I know this will come to a surprise to you but there issues I have with parents and how they conduct themselves during a game. First off; you are not at a NHL game with a beer in each hand(questionable), so why do you act like the drunk in the balcony screaming at the refs about the dumbest things possible? If you really want to be a referee then go to a seminar, pass the test, do a few hundred 6am mite games and then we will talk.

I have talked about some of these in recent articles but lets talk about rules and rule changes because if you find the need to yell at a ref, at least know what you are talking about. I have always said that the squirt level is the worst to ref because of a couple of reasons; more often than not the parents of these children are new to youth hockey and do not know how the modern game is played. Too many times I hear yelling about a “two-line pass” that went away nearly a decade ago or a “hand pass” that is been allowed in your own defending zone for some time now, also if the puck goes though the crease then it is not icing. Here’s another news flash, coincidental contact is allowed even in a no-check league. Players at that age often bump into each other and fall down, that is not a penalty. Finally; if a player dives to break up a scoring chance and trips the opponent, it is tripping penalty regardless of whether the puck was touched first or not.

Now that we have talked the “referee parent”, lets talk about the “parent coach” in the stands and this is where I will take the coaches side so pay attention, it doesn’t happen very often . The same rule applies, if you want to be a coach then there are seminars for that and if you are not on the bench , your not the coach for that game so let your kid play. There is nothing more annoying than the parent standing in a corner on the glass waiving his or her arms like they are guiding a 747 to the gate. It is natural for the kids to look at their parents during a game, don’t give them anymore reason to look and distract them not to mention you can get your kid hurt and I will tell you why. I watched a kid looking at his father in the corner while chasing a puck down and in the process, the kid got leveled with a clean hit. Although he was okay, this could of had a very different outcome and guess who would get yelled at if the kid ended up on a stretcher? Whether you like it or not, the coach is in charge of your kid when they are on the ice, not you so let the coaches do their jobs.

I actually had a coach ask me to toss a father out of a game because of how big of a distraction he was during the game and some parents think it’s okay to do what they are doing. If you happen to be one of those in denial here is a few signs that you are that parent in the stands:

• you find yourself standing alone even when the building is packed.
• you constantly hear snickering behind your back
• the person your standing with said they were going out for a cigarette and they don’t smoke
• your kid refuses to walk in or out of the rink with you
• the coaches see you coming and run the other way
• you have been warned or thrown out of a game by a referee
• your making jokes that nobody is laughing at

I know we all have that urge to win but do yourself a favor, let your kid have fun, let them play, clap and cheer for them even when they make a mistake. Your role as a parent is to support them no matter what, stop being their agents and enjoy the game the way it should be played.

For those of you that don’t know, the penalty for a hit from behind can be a minor with a misconduct for the less severe hits like at open ice or a major plus a game misconduct and possibly a disqualification or match(USA Rules). Referee’s have to look at intent, injury and whether the offending player was trying to back off of the hit as well as the area of the ice on where the hit took place.

Coaches at all  youth levels, are now trying to take these rules and use them to their advantage with some creative things they are teaching their players. At the higher levels like the EHF, travel, select,metro leagues ect. I have over heard a few coaches telling their players to turn their backs on a hit around the boards to gain substantial power play and this disturbs me. This is not what the rules were intended to do, they are in place for the players safety. Any coach that puts their player in harms way for an advantage should have their head examined and for you players that may be playing for a coach like that, find another team.

The other issue I am seeing comes at the town hockey level where the coaches are mostly volunteers and hats off to you that do it, I have been there and it is a thankless job to say the least. That being said, you need to know the rules before you get behind that bench. I had a peewee B coach over the weekend that didn’t understand the interpretation of a high hit and a quality hit since every time his players got bumped, they fell hard. A “high hit” means in the neck and head area, not raising your hands slightly. The whole game I heard chirping from the bench every time his player got buried.  A few examples of hits that coaches interpret to be dirty are, a shoulder hit to the chest area which throws a player on their back is a clean hit. Another good example, a player who spins around and backs into another player and falls forward is not a “hit from behind” when the opposing player is just standing there or possibly raising their hands( not extending) to defend themselves.

With all this talk about these rules, it has taken a lot of the  contact out of hockey. Kids are afraid to take or give a hit because they are not educated on what is right and what is wrong. Coaches are not teaching their kids how to throw a proper body check and they need to. Checking is significant part of hockey and should be used properly to keep the kids on the ice and out of the hospital.