Make sure you mark Monday, February 18, 2002 in your calendar as a very significant day in the history of hockey. On that day, two teams were scheduled to play the first game of their playoff round. However, the game was cancelled - not because of the weather, or some mechanical failure in the arena, or for any other of the usual reasons. This game was cancelled because the Referee-In-Chief could not find a qualified referee who would do the game. It was not because the referees were already booked in other games. Rather, it was because the referees who would normally be assigned to the game decided that it wasn’t worth the risk. And this may just be the beginning of a new trend, which will emerge as the officials finally make a statement that they are not going to take any more abuse.

One of the parents of a player with the visiting team was involved in a serious altercation with a referee earlier in the year. After a number of meetings to discuss acceptable solutions to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents in the future, senior referees decided that their safety couldn’t be assured and thus made a decision to book themselves off games involving this particular team.

Referees are concerned with the rampant spread of “Hockey Rage”. The possibility is very real that some participants are losing so much control of themselves that physical assault against the person in authority is inevitable. The referee is the prime target of this rage. If such an assault were to occur, many of the referees, who are in excellent shape, are not overly concerned about being able to defend themselves against the assault, but they are concerned with the fact that at the end of any altercation charges will likely be laid against them as well as their attacker. This means large legal bills, which have to be paid out of their pocket since the NOHA offers little if any support in these matters. Until the “Hockey Rage” participants are forced to stay away from the arenas, the senior officials are saying that it is not worth the $25 pay they get for doing a game if they have to worry about facing a $1000 legal bill and possible criminal charges which may affect their career.

What happened on Monday, February 18, 2002 in Valley East may well be repeated in the future unless parents, coaches and players who continually threaten and abuse officials change their ways.

Under the present rule structure, a referee may stop a contest if he feels that the situation in the arena is unsafe. In the future, when you hear a fan uttering threats of bodily harm to a referee, or if a referee feels that a fan is so out of control that his physical safety is in jeopardy, don’t be surprised if the game is stopped immediately. It is the responsibility of the home team to ensure the safety of all participants. This means that the home team will be asked to contact the police and initiate proceedings to charge the fan or have him removed from the arena.

There have been numerous instances this year when a coach or player has been ejected for uttering threats to the referee. In the past, a coach who threatened a referee was given a game misconduct and usually had to sit out another one or two game suspension. However, a coach who threatens physical harm upon a referee will now be facing much more than a game misconduct. It is quite possible that when a referee, especially one of the senior referees who feel a sense of responsibility for the future of the game and for the protection of his fellow officials, is required to eject a coach or player for verbal abuse, he may be inclined to pick up his cell phone and ask a police officer to report to the arena to press assault charges against the guilty party.  Never mind the suspension. Put the matter into the hands of the courts. 

Why is this happening? How has it gotten this far?

Just visit your local arena and listen to the fans. Watch how the coaches react when they don’t like a call. See how the players react when things don’t go their way. Suspensions haven’t worked. Coaches and players sit out a few games and then come back and commit the same infractions. They haven’t changed and likely won’t. Minor Hockey Associations say that their hands are tied and that they have trouble keeping violent parents out of the rink. The only solution is to bring the matter to the courts where a condition of dropping an assault charge is that the person will have to stay out of arenas. If that doesn’t work, watch for more referees sending in a list of teams for which they will refuse to work.

“Hockey Rage” is nothing more than a form of “terrorism” and we all know how the world view terrorism since September 11. It’s time to eliminate the terrorists from sport and make room for the people who still consider hockey a form of recreation.

Just remember, if it is something you wouldn’t say to a police officer or to a lawyer, it is likely something you shouldn’t say to a hockey referee who is doing his best to maintain order on the ice. If coaches, players and parents don’t watch out, they will soon find themselves sitting on the bench looking out at an empty sheet of ice in a very, very silent rink.

And as for baseball, soccer and other sports - don’t think this can’t happen there as well!