By Spencer Sterritt

Referee boycott in Nanaimo highlights difficult relationship between refs and teams

Feb 22, 2017 | 3:29 PM

NANAIMO — “I think honestly refs have one of the toughest jobs out there.”

Nanaimo Clippers assistant coach Dustin Donaghy has fought with referees both on the ice and from the bench and admitted it’s a strained and strange relationship. He said with basic respect and communication, the recent referee boycott in the Nanaimo Oldtimers Hockey League wouldn’t have happened.

Back in October, a referee was cross-checked from behind in a rec division NOHL game. At the time, the referee received medical attention but continued to oversee the game.

Referee Tim Bilyk confirmed to NanaimoNewsNOW the NOHL suspended the player for one year, which didn’t sit well with referees who’d asked for a lifetime ban.

This sparked a boycott of refereeing the recreational games for approximately two weeks, Bilyk said.

grow local

'People can literally get their hands dirty:' Earth Day event to highlight Nanaimo food security

35m ago

murder trial

Closing arguments scheduled in trial of Nanaimo woman accused of dismembering ex boyfriend

14h ago

SAFE DIGGING

Nanaimo leads the Island region in underground gas line damages in 2023

16h ago

The situation has now been resolved, the offending player is listed as having a three-year suspension and the referees lifted their boycott in time for the playoff season which begins on Friday, Feb. 24.

Bilyk, who’s refereed for more than 20 years, said this was the first time he’s seen action taken against a referee like this even though there’s a confrontational dynamic between referees and teams.

“You have a thick skin and you learn how to actually communicate with these guys,” he said of how to deal with angry players. “I get it, in hockey we all get emotional. But at the same time, guys have to learn cooler heads will prevail and there will be consequences if you take matters into your own hands.”

It’s a balancing act when standing up against an angry player or coach belittling the referee for a bad call.

“Talking with players you have to be commanding, authoritative and you gotta do it with urgency,” Bilyk said. “But at the same time you have to have knowledge of the rules, the courage to make these calls and then maintain integrity.”

From a coaches perspective, Donaghy admitted he’s been hard on refs before and fought against what he considered bad calls, but agreed with Bilyk about the need for strong communication.

“In the end they’re really no different than us. For them to come out and do the job they do every night is extremely hard and difficult and it takes a certain type of person to do that.

From the bench, he said he’s seen the relationship deteriorate quickly because referees didn’t give players “the time of day” he thought they deserved.

“I find a lot of the refs have a bit of an ego,” he said. “I know coaches do as well but refs have an ego and want it to go their way. Well it doesn’t work that way and it puts a stigma on the coach-ref relationship.”

He said he’s never seen a referee change a call in their league, even in the face of ample evidence it was a bad call, which can heighten tensions.

Donaghy said any conflicts can be reduced “if there’s a consistency throughout a hockey game, where the fans know exactly what’s going to be called, the players know exactly what’s going to be called as well as the coaches.”

Abuse, mostly verbal, was listed at the fifth most common reason for referees to stop officiating in a Hockey Canada report.

BC Hockey referee-in-chief Sean Raphael said in the current 2016/2017 season they re-addressed with their referees how to properly handle confrontations and realize where an emotional conversation ends and an abusive argument begins.

Raphael said they emphasized “treating disrespect with respect. If we go out with that mentality, it’s the best way for the officials to lead by example in regards to diffusing hostile situations that can escalate to abuse.”

Raphael said it’s certainly not easy being the calm one in an intense conversation with a player, coach or a fan, but there’s no reason for the situation to deteriorate or lead to lasting grudges.

-with files from Ian Holmes-

spencer.sterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit