WHEN DISPUTING A CALL GOES TOO FAR...

Back in November 2019, just before the pandemic hit, the league had issued 4 suspensions in one night and all were the result of issues with the officials.  From verbal abuse to physical abuse wherein a ref's finger was broken. A year earlier, one of our players received a lengthy suspension for threatening an official.

 

Needless to say, this type of behaviour is unacceptable. Hence, a stern message was sent to all the GMs and was posted here on the site to remind our players what the league is all about. We've been the envy of beer league hockey in the region for many years in that we have always put fun and camaraderie at the forefront. Our draft system is supposed to keep it mixed up wherein guys get opportunities to play with former opponents. We also maintain a high East Gwillimbury residency rule to ensure we remain a community-based league.

 

Referees have been difficult to secure this season as hockey resumed in the region. Even minor hockey leagues have noticed the shortage of available officials. In fact, our own league came very close to cancelling games as we only had 2 confirmed on a Tuesday morning. Our ref-in-chief was able to work some magic and was able to fill the holes.

 

The point is simple. Regardless of what you think about a certain official, it does not give you the right to go off on him or bark to your team GM or executive member. Our league is a small step above shinny hockey and we should be grateful to have a core group of officials committed to working our games, especially during a pandemic.

 

Along the same lines. The aggresive play between players also affects the mindset of the officials. Playing hard is one thing. Taking it up a notch with hard shoving, slashing, scrums, language, etc., between players is not the norm in our league. According to our refs, the frequency of this type of interaction between players is escalating.

 

 

While the meme above pokes fun at the situation, it's a common occurence for beer leaguers to get thrown in the box for disputing a call. It starts with a simple unsportsmanlike penalty, which can lead to a 10-minute misconduct if you keep yapping. The problem is when our guys are go a little too far with their chirping. The referees shouldn't have to complain to the league executive about the use of excessive profanity and getting berated by players This is unacceptable behavior.

 

The referees have been advised to continue calling the unsportsmanlike penalties and then toss in a misconduct if the behavior continues. From there, they can assess a game misconduct. If you berate them, use profanities, or otherwise verbally abuse an official, they can resort to a new rule in our book, a 3-game suspension for verbal abuse of an official.

 

Just shut-up and go to the box. No suspension and no further problems.

 

If you have an issue with an official, take it to your team GM. There is a process for reviewing our officials with our GMs and Executive and it needs to be followed. No player has the right to verbally abuse our referees, plain and simple.

 

We have an enviable 42-year history as a staple in our community. The fact we are a league that has a large waiting list is due to our reputation. That we focus on fellowship and try our best to give back to the community when we can.

 

Please remember to keep things in perspective. Every team makes the playoffs. Every player gets the exact same swag at the end of the season.  There are no scouts in the stands. Heck, there are no fans, either! So, please keep the focus on fun and camaraderie.

 

On that note...