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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-02-02, Page 28-r••••••••:•-• , 1 , 1 1;i14, rif 4-F eFc i :1; • 14‘ • -.4,•41. • • •• ••••••• (•• , . . ., ,Nitlftyt. - , • .tr•mkt,••%;:•. :•:;14:•• .. '•:•.•:,,t .. ,,„,:.,-*:.::;...,:,,i1,,,;:!:?:•••i:s.:..x.;:.,..1;,-ii.g.•,<:•'•-.••$,-x--'.'i'i''Jv,'„•1•••;",.:::'!-•••• it•tAt7:tit, • ••••:•:••• Ne, • x•rt:t• ett •••• eeNtet• ;.: t,-'.•• • HEADING TO HIS SEC01112 •7or hockey ieferee, 4 ••,,P7 Harvey Black heads out of his home to otj,iate anotherhooker " game. For him, the arena avid be,consielered a second home. In busy weeks, Black could spenatfpwatds of 425 bouts away from home, making sure children play the great game of hockey fairly. Minor. hocke - black and white • but never. grey Hockey officiating has good ,called and the fans react again, this s ou threats moments. directed at the refs in the heat f th moments, bad moments and tense time withangryslouts and . , o e • moment, someone in the stands scenario. Children grabs a sOda bottleand heaves it. playing hockey at the local arena. A minor hockey referee's job is not It's a tense seventh game in playoff an easy one. With only one pair of finals and the score is tied in the _ eyes trying- to -take in -the actions of third period. The referee trips, laplayers, some incidents are bound falling to the ice. The crowd reacts to slip by. Yet they are bOften the with laughter and jeers. brunt of harsh remarks from A minute later, a player on the spectators and players, who believe opposing team gets a breakaway that since referees are getting paid pass at centre ice and streaks th y peect. But referees by several hom toward the locals' net, hotly pursued are only hinnan, and very few of- etow fl boys. Back Ociate hockey for money the behind the play, another hometown pittance does not make up for lost boy is tripped by an opposing player time with spouses and children. while most eyes, including Mote of They generally do it out of love for the officials, are at the opposite end hockey and a desire to see theame g of the ice watching what could be a played fairly• . game -deciding play. No penalty is Harvey Black picked up a striped •;;;;;:;::::::::::::::•:•:•:{•:•:••%:•:' • " • : : " ' •••••1• • • • . •:•;•. . .•::1•1•Ott:::••nr?4,, *:',•• •it.,"tr:to:•• 4,tt, st. leg Oct §• • Vet "K• •tiO VETERAN REFEREg - Harvey Black of Behyave drops I u , inAam the 150, hockey games he averages every season. He has been refeeeeingMinothockey for 20 yearS most parts of Southwestern Ontario shirt and whistle 20 years ago to fill in at the Belgrave arena due to .a shortage of referees — and he's been, reffing ever since: . - • - Over the years he has reffed an average of 150games a Season, ranging from the joys Of watching novice matches' to the serious Tier 2 Junior 'A' and. Senior 'A' contests. Black has noticed some changes in !heliport. "In minor hockey, since the in- troduction -�f /ace masks, sticks have tome up higher and more high - sticking penalties have been called" says Black. "Don't get me wrong. Masks are a good thing, protecthig kids faces, but the sticks have still come up." As the sticksbave risen, however, so has ,the level of finesse. "The kids are 'more skillful at a younger age, due to better doaching, and the coaching skills have developed through clinics," he I added, - A DYING MEED.• when he filled in ‘: continued retereeln ring to 0601110 root threaktiorn fans anid- , however, haven't changed. guess youcould saythOY'res still aggressive, but they pay ;to: get and can Say:iiphittheYWant.- , "However, there are fewer refs now because. of fans. Young 'OP start up, get yelled at a lotthen hat; atonedarid quit," . IThe worst situatiOn.a.Tecould be ifl 18 l. a•ben011-00ating.. • .. • ,• !. .. . ''"The worst situation a ref could be In, is a beaeltelearing brawl," -says ri d at neVer , !:aitatiViO. 111:0:14kri):*di.cooteg°11.,;:neoyrotii.:-can s "I'll,te hien spit enchatt thrown 2- aggiesSjoes te..iterbatabnae; Black at on . do but rife. . hasbeen ,,the Wed* Of. tiliit • While , some fans iiiut their But, genr elaptettatrtr to hi ' '' diets' Of tiMes,- they 0-eijfkkig; You just have to do. the .$,;.:. .. ;•-=• kt. - -..' '. • " ^ .• • • . • • between teams and 1 the stands and will reflect Ow players on the ice. But refs tensechwrist as niticli or worse players We et' but because the* ;..! Or d 'When he' lilet., dominated the tearns.poU 41 outcome' sure the g While many Veteranreferees have learned to underatand how fans feet and ignore voeifiroue spectators, a youngster's claire to, become an official may be dashed against the rocks quite easily by a bad ex- perience, warns Blackototing a drop in the number of people willing to ref t leg tr.tt 11°oftlte - rag tirne, but to make yed fairlY." a hockey game. "The attitudes of players -and fans are going -to have to change or there wOnit be any more referees. Mott rift don't do it for the money. Por instance, I do it because I like the game. It's satisfying to see good hockey close-up and see the kids develop, but -you have to be in- terested in the sport to want to start refereeing." GOOD POINTS- 41 For Harvey Black, the good points outweigh the bad. "For every bad • genie you get, there are 10 good ones;" ,--TheFe:- are 'Ones when refereeing, funny.can be....doWnright "A gait came off off the bench • when his team already had enough-P*0.ra lin the Ice, He realized atetittliesanie time as 1 did that there were tee many • players on the lee*. to he jumped over the boards and disappeared into the crowd." • He says' there Was another En stance,- when a - tea: was getting drastically outplayed and couldn't put the puck into the opposition's net, -:"To prove to theinielvei they could beat a---gOaltiendW'--liejtaitic - "they turned around and scored' on their own He adniits he has been 106 tad to- many -people he haireti otherwise met, and has retted playeit now in the *ationA lieekey 1 including Wayne Gre • r y was in thiGoderich Young divide lieeWee ittiiitiume4( sod Stack ieniein tstinOvell. he was a UpetitOi getting toe -.oils.. a "Black jokes."Por e wasitiOteed theii Atheist his age, he • !kW juSt?get itenie; 'iftottr ;;:*J; • • • • • •• ••. )11 'I SAttAtil': • Bieck, has travelled as far as • North Bay: and Sarnia to referee ..2, thePntalio Hockey '41)6Litkiebttriat* it up Mir years - :eke' because SimPly. didn't like the distance factor. "It took away time from my family. 1 have two 'et* age 16 and - 13, who were taking.figiire.skating and think I might have seen them OA the jce Wee." . Blaek nOW. *pits himself'to minor hockey, which keeps him closer to his Belgrave home, ranging as far as Exeter; -Owen Sound, Wiarton, Orangeville and most points in between. He still averages 150 games per year. For iettance, in a recent Week, Black refereed two pines Monday night, two on Tuesday, one on WechiesdaY, two-: on Thursday, one on Friday and one on Sunday. That works outto approximately 25 hours away from home on top of his day - job commitments. Black enjoys_refereeing his circuit and is proud hi the high quality of officiating. "Iteffing in this area is as good as any you'll find in Ontario. Most referees around here are fairly *let. SoMetimes we get criticized, for not eithitig _enough penalties, then we get ciltieited for calling too many. "We, as referees, have to be consistent in the way we call a game. But. W. depends on the situation. Someone once said that in ootball, a Penalty is a penalty, so vvhy not, hi hockey. But in the eventh game of playoffs with the core tied, if you call a cheap penalty you have to remember you ‘ant to getout of the arena alive. It epends- the tithed on. In a otential goal -storing situation or in 6 case of an injured player— sure. ut you don't want to decide the game on alininer incident. 'Thee's a lot of pressure in effkig;' out there calling penalties. ' itd.a referee knows when he's called a bad game just like a player oft *hen he's Played a bad game. "But if fans think it's an easy job. ,- it's a free eountiy. They can get s th 13Akn thelr ear& and whistles and come out because AVe sure need more refs." •tr 1