How parents (and their lawyers) are killing minor hockey.

[The Black Panther]

Not sure if someone posted this before but I just came across it. Good read. (You can tell I love my articles eh?)


http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/...hockey-fights/

[The Comish]

Thanks for posting.

Holy hell, lawyers for peewee hockey stuff!? Threats, bad behaviour and the like - some people should just be put down like rabid dogs. Referees/Linesmen shouldn't have to put up with abuse like that. It's not just hockey, ask any teacher nowadays. "Little Johnny needs straight A's in order to get into (insert prestigious) University". Human beings are **cked.

[Zorro]

This world is brutal sometimes, actually a lot of the time.. Unreal!!

[The Bottlenecker]

Thanks for posting.

Holy hell, lawyers for peewee hockey stuff!? Threats, bad behaviour and the like - some people should just be put down like rabid dogs. Referees/Linesmen shouldn't have to put up with abuse like that. It's not just hockey, ask any teacher nowadays. "Little Johnny needs straight A's in order to get into (insert prestigious) University". Human beings are **cked.

Hey Comish, thanks for recognizing the abuse us educators sometimes take. You wouldn't believe how many times I hear people, who aren't teachers, say, "I would love to have the whole summer off" only to retract their statement when I add, "you can, but you have to teach kids for the other ten months of the year". Usually stops them dead. I have had irate parents blame me for their child's bad marks only to discover they are failing all of their courses, even the ones I don't teach. But it is MY fault in my class. Right! I love what I do, but there are days...

[Dobber]

What a level-headed person needs to do - and everybody knows a couple of them I'm sure - is to explain to the hockey-mad parent that if their child is talented enough, he'll get to the NHL. Whether he's in the GTHL or just the backyard rink shooting pucks. The cream has a way of rising to the top.

Regarding treatment of refs...
As a former soccer ref, I quit after two years. One reason: parents. Specifically - one parent. Too stressful to bother with it.

[ericdaoust]

Lots of stories in my area about parents banned from arenas, etc. Oddly enough when I coached a basketball team of 8-9 year olds most parents read books during the game. Nobody was taking thins overly seriously which is how it should be. On the other hand in hockey so many parents are trying to buy an NHL career for their kids.

[2014olympicgold]

Hey Comish, thanks for recognizing the abuse us educators sometimes take. You wouldn't believe how many times I hear people, who aren't teachers, say, "I would love to have the whole summer off" only to retract their statement when I add, "you can, but you have to teach kids for the other ten months of the year". Usually stops them dead. I have had irate parents blame me for their child's bad marks only to discover they are failing all of their courses, even the ones I don't teach. But it is MY fault in my class. Right! I love what I do, but there are days...

When I got a bad mark I was yelled at, now teachers are yelled at. The only time when my parents got mad at a teacher was the teacher didn’t have time to mark my assignments (that I did hand it late). So instead of making it a “No Mark” she left it as a zero (without marking my assignments yet) which pulled my tech mark down to a 36%. This was my gr9 first semester report card and my parents felt it was unfair to do what she did on a student’s first report card. Our class average was something like 45% because she had down that with almost every student.

When the administrator works (Ref, Teacher, HR) and does his job, in no way should they be disrespected, no matter the outcome they are giving.

Also, parents are insane. I would have been so embarrassed if my dad or mom got into a fight at my game. Honestly what goes through their minds? Is there a parent on here that can shed light on this?

[The Comish]

When I got a bad mark I was yelled at, now teachers are yelled at.

Also, parents are insane. I would have been so embarrassed if my dad or mom got into a fight at my game. Honestly what goes through their minds? Is there a parent on here that can shed light on this?

Yeah, it seems times have changed. Do kids even GET marks nowadays?

Regarding parents acting like tough guys and fighting in the stands at their kids game, what are the kids taking away from this? I honestly think that most kids would be embarrassed as well, so once we get through this "douchebag" generation, I think we'll be fine.

[The Black Panther]

Yeah, it seems times have changed. Do kids even GET marks nowadays?

Regarding parents acting like tough guys and fighting in the stands at their kids game, what are the kids taking away from this? I honestly think that most kids would be embarrassed as well, so once we get through this "douchebag" generation, I think we'll be fine.

Will we get through it or will it continue to get worse?

[The Comish]

Will we get through it or will it continue to get worse?

I'll be dead and gone before this generation is done, but I think if today's kids are embarrassed by their parents behaviour, they might not emulate them. I could be wrong, it's happens every now and then!!

[YzermansLegacy]

I actually remember a lot of disrespectful/immature behaviour from parents when I played as a youngster too. Refs were abused, parents threatened coaches, other parents and even kids on the ice. It would be wonderful if this ridiculous behaviour was just the product of this generation... but I'm just not so sure. And in my Dad's generation, while parents weren't as vocal with refs/other parents/coaches, the bad apples would go home and physically take out their aggression/frustration on their kid... so sometimes I wonder if it's always been there with a select few, and always will be.

[The Comish]

I actually remember a lot of disrespectful/immature behaviour from parents when I played as a youngster too. Refs were abused, parents threatened coaches, other parents and even kids on the ice. It would be wonderful if this ridiculous behaviour was just the product of this generation... but I'm just not so sure. And in my Dad's generation, while parents weren't as vocal with refs/other parents/coaches, the bad apples would go home and physically take out their aggression/frustration on their kid... so sometimes I wonder if it's always been there with a select few, and always will be.

Yeah, when you put it that way, you're probably right. I don't remember it being this bad, but that could simply be due to the technology of today getting everything out there at light speed.

[2014olympicgold]

I played a few yrs of House League and a kids dad was kicked out and banned from all arenas in the city. For House League…But looking back drinking could have been an issue.

A few friends of mine played Pond Hockey. It’s a league of 3on3 with odd rules; it’s really just meant for the summer. But it was coed and someone on the other team ran a girl into the boards (this is just what I’m told tho, might not have been bad). My friends mother was there for some odd reason (we were like 20yrs old) and she freaked out, ran down and started giving it to the player who ran the girl through the glass. Then the game got out of hand and the refs stopped the game half way through because of rough stuff. When leaving my friend and his mother were met outside by the “Running Guy” and the mom slap him for getting to close to her or something lol.

But even in non-competitive leagues it happens I guess. If the parent doesn’t think anything bad will happen, they’ll push the line. And some people are wired to “act on the wrong”, but still, you blows up over something as small as a game. Unless it’s a tomahawk slash like Deveaux’s was