Oh, you Canadians and your hockey!

[Gee Whillickers]

Anyone who's attended games in any sport in which their kids/nieces/nephews/grandkids, etc participate has seen it. It happens everywhere, in every sport. Parents getting just a bit too serious, yelling from the stands, often saying things that no kid should ever hear. Or coaches screaming at the kids for minor mistakes instead of encouraging and smiling and laughing.

Hockey is no different. In fact, the issue has been talked about at length over the past few years, and many policies have been put in place to help avoid these issues.

Now, in minor hockey games in most of the country, how it works is that kids are hired and trained to be on-ice officials, referees and linesmen, at the beginning of the year. They ref games for kids about two years younger than them, and earn some spending money to boot. It works well on a number of levels. Gives these kids a chance to learn some leadership skills, helps them to understand the game from another point of view, and gives them a crash course in conflict resolution skills.

This is a real job, and they have real powers. They dole out penalties, suspensions, ejections, etc as needed if things get out of hand.

Now, here's the kicker.

A game in New Brunswick this past weekend between House League eleven and twelve year old players was being reffed by a thirteen year old boy. As sometimes happens, things got a bit heated, and a player, parent, and one of the coaches were all complaining loudly and bitterly about what they perceived as a missed call by the ref. The ref summarily kicked out the player, a spectator, and the offending coach, as is their right and their responsibility.

However, it just so happens, the coach he kicked out of the game happens to be his mom.

Wow, that kid has balls. Good on him for doing that, if it needed to be done. Though you gotta wonder how that went down at home that evening. I certainly hope she's the kind of mom that can deal with this appropriately. (In other words, if the situation played out as described, tell him, "You did the right thing. I shouldn't have been yelling and complaining.") Still, it does raise the question, should any kid be placed in this kind of dilemma? Many, maybe most, probably wouldn't have been able to do what this boy did, and kick their own parent out if needed. Talk about role reversal.

Here's the article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/02/26/nb-young-ref-zero-tolerance.html

[Lugnutz]

If the kids know what they are doing, more power to them.

Now for the mom that was booted, the kid probably didn't get dessert.

[DesDownunder]

If the kids know what they are doing, more power to them.

Now for the mom that was booted, the kid probably didn't get dessert.

But it looks like the mom got her 'just desserts'.

Of course the kid could have just let power go to his head, and he is actually a psychopath in the making. We'll know the answer to that if the police are called in to help find the mom's body.

[Cole Parker]

If the kids know what they are doing, more power to them.

Now for the mom that was booted, the kid probably didn't get dessert.

It's hockey. He was probably sent to his room for two minutes.

C