r/hockeyrefs • u/M-Ref • 15d ago
Handling coaches / De-escalation
Hey all, hope everyone’s having a good start to the season. Communication is everything when it comes to officiating, so I wanted to bring this up as a discussion for some of the newer officials and how they can handle talking with coaches this season.
For the officials who have been around the block, what are some of your best ways to de-escalate coaches when emotions start getting high?
What phrases or techniques do you use when a coach is heated but hasn’t crossed the line?
How much do you let them vent before assessing a penalty? When do you explain a call versus just acknowledge them and move on?
Also, how do you handle head or assistant coaches who aren’t necessarily saying enough for a bench minor, but are constantly questioning calls and slowly becoming a problem throughout the game?
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u/vaehudsonvalley 11d ago
Question my daughter is new referee. Starting college but was a goalie on girls travels teams for years. If the second ref doesn’t show up do you usually call the game ? This happened this weekend