A new initiative by Hockey Nova Scotia aims to eliminate abuse of their officials while keeping more referees involved in the sport.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty 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\u2019s the abuse,\u201d said Hill. \u201cThe abuse from the fans, the parents, the coaches on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Hill says he\u2019s been hearing stories of fans working to educate other fans when the green armbands are in place.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve 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,\u201d said Hill. \u201cIt\u2019s just something we\u2019re hoping is going twig their personality and the way they act and maybe they\u2019ll just cut back. They\u2019ll realize, holy cow, what am I doing? This person is new to the job and here I am treating him like he\u2019s an adult and been officiating for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Last year, around 900 officials were registered with Hockey Nova Scotia and Hill is hoping to see all of them and more return.<\/p>\n
He says the message that everyone involved with hockey needs to hear is to respect one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cGreen armband or not, remember that the officials out there are trying to do a job, they\u2019ve stayed in the game, they\u2019re giving back to the game so that hockey players can play the game because you can\u2019t play without officials. So, remember that when you look out there that they\u2019re just like the players, they\u2019re going to make mistakes. If nobody on the ice made a mistake, we\u2019d 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,\u201d said Hill.<\/p>\n
He says respecting all officials will ensure games will continue to be played in rinks from one end of Nova Scotia to the other.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember that that official out there is somebody\u2019s son or somebody\u2019s father and if you heap any abuse on them, that\u2019s just not something we need in the game and we need to get rid of it.\u201d<\/p>\n