Hockey referees can either be our best friends or… our worst enemies. The important calls either go your way or they don’t, but sometimes it’s not even the big plays that rattle a player.
It’s the little ones.
Referees probably get infuriated by players (this author has not in fact ref’d before), but today we’re looking at things from the other side of the spectrum. Here are five things hockey referees do that drive players crazy.
The following are in no particular order.
NO ICING CALLS
This one gets deep under the skin of players, but more importantly, goaltenders. You’re out there dominating a shift and all of the sudden an opposing player launches the puck down the ice. It should clearly be an icing but NOPE, the referee has the 10 o’clock news to catch so they wave it off. Come on, that’s just ridiculous. Don’t be lazy and make the right call, it’s not fair to the team applying the pressure.
Smh.
GET OUT OF THE WAY
You put yourself in position for that beautiful breakout pass you’ve been waiting for all game. A path to a breakaway is there until… the puck hits off of the zebra’s skate. Dude, is it really that hard to just jump out of the way? Or at least try? There’s always that one old school ref with the cage visor + Itech bucket combo that just refuses to move their feet,
MOVE!!!!
GIVE ME MY POINTS FOR GOODNESS SAKE
You’ve scored three goals (including the game-winner) and are feeling confident UNTIL you check your beer league website and see they were all given to a different player. Not to mention your secondary assist wasn’t credited on three separate occasions. Stripes, pay attention out there. Are you not aware that there’s a very important scoring title on the line?! Get it right.
MAKE UP CALLS
Sometimes a ref will make a bad call and then feel a need to make up for it with an even worse one on the other team. Listen, bad calls happen but don’t try to fix things with a phantom call the other way. The original team will get over it, no need to be a hero.
TOSSING CENTRES FROM THE PLAYOFF CIRCLE
Bud, it’s beer league. Just drop the puck.
So… Which one of these five issues drives you the craziest?
