|
Northern Ontario Hockey Association 110 Lakeshore Dr. , North Bay Ontario P1A 2A8 Tel: (705) 474-8851 Fax: (705) 474-6019 E-Mail: noha@noha.on.ca |
CHA Information - Ear PiecesBulletin No: 02/21 TO: Branch Executive Directors INFO: Officers Branch Referees-in-Chief (02/15) Branch Presidents
Council
Directors
Life Members
FROM:
Todd Jackson, Manager - Safety and Risk Management Maurice Roy, CHA Referee-in-Chief
SUBJECT: PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT - REMOVAL OF EAR GUARDS FROM HOCKEY HELMETS
(NOTE: This is a re-release of bulletin 02/10 with revised date to be
enforced) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It has become apparent that many players, especially at the Junior and Senior level, but also in other levels of hockey, were modifying their helmets by removing the earpieces. Since 1984, the CSA has required that helmets have no ear openings bigger than 38 mm (1.5 inches), or if they do, that an earpiece exist to provide additional protection.
Players, coaches, officials, administrators and parents
are reminded that Canadian Hockey playing rule 24 (b) - Protective Equipment -
states that "While on the ice, all players, including goaltenders, shall
wear a CSA approved hockey helmet, to which a CSA approved facial protector must
be securely attached and not altered in any way.
Any alteration to a CSA approved helmet or facial protector automatically
destroys the certification." Removal
of earpieces is considered an alteration of the CSA approved helmet.
Officials
should watch for infractions in pre-game warm-ups, and if it is clear that a
player is playing with an altered helmet, advise the coach and player that if
the player appears in the game with the earpieces removed from a helmet that
came from the factory with such earpieces, they will be penalized for use of
illegal equipment, without exception or warning as per Rule 24 (e) which reads
as follows:
(e) If the Referee’s attention is
drawn to the possibility that a facial protector or helmet may not be certified
(CSA approved), or if the Referee observes that a facial protector or helmet may
not be certified, and should that piece of equipment in effect turn out not to
be certified, the Referee shall assess a Minor penalty and at the same time
order that illegal piece of equipment removed from the game.
(Note 1): The Referee is empowered to make the call without his attention
being drawn by an opposing player or team official, through the Captain.
If there is some question as to whether the
helmet has been altered, the Referee shall report the infraction on the official
game report to the President.
Please note that it is expected that coaches and
safety people / trainers will look after ensuring their players are using
helmets that comply to the above CHA standards. For the officials, this is not an optional or judgement call,
and the onus to ensure players comply with the rules in this area falls on the
coaches.
Executive Directors are asked to forward this safety
concern to coaches, trainers, safety people and administrators within the Branch
to give this message the widest circulation possible.
By
September 1, 2002, all leagues should have received this info and ensure their
teams have complied. Full enforcement of this rule will start as of this
date.
If there are any questions or concerns related to this
bulletin, please do not hesitate to contact Todd Jackson, Manager of Safety and Risk
Management at (613) 562-5677 extension 2323.
Sincerely.
Sincerely,
Maurice Roy
Todd Jackson CHA, Referee-In-Chief Manager, Safety and Risk Management IMPROVING YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO ENHANCE YOUR
OFFICIATING SKILLS Effective
communication skills are critical to successful officiating. To reach your maximum potential as an
official it is imperative that you enhance your communication skills with
coaches and players. A successful
official knows how to listen to the action going on in a game and how to respond
appropriately to the various situations that occur. Officials
who master communication skills are able to communicate in a calm,
straight-forward manner, even in tense conditions or when being verbally
attacked. Acquiring this skill is
not easy. The natural tendency of
most people who are verbally attacked is to defend, explain or attack in return. This can very dangerous for officials. Officials must work very hard to acquire
the skills it takes to respond sensibly when under pressure, to weigh their
words and actions carefully and to develop various communication skills such as
expressions, gestures and posture to convey a calming and confident message that
solves problems rather than escalates them. Let’s look
at some of the different aspects of communication that you are likely to
experience in your officiating career. Listening is
a key first step to effective communication.
Prior to the
game, there will be opportunities to communicate with the coaches and captains. In these situations be friendly, but
also business like. Answer
legitimate questions and respond to concerns.
Keep pre-game conversations professional and brief. Avoid spending an extraordinary amount
of time with a coach you have known for a lengthy period of time. In pre-game meetings with captains, keep
the conversation short and avoid comments like “I am going to call all the
slashing today”. If you then miss a call, your credibility is in question. During the
course of a game, there will be many verbal clues that an official can use to
read the game. However, listening
is more than hearing the sounds of the game, but also being aware of the
emotions and expressions (facial contortions, grimaces, smiles, frowns, gestures
of dismay, puzzlement, anger, resignation) of the participants. Good listening
skills will help you understand why challenges are made to your calls, and to
perhaps empathize with those who are doing the challenging. Using your
voice to communicate with players during play and at stoppages can be very
effective. When talking to players,
respond to any player, not just the captain, if they are addressing you in a
respectful manner. Stoppages
can be an excellent time to practice preventative officiating with short, quick
conversations with a player or players. However,
keep these sessions short, inconspicuous and avoid a rules clinic or being too
animated. For example, a player may
consistently be using the stick in a manner that is borderline as far as a
penalty goes, but is a source of constant aggravation to the opposition players
and a concern to the official. At a stoppage casually skating up to the player and noting
that they are getting a little too fancy with their stick will make the player
aware that their actions are being noted and you will continue to watch closely. Ideally they will alter their actions
accordingly. Alternatively
you can also use the Captain or Assistant Captain to send the message to the
player. At a stoppage say something
like “Captain, #24 is getting his elbows too high a little too often. Can you remind him to keep them down?” A good leader will deal with the problem
and save you some aggravation in the process. Ensure you
are enjoying the game as well as officiating it.
If something amusing happens, a smile can show you are having fun without
upsetting the continuity of the game. Officiating
need not be entirely impersonal – show you are enjoying the moment. A key to
good communication is active listening. When
in discussion with a coach or player, give them your full attention by planting
your feet, keeping your hands still (behind your back is ideal) and look the
speaker squarely in the eye. Listen
to the entire concern (within reason) before responding rather than preparing a
response before the message has been heard. Often these
types of conversations are emotionally charged and it is imperative that you
listen fully to the concern, and then when you respond, ensure the complainant
now does not interrupt you, and you provide a full response that addresses their
concern. It takes a
lot of practice to focus on the speaker and determine the message, and then
respond rationally. Practice making
deliberate responses rather than impulsive ones, and you will find the
situations do not escalate out of control. Here are
some possible responses you may want to consider. “If …
continues, I will deal with it, but you may not like how I deal with it”. When
addressing actions of a certain player. “Coach,
I have a problem with … so I am asking you to look after it. If you choose not to, I will.” When a coach
claims you missed a call, try this approach.
“I didn’t see that one, but I will be looking very hard to ensure I
get the next one” To a coach
who claims there are two teams out there – “Coach, you are right, there are
two teams out there, but one team is playing a totally different game than the
other. I need to ensure the game is
fair and safe, and that is why one team is getting more penalties.” Ensure that
in all your conversations that you address people in respectful terms and keep
explanations brief and to the point. Non-verbal
communication can be just as important in sending a message as the spoken word. Facial expression, the eyes, and body
language can make a big difference in either sending an effective message or
inflaming a tense situation. Some times a
non-response is the best response, as a coach may be venting and isn’t
expecting a response. When this
happens ask yourself if a response will do more harm than good? Coaches want to know you are working with them, not against
them, and that an official is willing to listen. For example,
an official who crosses their arms on their chest or stands with hands on the
hips when being spoken to is giving off the impression that they are not
receptive to what is being said. Hands
behind the back show you are more receptive.
Waving a coach away shows disrespect and is sure to enflame a situation. Pointing a finger at a player or coach
is also a very intimidating gesture. Use the full hand when signaling a penalty or needing to
indicate a direction or location. Sometimes
a glare alone can silence a critic. Warnings can
be an effective communication skill, but they must be used appropriately. Warnings must be clear and have
credibility to be effective. Warnings
that can not be carried out or followed through on bring the officials honesty
and credibility into question. The
tone of your voice plays a big role in delivering the message. Barry Mano,
Editor of “Referee” magazine gives an excellent example of the importance of
using good judgment in the handling of a game with the “pour no gasoline”
philosophy. The basic concept of
this idea is that during the course of a game, many little incidents can occur
that can be compared to small piles of kindling all over the ice that are ready
to start on fire. As an official it
is our role to ensure that when the fires start, we remain calm and make every
effort to extinguish the flame, rather than adding fuel to the fire. If there is a contentious issue that
arises, and as officials we “pour gasoline” on the situation with a flippant
verbal remark, a non-verbal gesture that inflames or an incorrect call, we are
not doing our part to keep the game under control. Proper communication techniques can put
out a lot of fires. In summary, communication for officials is extremely
important to game management. The
way an official communicates is extremely important to their success. Officials must show they are receptive
to messages, and can then deal with them in an appropriate manner. Developing your communication skills
will enhance your abilities as an official. Norm Dueck CHA Manager, Officiating
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Conflicts in
officiating are inevitable. Whenever
two teams meet to compete, conflict is already present. It may not manifest itself in every
game, but conflict will arise between players, coaches, fans and officials and
it is the role of the official to manage the conflict, regardless of when and
where it occurs. Officials
should approach each game with the understanding that a big part of their job is
conflict management, and when conflict is managed well, officials can take a
measure of satisfaction in their role. You
will not make calls that please both teams so since your goal is not to please
people, the best you can hope for is to earn respect for the job you do. Officiating will never be a popularity
contest. As well,
officials need to understand that conflict that arises in a game is not always
an official’s fault. We live in a
society that loves to place blame and often this blame is placed on officials
unfairly. Officials can be a
convenient scapegoat for the frustrations of a coach, player or parent. Understanding this will help officials
deal with conflict without taking on all of the pressures that fall on those who
are asked to arbitrate the game in a fair and safe manner. One way to understand or prepare for conflict is to know
the environment you are going into and act appropriately. Be aware of the
context of the game. If it is city
dwellers versus country folks, there may be potential for additional conflict. Similarly there may be conflict between
rivals, or teams made up of different nationalities or religions. If the teams have played recently in a
game that had a lot of conflict, some of the emotions could carry over. Officials
are often accused of “having rabbit ears” when they seem to hear everything
that is going on and possibly overreact, but it is also important an official
does not go deaf either. Ensure
that you hear the different types of verbal communication going on in the game
between opponents. Rule 47 (f)
in the CHA Rule Book calls for a Game Misconduct to be assessed to any player or
team official who engages in verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on
discriminatory grounds (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation,
language). Hockey is notorious for
allowing players to talk “smack” or use verbal insults to intimidate. The CHA is calling on officials to
ensure they penalize players who indulge in this kind of behavior. In
particular, any insult that starts with the word “you” or could start with
the word “you” should be penalized. You
may be able to ignore the words “that’s brutal” or “that’s a terrible
call”, but as soon as it changes to “you’re brutal” or “you’re
terrible” the remarks have become personal and you must penalize the offender. Many times
you may not hear the comments made, but only see the reaction of the player
being insulted. Confronting the
perpetrator can be helpful, and sometimes penalizing the player may be the best
solution. Ignoring these types of
situations or choosing not to hear it is not the appropriate response. When you
make a tough call, expect controversy. Whether
it is verbal harassment, negative body signals or other forms of disagreement,
expect it and know where you draw the line on how much you will accept. If you handle conflict successfully,
your overall game management skills will be enhanced. Let’s look
at some general situations that may occur in a game and examine appropriate and
inappropriate responses. Verbal
challenges occur frequently during the course of a game. If a player or coach challenges you, it
is imperative that you listen carefully, weighing all of the information that is
presented at that time, and also considering other game factors. Perhaps a coach is trying to seek an
advantage or edge on future calls through intimidation, save face after a move
goes wrong or protect a player. Adversity
between coaches and officials often comes down to one factor, coaches care who
wins and referees don’t! Once
challenged, an official usually must respond in one of two ways, to deny the
challenge (which may take skill in verbal diplomacy), or offer a solution to the
perceived problem. If at all
possible, take a few moments to let the attack sink in and determine your
response. If the objection has some
merit (you may not have seen the whole incident, made a marginal call), an
additional penalty may just compound the problem.
As well, the initiator may show instant regret and depending on the
severity of the challenge, you may be able to ignore it. You are not obligated to deliver a reply
to every challenge. Use the pause
to determine whether a reply is really needed, and whether a verbal or
non-verbal reply is most appropriate. Remember as
well that some coaches yell as a psychological tactic. They know you won’t change your call
but perhaps they can plant seeds of doubt that may get them a break on the next
call, may intimidate you, or may get their team and the fans fired up. They generally are not yelling at you as
much as the uniform and what it represents. Be aware of
when the coach may be using you to accomplish his goals. A coach who jumps on the boards or flails his arms is usually
trying to rally his players and get the fans involved. This would usually occur when they are
the home team, and are down a goal or two late in the game. Let’s look
at some specific responses, positive and negative that an official may use in
various situations. If a coach
questions a certain play, try this response.
“Coach, here is what I saw…”.
This gives the coach the idea that it may have played out differently
than what he saw happen. A
variation of this is to ask the coach “what did you see?”, which puts the
coach on the defensive, although caution must be taken into getting into a
prolonged discussion on what he saw and what you saw. On occasion,
a comment like “I heard you and I’ll watch for that”, “I don’t think
so” or “I didn't see it” will indicate to the coach that you have heard
the concerns and rejected it. Compare
the above responses to possible responses like “Oh, come off it”,
“That’s ridiculous” or “What are you looking at?” which cancel the
validity of the coaches observations and will only increase hostility levels. Another
approach might be to acknowledge that an incident may have happened the way the
coach describes it, but that you either missed it or didn’t see it in the same
way. With that type of
acknowledgement you are admitting to a possibility that things may have happened
the way the coach described it without admitting you were wrong. Another
option may be to totally disregard a comment from the bench. If the coach does not continue to press
the point, then a non-response may be the ideal response. Sometimes a head nod of agreement will
resolve the issue quickly whereas defending the call immediately leads to
further dialogue, with both sides trying to defend their positions. If you feel
that you need to go to the bench to discuss a situation with the coach, or to
deliver a warning keep the following guidelines in mind. First of all, deliver the message
directly to the coach. If they are
standing on the bench or boards, get them to move down to your level and make
eye contact to ensure they are not standing above you. Try to avoid facial expressions while
taking in information as things like a scowl or shaking the head can increase
the animosity of the complainant. Do not get into prolonged discussions or arguments at the
bench. Deliver the message quickly
and get the game going again as soon as possible.
You can not get into an argument with a coach if you do not participate! When you go
to the bench to resolve an issue or deliver a message, ensure that you are only
there to handle that problem. If a
coach brings up an incident that happened earlier in the game, simply remind the
coach that the issue at hand is what you are trying to clarify, not what
happened earlier, and turn the conversation back to the present issue. If there is
an issue that the coach wants to discuss, but the period is nearly over, advise
the coach that you will discuss it with him after the period. Often this allows the coach some time to
cool down or forget about the issue totally, and even if the conversation does
take place, it does not have players and fans waiting for play to begin again. Going to the
bench can escalate a situation and officials must be very careful not to lose
their cool. Officials are charged
with keeping control of a game and there is never a valid excuse to lose
control. Work on maintaining
and controlling emotions in emotionally charged situations. Never use vulgarity and “treat
disrespect with respect”. Be very
careful about using threats. Avoid
“If, …then” statements as they can put you in situations where it may be
difficult to follow through. If you
tell a player “not one more word or you get an unsportsmanlike conduct
penalty” and the player then says “I’m sorry”, you are in a box. The player said another word and how do
you penalize an apology? Rather use
words such as “that’s enough” or “you made your point, now let’s move
on”. In the same
way, if a coach is vocally harassing you, words like “I’ve heard enough”
or “You’ve said enough” are about as strong a reply as you should use. Adding the word “please” indicates
additional respect. However, words
such as “shut up” or “shut your mouth” cross the line of respect. Non –
verbal signals can be very helpful in these situations as well. If a player or coach is verbally attacking you and your first
response is an unsportsmanlike conduct call or hands to the hips to assess a
Misconduct, you give the impression that you have a short fuse and can’t take
any controversy. Instead of the
above, if a player is berating you, hold up your hand to indicate that the
action must stop (along with a verbal warning).
If the player continues the verbal attack, and you then assess a penalty,
the people observing the action will see that the player had a clear warning to
cease his actions and chose not to. Since
the warning wasn’t heeded, the player has no one to blame but them self for
continuing the action and getting the subsequent penalty. An alternative to the “stop” signal
with the hand is finger to the lips to indicate the verbal chatter must stop. When dealing
with abusive fans, never get into verbal exchanges or gestures. Be more tolerant of fans than any other
group, but if at any time they cross the line, stop the game and use the arena
staff or the home team staff to eject that person from the arena. In any
situation where you enter a discussion with a player or coach, tell the truth. It’s ok to say you made a mistake or a
bad call. Honesty is your best
policy. If you try to lie your way
out of a situation, you lose credibility and damage the reputation of all
officials. Work hard to ensure you
do not make the same mistake, as too many mistakes will hurt your reputation as
well. Officials
should be quick to commend positive behavior by a player. If a player helps out a member of the opposition, or makes an
attempt to avoid unnecessary contact, officials should acknowledge such acts of
good sportsmanship with a complimentary word in passing. This will further enhance good
sportsmanship. Knowing the
rules and procedures and techniques will help you in your officiating, however
knowing how to handle people and conflict situations separates the best from the
rest. Work on your people handling
skills in each game. After a game
think about situations that occurred and determine if certain situations could
have been handled better or differently. Learn
from each situation and your overall skill as an official will improve. |
Questions or problems
regarding this web site should be directed to
Stan Deveau
|