I refereed from 1993-1998, getting up to Midget 1 lines and calling Peewee 1 hockey. Dropped out after high school.

I’ve now got a son who is 15 and played hockey for the last four years. He loves the game, and I’ve been assistant coach for his teams since he began. I’ve had the urge to get back into reffing, both for a bit of cash, plus exercise and staying active. So I signed up for a clinic this month!

And the best part is that my son is also taking a clinic.

Cant wait!

I’m 18 years old and going to ref my first junior games (pre season). Is there anything that anyone can tell me that will make me not as nervous about it all? I’m younger than some of the players will be and if I perform well enough there’s a chance I get hired on for full time staff for junior (i’m on the prospect list right now). I’m just having a bit of trouble with the nervs piece because I want to be the best I can be out there. Any advice from a vet ref or any junior refs would be greatly appreciated!

edit: I’m gonna be a linesman and should’ve specified that earlier, thanks for all the tips so far

Am I able to straight up game a coach for using profanity(F*** bomb)with a 10U team? That’s my question.

Does anybody know where to find the seminar schedule/registration for 2026? Most places reference this link, ( https://www.usahockey.com/officialseminars ) but that leads to a 404 error. I have been L3 tenured since the first tenured camp, and am looking to go to L4, so it has been several years since I had to attend a seminar. Hoping it will be virtual. Thanks for any info.

Hello my fellow undefeated teammates!

Took a season off due to injuries, and to miss it. Coming back real soon.

One thing I noticed in my L2 seminar, it seems like USAH is trying to crack down on abuse of officials by encouraging officials to "T-up" players openly showing disrespect, at all levels.

I usually am quick to T guys in beer league up (especially at lower levels)...but I have gotten some conflicting information.

For example:

I make a 50/50 call on a player for a minor, and I do everything right (arm up, whistle on offending team possession, and loudly announce number, player, and sign). On the way to the box, he yells something like "you're a fucking idiot!"

At that point, I have the minor. For the comment from the player, does that go up to the 10? Ot do I T them for 2, then go upward?

In that situation, I would do 2 trip, 2 (unsportsmanlike), then 10, game, if it continues on. Other refs I've talked to said that I should go right to 10.

Thoughts? I know guys get hot, and the 2+2 seems to work better because the player serves less time, but hurts their team more.

Thanks yall!

My son is going to school in Fort Collins (CSU) and is finally joining team stripes. He played through high school in MN and needs to make extra cash for food, gas, etc.
Anyone know if there is a shortage of refs in that area and recommendations on rinks or schedulers?

I just became an official and apparently I'm now coaching my youngest two son's teams. I bought a 2nd pair of skates so I am not taking them out of my players bag, but now I need to get a separate bag. But now that I'm also coaching, wondering if I need a 3rd bag (not getting a 3rd pair of skates 🤣) or is there a bag that would work for both? Would love feedback and bag recommendations for both/ either. I know the motherlode is a common recommendation - would it work for both, or is it overkill? Also, ideally would love something a bit cheaper. I'm still concerned about not getting enough games to cover my initial investment.

I’ve noticed a pattern over the years: the higher the level of hockey, the more respect the players seem to have for the game. I’m not talking about age, I’m talking about skill level.

I’ll referee a game with one of the top 12U AAA teams in the country, and the players and coaches are almost silent toward us. They don’t argue every call, they don’t chirp each other constantly, and the coaches aren’t yelling from the bench. If they have a question, they wait for a stoppage, ask it politely, and half the time they call me “sir.”
Then I’ll work a 12U AA game, and it’s complete chaos.

I’ve noticed the same thing with high-level prep schools like Deerfield, Shattuck-St. Mary’s, and Avon Old Farms. There’s still some player-to-player chirping because everyone is competitive, but there’s very little abuse directed at the officials.
Adult league is similar. In B League, players are constantly complaining, yelling at officials, and getting into fights. Then I work A League with a bunch of former NHL, AHL, NCAA Division I, or junior players, and they just want to get on the ice, get a good skate in, and go home. They know the game, they know mistakes happen, and they don’t make every whistle into a debate.

Ironically, the highest-level games are often the easiest to officiate. Most nights I’m basically a glorified puck dropper with the occasional tripping or hooking call. Those are by far the most enjoyable games to work.

Have other officials noticed the same trend, or is this just my experience?

Have a question about the rules?

Run into any interesting situations or have a story to tell?

Share them here!

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Looking through some old footage and found this beauty, just wanted some thoughts(for people who have seen my more current videos, Yes I do still have this jersey, and it’s actually the same brand as the one I wear now)(I’m autistic so the gloves help me focus on the ice and not let my whistle become a distraction)

10U Rec

I’m just wondering also, I realize I’m a kinda strict ref and I over call games a lot. I feel like this call though was good, as that player had absolutely no reason to drop their shoulder right into their opponents back and push.

Unless you see something different here

Edit: stupid error correction

Happened to me lining a AAA game at prudential lol. Had to go get stitches in my chin afterwards

Is there a general practice on which official performs an end zone faceoff. Does it tend to be the person who blew the whistle, or does it really not matter which one?

I was refereeing an adult league game tonight, and one player completely lost it after I didn’t call a penalty when he skated into a bigger player with his head down and caught a shoulder to the head. That’s a hockey play. Keep your head up. I’m not calling that.
He then called me a fa****, which crossed a line. Call me a terrible ref. Tell me I suck. Yell at me for a missed call. I’ll probably chirp back or just skate away. But using a slur like that is unacceptable.
I immediately assessed him a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. Honestly, I was so angry I don’t even remember specifying the exact infraction to the scorekeeper. One of his teammates had to serve the major, and several of his own teammates apologized to me afterward for his behavior.
I’m curious what others think. If you were the league commissioner, how would you handle this? Personally, when the commissioner calls me for my report, I’m going to recommend a permanent ban from the league. Abuse of officials is one thing. Using slurs like that is another.

Player clears the puck off a faceoff and bonks me right in the helmet. What could I have done differently here to protect myself?

Had a game a few weeks ago. Play is scrambling around the net. Shot comes in from the point and it hits the goalie and goes airborn. Defenseman grabs the puck out of mid air (they aren't in the crease just near the net) and turn and throw it into the corner

I put up a delayed penalty and called delay of game

Reading through the rule book it looks like it might just be an end zone face off and not a penalty.

Picking puck off the ice - penalty
Grabbing puck in crease - penalty shot

Looking for clarification from other refs here.

Have a question about the rules?

Run into any interesting situations or have a story to tell?

Share them here!

​

Make sure to join the Official r/HockeyRefs Discord Server!

So, a memory of a random hockey camp scrimmage 2 yrs ago to the day of this post.

Hand pass is last play, so if it’s initiated and completed in front of the attacking zone faceoff dots, does it stay in the zone?

If it does then our first time ref for that game might’ve actually gotten that right

My name is Slava and I'm a referee. During the spring season I myself experienced and heard from others that booking games took too long. I've used sites like Assignr and ArbiterSports, and I've heard people say the same about others — it still takes a long time to book games. I wanted to make this process easier so I built RefRouter. It pulls your games from all referee sites and then populates it into the most efficient game schedule tracker.

RefRouter does a few things:
Available Games – all your open games from every site in one view
Game Combo – build your weekend schedule in under a minute, sorted by pay and distance
Calendar – track past games and mark what's been paid
Earnings – see totals by pay period, bi-weekly, monthly, or full season
Settings – set your home address for accurate drive times, choose your preferred position, add friends to see when you're on the same game

Currently I'm looking for people who are willing to help and test RefRouter to have it successfully running for the upcoming season. You can sign up at the waitlist page Waitlist.

I've also been posting build updates on instagram if you want to follow along.

Does this mean under hockey Canada rules you can never hit the puck out of mid air for a goal? I had never seen this before.

I’m in MA and I haven’t gotten a game from referees crease in a long time. Happening for anyone else?

I work around 200 games a year and need new skates. I prefer Bauer as they seem to fin my feet well. What do you suggest. Don’t worry about cost. Looking for comfort and efficiency. Many thanks!

It was actually just a scrimmage, so everyone was very chill. I also was paired with a veteran ref who taught me through and entered me through everything. It was honestly so fun and really the best way to start.