We've Got A Coach Versus Referee Brawl At A Kingston Youth Hockey Game

Look I'm not going to defend the coach. He's a mad man. You gotta ban him from the bench and all that jazz, just can't have this kind of stuff at youth hockey, despite how much "crazy hockey dad" is part of the culture. It's why I always say I'm incredibly thankful my dad was a guy who quietly sat in the corner of the bleachers and read the paper instead of being a maniac. If he'd been trying to jump the boards with the rest of the dads then I'd probably be a totally different person. I could easily be squaring up with a middle aged man who's sacrificing his time at the pub to ref children when, instead, I'm a 31 year old eating ice cream in bed and writing blogs. Success story. That's called parenting. 

Anyway, as much as you can't defend this you gotta wonder what we didn't see or hear because that other ref wanted NO part of this fracas. He reacted like a guy out at the bar with a buddy who probably deserved an ass kicking, and you really didn't want to get in the middle of it, but you eventually reluctantly realize he's your buddy so you gotta defend him. I mean that fella moved slower than a kid going to brush his teeth before bed to break up that fight. So, I'll just say it feels like we're missing something.

You can't be fighting refs at youth games, but you also gotta question what's going on when the guys in the same jersey as you don't even want to have your back. Locker room problem city. Maybe the second ref could learn a thing or two from the kid throwing stick taps at center ice for his coach.