, don't hire him again - get someone else.....

 

[Gino 14]

I'm currently playing in a rec roller league, and the officiating is so bad that I'm going to see if I can become a referee for next summer's rec roller hockey season. (I would start reffing this year if I wasn't playing.)

Are there any classes or anything that I should have to take to become a ref at the rec level - or is that something I should just call the rink up and ask about?

If you truly are looking to ref, here you go NY ref's seminars
They will update after the 1st of August with this years seminars.

 

[MikeC44]

Yes, you're absolutley right. If he had called the slash, then I understand why the face-off is outside the zone like you mentioned. However, he didn't make the call therefore it should have stayed in the zone. I didn't forget the rule. If anything I was puzzled about how he decided to move it outside anyway.

Thanks for everyones feedback. It was greatly appreciated.

Let me first say that I don't play Roller Hockey so I don't know if the rules are exactly the same as ice. But in ice hockey, when there's a stoppage in play that would normally call for a faceoff to be at one of the end-zone dots, and the attacking team's defencemen come in past the top of the circles to join in a gathering of players, the referees can move the faceoff to the neutral zone.

It's sort of a deterrent to have these gatherings which could eventually lead to extra penalties, fights, etc.

 

[kurt]

I've had a ref challenge me to a fight during a game before. Now I know what Tim Duncan felt like. Don't expect good officiating in an amateur league.

 

[fullmetal2405]

Most of them get paid like 15 a game and don't really care either way about it.

I used to get 80 a game

 

[Doctor Hook]

It's not worth it to get into it with refs because in the end, they have the final word. I always try to be respectful and say thanks to the refs after a game, because they do remember and someday a call (or noncall) may go in your favor.

 

[BRONX_MADNESS*]

yeah I ref in my spare time, easy way to make money....

It's harder than u boys think, u should go out there and try it so I can laugh when you fail miserably

 

[Bear of Bad News]

It's not worth it to get into it with refs because in the end, they have the final word.

Exactly. Plus, they're people and they make mistakes. If they're hustling and trying to get into the right position to make good calls, then I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.