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Ten Tips for Officials
Courtesy of: HockeyRefs.Com
1. Always know your rules
Take the time to learn and understand all the
rules. When you referee in more than one league,
there may be different rules in each league. Learn
the differences in each league. Continually review
the rulebook through the season. There are many
situations and rules that will come up once a
year or even once through your career. Be ready
for them. A great idea is to take the time to
read a couple of rules a day.
2. Be prepared for your games
Arrive at the arena in plenty of time to get ready
for your game(s). Pack your equipment in advance
so you are confident that you have everything
you need. Leave yourself plenty of time for traffic
and make sure you know the directions to the arena.
By getting to the arena with plenty of time, you
will be able to focus on the game at hand.
3. Always try your best
Sometimes officials get assignments that they
feel is below their ability or below the age level
that they usually officiate. It is very important
to do your best in each of these games. Even though
you may officiate many games in the course of
a day or a week, each individual game is the most
important game to each of the participants. Your
supervisors will notice that you work hard in
each game and you will be rewarded.
4. Work at your fitness
Fitness is an important part of officiating because
it allows us to get into the proper position to
make important calls. We have to work on our fitness
to keep us up to the level of hockey that we officiate.
Skating, riding a stationary bike and jogging
are excellent ways of staying in good shape. Keeping
fit will help you late in the game when you are
tiring and each call is very important.
5. Learn for all your experiences
Everyone makes mistakes, but it is important to
learn from them and not to keep making the same
mistakes again. Your supervisors should be able
to identify any problem areas. As officials, we
know when we make mistakes. The important point
is to find a way to correct them. Ask your supervisors
for help to correct any problems or concerns that
you may have, even if he doesn’t identify
them to you. One of your supervisor’s duties
is to help you with any questions and to give
you advice and tips to make you better.
6. Keep your appearance clean and neat
Always make sure that your sweater and pants are
clean and have all appropriate cresting for your
league. Make sure that your helmet is well fitting
with the appropriate visor and ear coverings depending
on the policies of your league. Make sure your
laces are clean and your skates are in good order.
Your appearance as you enter and leave the arena
is also very important. You should be clean and
well dressed. Your appearance is very important
because it will give you a great deal of acceptability
before you make your first call.
7. Have a professional attitude
You will gain an enormous amount of respect for
this. Always be polite but firm. Acting like a
gentleman (or lady) when discussing a situation
or rule interpretation also gives off a sign of
confidence and respect. Normally people will treat
you with the same respect. If they don’t,
when they walk away they will realize that you
acted professionally and will gain respect for
you then.
8. Treat your fellow officials with respect
Always help your fellow officials and treat them
with the same courtesy that you would like to
be treated. The same would hold true with all
off-ice officials such as timekeepers, statisticians
and goal judges. Never talk disparagingly about
a fellow official. If they have less experience
than you, remember what it was like when you were
at their point in their career.
9. Know your positioning
Read the officiating handbook for your league
and learn the proper positioning for the play.
It is good to review your positioning a few times
a year. It is amazing how much better you can
see the game when you are in good position all
the time. Find the best places to be around the
net so that you can see the play, puck and possible
infractions most of the time.
10. Have fun and enjoy yourself
Remember this is a game and although officials
have an important job to ensure that the game
is played safely and fairly, we should always
enjoy the game and get satisfaction for a job
well done. We can always learn and get better,
but we should enjoy every game and appreciate
the privilege we were given to officiate the game.
Dean Warren was hired by the NHL in 1998 and
officiated in the AHL his first season. He currently
lives in the Metro Toronto area where he is married
and has three children. In the summer he instructs
at a referee school and he plays golf.
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