I wanted to take a quick moment to discuss when to yell at referees during a hockey game…NEVER!  Yes, referees will definitely make mistakes, miss a call (or calls), or call the game more loosely/tightly than you might want.  Our players also make mistakes… but we don’t yell at them in such negative ways.  For parents there is no reason to speak to the referee.  It is best to attend the game and support your team.  Remember, these players are learning.

   Let me play this forward for you.  We’re focusing on getting our kids to learn the game and when you, as parents, yell at refs, you are teaching them to “defy authority”.  — Yelling at a ref in a hockey game is no different than talking back to a police officer during a traffic stop.  It’s not a lesson to teach our kids.  — Our coaches are trained to interact appropriately with referees and they will handle these conversations.

   Finally, a few teams this year have been so upset at the calls, when a penalty is called on the opposing team, the team applauds the ref.  — I will PROMISE you, the other team sees you applauding their player getting a penalty even if you were just happy with a call.  Don’t do this… don’t be perceived as applauding a penalty because the other team will send an email about it.  A few of you have had this happen to your teams this year, and while I understand the circumstances, I hope you can understand their perception.

  On that note, we’re working to build our referee pool and if you are interested, please let us know.  — As you can see, we’re focused on defending referees and their decisions.  If any players or parents ages 15 or older would like to get started, send me an email at rob.juncker@farmingtonhockey.org and we’ll help you. 

   Thanks! -- Stay warm!