January 12, 2023 by Brett Luchanski

In a few days the 59th Edition of Edmonton Minor Hockey Week (MHW) will commence. There will be 887 games played over 10 days on 50 sheets of ice all over Edmonton. At one time MHW was the largest organized hockey tournament in the world. It’s an amazing tournament that gives kids of all ages memories for a lifetime. It’s a massive endeavour and could not be done without hundreds of volunteer organizers, schedule makers, arena managers and many many more.

Something you may not be aware of is that all the referees volunteer their time for this tournament. It is something like $20,000 in fees donated by the officials. The tournament couldn’t happen without it. Young kids, getting up early and reffing 2, 3, or maybe 8 games a weekend on their own time so your child can play the games and make their memories. I want you to remember that when you go to the rink. You need to think about that when they miss an offside or a penalty call. They are children out there. They are doing their best.

The respect in the sport of hockey seems to be eroding in front of our eyes. We see countless videos on social media of players, coaches and parents verbally abusing referees and in some cases even physically assaulting them. The narrative that “referees need to just learn to take abuse, it’s part of the job” is absurd. Yet I’ve heard it again and again. Just this week by referee partner was called a “fat f***” repeatedly by a player from the bench. Completely unacceptable and down right mean. Hockey is an emotional game and disagreeing with a call will happen but you cannot let your emotions make it personal. The respectful dialog between players and referees or coaches and referees has seemed to disappeared. A small dot on the horizon of decent human interaction. This isn’t new. There are just more cameras in every rink these days.

My MHW days were before everyone had a 4K video camera in their pocket. I have refereed countless games and finals throughout the years. I’ve waved off goals in overtime. I’ve called penalty shots to decide the game. I’ve had to wait in the referee room for everyone to leave because I thought the parents and coaches were going to assault me if I tried to leave through the lobby. I’m past those days now but I still see the same things happening on the internet and in my own Rec League games now.

Referees are human. We make mistakes. Minor hockey is losing officials at an alarming rate and it’s no wonder why. It’s because of you. The parent screaming obscenities in the stands. The coach standing up tall on the bench looking down on and intimidating a 14 year old kid during a game. So please, this week and in the future if you find yourself doing these things take a step back. Realize you are yelling at a child. A child just like yours. If you see someone on your team doing these things, speak up. Just remember, no referees, no games. No tournament. No celebrations. No trophies and medals. No team pictures and those memories for a lifetime. Just try and remember why you are really there. The kids and the FUN game.