A new initiative by Hockey Nova Scotia aims to eliminate abuse of their officials while keeping more referees involved in the sport.

Beginning in November, every minor hockey association across the province received green arm bands. The bands will be distributed to all officials under the age of 18 to indicate they are a young person learning their craft.

Referee in Chief for Hockey Nova Scotia Rick Hill says studies show the number of officials leaving the sport because of the abuse they receive on and off the ice is alarming.

“Thirty per cent or more of officials quit after the first year, 50 percent are gone after year two and over 65 per cent are gone in year three and the main reason, when we talk to these people is it’s the abuse,” said Hill. “The abuse from the fans, the parents, the coaches on the ice.”

Hill says the hope is people will begin to understand the person making the call on the ice is developing their skills, just like the players.

The initiative was started in Quebec and has been up and running there and in Eastern Ontario for a couple of years. The Quebec minor hockey associations borrowed the idea from soccer and baseball leagues who were experiencing similar problems with abuse of their officials.

Hill says he’s been hearing stories of fans working to educate other fans when the green armbands are in place.

“We’ve been told stories where another fan will come up to them and say, do you not see the green armband, do you know what that means? And a conversation will take place and now somebody else has been educated on what it is,” said Hill. “It’s just something we’re hoping is going twig their personality and the way they act and maybe they’ll just cut back. They’ll realize, holy cow, what am I doing? This person is new to the job and here I am treating him like he’s an adult and been officiating for years.”

Hockey Nova Scotia is fully embracing the initiative, going as far as to double the suspension for any team or coach found to be abusing on-ice officials.

Last year, around 900 officials were registered with Hockey Nova Scotia and Hill is hoping to see all of them and more return.

He says the message that everyone involved with hockey needs to hear is to respect one another.

“Green armband or not, remember that the officials out there are trying to do a job, they’ve stayed in the game, they’re giving back to the game so that hockey players can play the game because you can’t play without officials. So, remember that when you look out there that they’re just like the players, they’re going to make mistakes. If nobody on the ice made a mistake, we’d have a 0-0 hockey game. So, there will be mistakes made but just curb it down a bit and let them do their job,” said Hill.

He says respecting all officials will ensure games will continue to be played in rinks from one end of Nova Scotia to the other.

“Remember that that official out there is somebody’s son or somebody’s father and if you heap any abuse on them, that’s just not something we need in the game and we need to get rid of it.”

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