A veteran hockey ref is raising the alarm about the conduct of a minor hockey coach towards another referee, saying the abuse that the ref endured could turn others away from the profession.
During a Sunday afternoon game in Cochrane, a coach for the Bow Valley Timberwolves took issue with a call made by a ref during a U13 AA game against the Red Deer Wesco.
In video footage from the game, the coach could be heard shouting expletives at the referee late in the first period.
The Timberwolves’ coach received a game misconduct penalty, ejecting him from the game.
“Showing that disrespect to that level in front of 11- and 12-year-olds that are standing in front of you is very concerning,” Cody Huseby, referee-in-chief for the Red Deer Minor Hockey Association, said.
His nephew was playing in the Jan. 7 game and has another 12-year-old nephew who recently became a referee.
Huseby, whose reffing experience goes back 25 years and currently includes officiating in the Western Hockey League, said that kind of vitriol from coaches aimed at refs has no place in the game, especially with younger players.
“I’ve seen it time and time again from the highest level down to the lowest level, that the team acts exactly like the leadership and how they act,” he said.
“When I’ve been refereeing, the benches who have the most discipline and treat referees with respect, their players treat the referees with respect.
“It’s a tale as old as time.”
Under Hockey Alberta rules, the coach automatically received a three-game suspension for the game misconduct penalty.
“Maltreatment towards any participant within our sport is not acceptable. That includes words or actions directed towards on-ice officials during a game,” a Hockey Alberta statement reads.
“In the aftermath of the game, there have been numerous social media posts including some that have included inappropriate language and erroneous content about the situation.
“The safety of all participants is paramount. Hockey Alberta is monitoring the situation to ensure the individuals and organizations involved are working towards appropriate resolutions.”
The South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL), which the Timberwolves and Wesco play in, said they don’t tolerate abuse of officials and will apply discipline as laid out by Hockey Alberta rules.
“SCAHL would like to say it stands behind all of the referee’s associations which we use in our leagues. They do a tremendous service to our AA league to which we would not be able to operate without them,” the league said. “Such abuse affects the development of officials for now and the next generation of hockey players in our league.”
Cochrane coach Joel Litt-Dukes is the fourth coach in the SCAHL to receive a suspension for gross misconduct in this season alone.
Cochrane Minor Hockey and Litt-Dukes did not respond to Global News requests for comment.
Huseby said he doesn’t personally know the official who endured the coach’s tirade in Cochrane but is concerned that the incident might push the official out of the game.
“What’s bringing him back to the rink, would be my question. Like, at a certain point you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?” Huseby said.
“Those guys are the backbone of the minor hockey associations. If there’s not enough of those people in place of those officials, then the games will simply get canceled.”
Huseby, who also coaches minor hockey, said he tried to put himself in the Cochrane coach’s shoes for the game. He said while he believes it’s not uncommon for coaches to disagree with a ref’s call, he said it’s all in how that disagreement is voiced.
“I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life, whether it’s on the reffing side of things, whether it’s on the coaching side of things, and at the end of the day, I think as long as we can hopefully learn from these mistakes and grow from these mistakes, and just make sure it’s not a repeat thing that’s going to happen again,” he said, adding he hopes the coach gets some follow-up assistance and mentoring.
–with files from Moses Woldu, Global News