A Red Deer veteran hockey referee is raising the alarm about the conduct of a Cochrane minor hockey coach towards a younger official at a Sunday game, saying the abuse he endured could turn people away from refereeing. “Showing that disrespect to that level in front of 11- and 12-year-olds that are standing in front of you is very concerning,” said Red Deer Minor Hockey Association referee-in-chief Cody Huseby in a Wednesday interview with Global News Calgary. Bow Valley Timberwolves head coach Joel Litt-Jukes took issue with a call made by a hockey referee during a U13 AA game his team was playing against the Red Deer Wesco. “F*ck you,” said Litt-Jukes. “You’re a f*cking joke.” .When a Wesco player tripped a Timberwolves player, Litt-Jukes said the referee did not put him in the penalty box. He accused him of being a joke. He received a game misconduct penalty, ejecting him from the game. Huseby’s nephew was playing in the game and has another one who became a referee. His refereeing experience goes back 25 years and includes officiating in the Western Hockey League. With this kind of vitriol from coaches aimed at referees, he said it has no place in the game, especially with younger players. “I’ve seen it time and time again from the highest level down to the lowest level, that the team acts exactly like the leadership and how they act,” he said.“When I’ve been refereeing, the benches who have the most discipline and treat referees with respect, their players treat the referees with respect.”He called it “a tale as old as time.”Under Hockey Alberta’s rules, it said the coach will receive a three-game suspension for the game misconduct penalty. “Maltreatment towards any participant within our sport is not acceptable,” said Hockey Alberta. “That includes words or actions directed towards on-ice officials during a game.” Hockey Alberta said the safety of all participants is paramount. It is monitoring the situation to ensure the people and organizations involved are working towards appreciative resolutions. The South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) acknowledged it does not tolerate abuse of officials and will apply discipline as laid out by Hockey Alberta rules. “SCAHL would like to say it stands behind all of the referee’s associations which we use in our leagues,” said the SCAHL.“They do a tremendous service to our AA league to which we would not be able to operate without them.”The SCAHL alleged such abuse “affects the development of officials for now and the next generation of hockey players in our league.”Litt-Jukes is the fourth coach in the league to receive a suspension for gross misconduct. While Huseby does not know the referee, he said he is concerned it could push him out refereeing. “What’s bringing him back to the rink, would be my question,” he said.“Like, at a certain point you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?”This comes after Ontario Soccer said in October it aimed to find a solution to referees leaving because of the abuse they endure and decided to try using body cameras to combat it. READ MORE: Body cameras tested in kid’s sports to stop referee abuseOntario Soccer made its decision after finding a similar project by the English Football Association. The pilot project ran until the outdoor soccer season finished in October and might continue during the indoor season in the winter.Litt-Jukes could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
A Red Deer veteran hockey referee is raising the alarm about the conduct of a Cochrane minor hockey coach towards a younger official at a Sunday game, saying the abuse he endured could turn people away from refereeing. “Showing that disrespect to that level in front of 11- and 12-year-olds that are standing in front of you is very concerning,” said Red Deer Minor Hockey Association referee-in-chief Cody Huseby in a Wednesday interview with Global News Calgary. Bow Valley Timberwolves head coach Joel Litt-Jukes took issue with a call made by a hockey referee during a U13 AA game his team was playing against the Red Deer Wesco. “F*ck you,” said Litt-Jukes. “You’re a f*cking joke.” .When a Wesco player tripped a Timberwolves player, Litt-Jukes said the referee did not put him in the penalty box. He accused him of being a joke. He received a game misconduct penalty, ejecting him from the game. Huseby’s nephew was playing in the game and has another one who became a referee. His refereeing experience goes back 25 years and includes officiating in the Western Hockey League. With this kind of vitriol from coaches aimed at referees, he said it has no place in the game, especially with younger players. “I’ve seen it time and time again from the highest level down to the lowest level, that the team acts exactly like the leadership and how they act,” he said.“When I’ve been refereeing, the benches who have the most discipline and treat referees with respect, their players treat the referees with respect.”He called it “a tale as old as time.”Under Hockey Alberta’s rules, it said the coach will receive a three-game suspension for the game misconduct penalty. “Maltreatment towards any participant within our sport is not acceptable,” said Hockey Alberta. “That includes words or actions directed towards on-ice officials during a game.” Hockey Alberta said the safety of all participants is paramount. It is monitoring the situation to ensure the people and organizations involved are working towards appreciative resolutions. The South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) acknowledged it does not tolerate abuse of officials and will apply discipline as laid out by Hockey Alberta rules. “SCAHL would like to say it stands behind all of the referee’s associations which we use in our leagues,” said the SCAHL.“They do a tremendous service to our AA league to which we would not be able to operate without them.”The SCAHL alleged such abuse “affects the development of officials for now and the next generation of hockey players in our league.”Litt-Jukes is the fourth coach in the league to receive a suspension for gross misconduct. While Huseby does not know the referee, he said he is concerned it could push him out refereeing. “What’s bringing him back to the rink, would be my question,” he said.“Like, at a certain point you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?”This comes after Ontario Soccer said in October it aimed to find a solution to referees leaving because of the abuse they endure and decided to try using body cameras to combat it. READ MORE: Body cameras tested in kid’s sports to stop referee abuseOntario Soccer made its decision after finding a similar project by the English Football Association. The pilot project ran until the outdoor soccer season finished in October and might continue during the indoor season in the winter.Litt-Jukes could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
