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I'm not a used car salesman. I can't think up quick and witty one-liners when coaches ask questions or players protest a call. And I don't think I need to be. I think communication as a referee needs a few key ingredients and I strive to bring these ingredients every game:
1. You have to look the part. Communication is 55% non-verbal, 38% tone, and only 7% words. So basically you need to look the part. My question is, "Do you look like a NHL official?" None of those guys look like dorks on T.V. None of them have too short of pants, too tight of a sweater, have stickers on their helmets (especially NCAA stickers - I hate those damn things, if it's not an NCAA game), and none of them have 3 day growth. Do you look like them? If you don't, I can almost guarantee you that a coach and the players will look at you decided whether or not you're qualified. To sum up my point better, look at these two guys:
Who looks like they can do their job better?
2. Hustle. Plain and simple. Are you working your butt off for this game or not? One line I read once was, "When you talk to a captain of a team, you should be have sweat running down your face as much as they have sweat running down their face." Coaches want to see that you are out there giving your best, because they expect the best from their players.
3. Honesty. This is realization that I came to after some poor attempts at being "sharp and witty." I wanted to be the guy who could drop a zinger or two. I'm not that guy. You might not be that guy either. What you can do is talk to the benches, talk to the players often throughout the game. Be 100% honest. If a coach is irrate because I didn't make a "hooking" call on a breakaway, I am going to go over and tell him this..."You know what...that looked like a hook, but I feel lucky that I happened to be on the side of the puck carrier to see exactly what was happening with the stick and hands. I thought that was a great back check and the defenseman got the stick and no hands." (those were the exact words I used in a HS game last night).
I need to be honest with the coach and tell them what I saw and (a) why I called it a penalty or (b) why I didn't call a penalty. I don't need fancy one-liners. Just honesty.
If he can't handle that...well...I have alternatives. (I'll talk about that in my Ultimate Officials Ref Camp - there's a new 3 Month Camp starting Feb 1 through April 30 - email info@ultimateofficials for more info).
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