well, as many of you know, i am one of those brave and valient few idiots who have taken up the challenge to become an on-ice hockey official. i am the enemy of every player, coach and parent who of corse know the (NHL!) rules far better than us poor refs...
well, i figured it's about time i share with all of you some of the silly, jaw-dropping, and uttlerly innane things i've seen and heard after 8 years!
my favourite has to be the tykes (4-6 years) & novice (7-8 years) house leaguers;
- their skates are 2-3 sizes too big but as the parents say 'well it was a great deal so they my daugther can wear 4 extra pairs of socks untill she grows into them!' (if they break their ankel in the meantime, well that's part of the sport right?!)
- the poor kid's helmet is likewise far too big and covers their eyes quite effectively, but as mum & dad say, 'well this way it also covers their kneck too!' (seeing what one's doing for some reason doesn't seem important to the average parent these days...)
- the stick is a senior sized blade because little jullie's older brother also plays, so why buy more sticks when she can use her 15 year-old brother's old stick?! (obivously the stick blade being the same size as the 5 year-old trying to use it isn't a clue to some people...)
but hey, these kids are indeed cute and would no doubt have alot more fun and learn more if their equipment actually fit them properly!!!
another fun thing about these little leaguers is that when two of them run into eachother, 20 or more angry parents start yelling about the obvious 'intent to injure' and 'bodychecking' needing to be called... (because aparently a 6 year-old who's never skated before is a malicious menance who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering on others?!!)
a few other very common things i've heard/put up with from coaches & parents officiating these two age groups;
- "why can't my daugther play goalie with those road hockey pads?! i did tape them up for her."
- "really ref, does a 7 year old truely have to wear a neck guard? since when can these kids shoot a puck that high and that hard?!" (hint: neck guards are not for deflecting pucks... but just maybe a skate blade???)
- "well i just bought my daughter this stick so can she use it tonight and i'll cut the extra 2' off it for next time?"
- "that was a shity call dumb@$$" (and that one really was from a 7 year-old player!
)
- "moron", "idiot" & "lazy @$$" seem to be quite popular comments from the stands!
ah! such fond memories... no wonder so many first year refs quit! (who wants to put up with getting yelled at constantly?!)
i'll get into some of the more innane/stupid things later!
(yes, that's right, this is truely tame behavior sadly...)
cheers!