5 Things I Learned Officiating Hockey

A few years ago I decided to give hockey officiating a try. After playing all my life as I grew up, the sport had taken a back seat as I transitioned into adult life. After getting on the ice again here and there, I realized I had an itch that needed to be scratched. While coaching had appealed to me, starting that while working full time and being a part time grad student was out of the question. Knowing that there is always a need for referees, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and put on the black and white stripes. Little did I know, I’d come away with some life lessons applicable to both my professional and personal life.

1. You Can’t Please Everyone

Hockey, like any other sport, will have a winner and a loser at the end of each game (yes, some games end in ties but where’s the fun in that). This usually means that one team will be happy, and the other may be upset. Some times because you are wearing the black and white stripes, that negative emotion will be directed toward you. However, your goal should not be making everyone happy, but ensuring that you call a fair and consistent game, thereby doing the right thing for the sport and its participants. In many ways like life, your goal should always take pride in doing the right thing, even if it means taking flak from some people.

2. Having The Courage To Do What Is Right Versus Hoping Everything Will Work Itself Out

Hockey is a fast paced sport where a split second action can dramatically shift the game. When these actions give a team an unfair, competitive advantage, you need to be able to have the courage to call a penalty instead of hoping that things will work themselves out. Because when you do hope, that can lead the offending team to score the game winning goal and ruin a team’s entire weekend. Much like life, you need to be able to have the courage to speak up and do the right thing, especially when it counts.

3. Hard Work Pays Off

Being able to make the right call on the ice means being in the right place at the right time. In order to be in the right place, that means reading play and skating your butt off to get there for all three periods. Since refs don’t get substitutions, that means you need to be the hardest worker on the ice all game. As with anything else in life, being in the right place at the right time leads to success, even if that means breaking a little sweat.

4. Communication Is Severely Underrated

If hard work is the most important trait in officiating, communicating with coaches, players, and your partners is the runner up. Sometimes this means coaching younger players the rules of the sport by getting on their level, other times it can mean communicating with an irate coach who thinks you should/not have made a call. The important thing in these instances is to not focus on winning the discussion, like popular culture would lead us to believe, but taking the time to acknowledge their point of view and truly listen to where they are coming from when you speak with them.

5. Mistakes Happen, Acknowledge Them And Move On

No one expects amateur officials to be perfect, heck we barely expect perfection from professionals who are supported with instant replay. The important thing is that when mistakes do happen, you own your mistake, don’t lie about it, and ensure it doesn’t happen again by repeating lessons 3 and 4. By doing this, you will only build trust and respect between you and your peers, whether they are coaches and players, colleagues, or significant others in life.

While there are many other lessons I’ve gained from officiating the last two years, these have been the most important lessons that have helped me become more successful in both my personal and professional lives. If you also officiate or have picked up a new hobby or volunteer opportunity, I’d love to hear any lessons you’ve learned and how they have transferred to other parts of your life.