The Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association is threatening to kick hockey moms and dads out of the stands after rampant abuse of both players and referees by some spectators.
VIAHA president Jim Humphrey issued the ultimatum he posted to the association鈥檚 website last Friday.
In it, Humphrey said that the 鈥減roblem of spectators abusing on-ice officials and players during minor hockey games has become such a serious issue that VIAHA Executive Committee members are considering a 鈥楽pectator Free Weekend.鈥欌��
Under such a scenario, Humphrey wrote, the 鈥渃old鈥� area of all Vancouver Island arenas would be restricted to players, officials, game supervisors, association staff and league officials.
鈥淩eferees would be instructed not to start games until all spectators have left the cold area and/or to stop the game should spectators access the arena during the game,鈥� Humphrey warned. 鈥淪hould spectators refuse to comply, the referees would have the teams leave the playing surface, thus cancelling the game.鈥�
The association would then launch an investigation to determine which team the offending spectators are affiliated with, 鈥渁nd rule accordingly.鈥�
Humphrey said Tuesday that the association hopes it does not have to resort to taking such drastic action. He hopes that the national attention his letter has received helps get the message out to parents.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 100 parents in the stands watching a hockey game (and) if there鈥檚 four that are being disrespectful, we鈥檙e hoping the 96 will rise to the occasion and politely figure out a way to shut the four up,鈥�
鈥淏ecause if they don鈥檛, that means that 100 of them will be watching their children play from the warm side of the glass in a hockey rink.鈥�
The problem of parents abusing referees and players is not new to the association, Over 20 years, the group has tried different ideas to curb abuse, 鈥渁nd nothing we鈥檝e ever tried over the years has worked.鈥�
They tried asking the home team鈥檚 association to control the crowds in the stands, but that had little success because parents don鈥檛 want to have another adult tell them what to do.
鈥淭hey feel that it鈥檚 their right to chastise the performance that, in their eyes, is going on on the ice,鈥�
They鈥檝e also tried having team managers in the stands for crowd control, but managers are reluctant to get involved because they have to deal with the parents for the entire season.
Humphrey says 鈥渢his is one of the worst years鈥� that the VIAHA has ever had, 鈥渁nd this is the first time that we鈥檝e lost more game officials than we can recruit.鈥�
The association needs 1,100 referees each season, and they typically lose 200 or 250 each year.
VIAHA vice president Dan Payne said this year, bad parental behaviour has 鈥減eaked.鈥�
Parents are leaning over the glass during games to yell at referees, and are going so far as to corner the officials in parking lots after games.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had referees come off the ice crying,鈥�
Referee supervisor Hank Aarsen says he鈥檚 had parents tell him that 鈥渋t鈥檚 their right to yell at 13 or 14-year-old kids.鈥�
The VIAHA has yet to make a decision on whether to go ahead with its spectator-free weekend, Humphrey said Tuesday. But if there鈥檚 anybody other than him who doesn鈥檛 want to see it go forward, it鈥檚 the players themselves.
鈥淚f you score a goal, there鈥檚 nobody there to watch or cheer for you,鈥�
