Men's League Last Night

[beedee]

$32 a game? That's ridiculous (not counting playoffs). Even if both teams were rostering ONLY 10 players thats $640 per game to rent ice and pay one, two if you're lucky, referees $30.

Plus you'll probably end up being the guy on beer twice so there's another $100

I hear ya. I don't drink, the captain leaves me out of the beer rotation. We carry 13 registered full-time players, and our captain pays the team fee. Like everything, the league fee creeps higher and higher each year, plus the bullshit USA HOCKEY insurance (extortion) that is required each year. Our rink is owned by the Ducks, and is part of their "The Rinks" network.

As a father of two young kids, I just look at it as its my once-a-week (sometimes twice if I sub) "me time". People piss away $30+ at the bar before and/or after the games, so I don't feel too bad paying that much per game. We play 3, 14 minute stop-time periods, so 42 minute games. I have done the math and break it down to paying $32 for lets just say 22 minutes of ice time (I play D, so if we are rolling only 3 D, sometimes I get more) and that is when it really sucks, but I try not to think about it that way. The part that stings though is when you have to miss games, might as well wipe your ass with that money.

 

[tarheelhockey]

As a father of two young kids, I just look at it as its my once-a-week (sometimes twice if I sub) "me time". People piss away $30+ at the bar before and/or after the games, so I don't feel too bad paying that much per game. We play 3, 14 minute stop-time periods, so 42 minute games. I have done the math and break it down to paying $32 for lets just say 22 minutes of ice time (I play D, so if we are rolling only 3 D, sometimes I get more) and that is when it really sucks, but I try not to think about it that way. The part that stings though is when you have to miss games, might as well wipe your ass with that money.

Same here. My wife and I have an understanding that beer league hockey is a relatively small, relationship-healthy way for me to get out of the house and lose myself in something else for a couple of hours. One dose of that per week goes a long way, especially during child-rearing years.

 

[HansonBro]

Same here. My wife and I have an understanding that beer league hockey is a relatively small, relationship-healthy way for me to get out of the house and lose myself in something else for a couple of hours. One dose of that per week goes a long way, especially during child-rearing years.

I think thats when I ramped up hockey to 3-4 nights a week lol. She knew what she was getting into...

 

[beedee]

n/m

 

[MDCSL]

I think thats when I ramped up hockey to 3-4 nights a week lol. She knew what she was getting into...

Me too I have a 9 year old and a 4 year old, I played on 3 teams last year

 

[HansonBro]

Me too I have a 9 year old and a 4 year old, I played on 3 teams last year

Lol. At the time mine was a baby. I'd get home from work and she'd rifle the thing at me like a football. "I'm sorry hunny did you have a tough day staying at home"?

Anyways I always took her (kid) and my dog (English bull terrier) for a walk after work, then did bbq.

So hockey became my outlet. Played goalie and skated 3-4 nights a week...i think the dog was the better parent in the end lol

 

[Slats432]

I play, but I also ref Men's League. So we start the playoffs a few days ago. Game is going on, competitive but not too intense. No a lot of calls.

Game goes back and forth with one team up 3-1 in the third period. Clock getting late, and it gets to about 53 seconds.

The captain says to me that we need to set the clock right, an extra second ticked off?

I said, I didn't see extra time tick off. I thought he might be joking. But no, he was serious. He wanted us to put a second back on the clock with almost a minute left in the game. I said no, I wasn't going to do that. (Certainly a slippery slope if teams want to question a quick stop/extra second tick at every stoppage.)

Now, if it was a one goal game, close to the end (Anything under 30 seconds) I would have entertained it for sure.

He was legitimately annoyed that we wouldn't put one second on the clock. Down by a couple with almost a minute left.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I play, but I also ref Men's League. So we start the playoffs a few days ago. Game is going on, competitive but not too intense. No a lot of calls.

Game goes back and forth with one team up 3-1 in the third period. Clock getting late, and it gets to about 53 seconds.

The captain says to me that we need to set the clock right, an extra second ticked off?

I said, I didn't see extra time tick off. I thought he might be joking. But no, he was serious. He wanted us to put a second back on the clock with almost a minute left in the game. I said no, I wasn't going to do that. (Certainly a slippery slope if teams want to question a quick stop/extra second tick at every stoppage.)

Now, if it was a one goal game, close to the end (Anything under 30 seconds) I would have entertained it for sure.

He was legitimately annoyed that we wouldn't put one second on the clock. Down by a couple with almost a minute left.

To me, that's a legitimate question in a playoff game. As a ref you're free to decline if you don't have reason to think the clock ran past the whistle. But from the team's perspective, if their whole season comes down to scoring 2 goals in a minute, of course they are going to be annoyed at losing precious seconds to a slow scorekeeper.

 

[Slats432]

To me, that's a legitimate question in a playoff game. As a ref you're free to decline if you don't have reason to think the clock ran past the whistle. But from the team's perspective, if their whole season comes down to scoring 2 goals in a minute, of course they are going to be annoyed at losing precious seconds to a slow scorekeeper.

That is insane. If you are going to ask for 1 second everytime the clock stops it is ridiculous. In a close game, near the end, I would consider, but in a multi goal difference with a minute left, I am not going to consider 1 second. If it was 3-4-5 seconds, sure.

 

[tarheelhockey]

That is insane. If you are going to ask for 1 second everytime the clock stops it is ridiculous. In a close game, near the end, I would consider, but in a multi goal difference with a minute left, I am not going to consider 1 second. If it was 3-4-5 seconds, sure.

And what if that team scores, then scores again just after the buzzer? You're going to tell them it's a bummer that you just eliminated them from the playoffs by deliberately leaving the wrong time on the clock?

It's nothing for the scorekeeper to enter the correct time on the clock. In the final minute of a playoff game which is still being contested, take that extra second to get it right. If nothing else, it demonstrates that you're in full control of the situation and not cutting corners.

 

[beedee]

Our team finished 4th out of 8 this season and last night was our first playoff game. We knocked off the first place team in our first playoff game last night, we were seeded 4th.

 

[Slats432]

And what if that team scores, then scores again just after the buzzer? You're going to tell them it's a bummer that you just eliminated them from the playoffs by deliberately leaving the wrong time on the clock?

It's nothing for the scorekeeper to enter the correct time on the clock. In the final minute of a playoff game which is still being contested, take that extra second to get it right. If nothing else, it demonstrates that you're in full control of the situation and not cutting corners.

Sorry you had to take the side of the insane guy but here is the rationale.

1. There is no cutting corners. No one in the rink saw the clock tick down one second.
2. When you press stop on a rink clock, it goes to the second after a certain engineered spot. So, let's just say there is .65 of a second left, the time will tick down to the next second.
3. If a player is that adamant of the accuracy of the timekeeper ensuring that a second doesn't come off the clock, as a referee it would be incumbent of me to watch the clock for ever stoppage to ensure that the time is correctly administered. With number 2 above it would be impossible. Not only that, the calls on the ice are far more important than ONE SECOND in a multi goal difference game. I could ignore the hooks, holds, trips, goals, assists, and every other call to ensure that in the player's opinion he didn't lose precious time. I could also go to the timekeeper on every stoppage and ask if they were quick on the button or possibly too quick on the button and ask them to add a second or remove one if necessary. I am sure that with the 5 and 2 rule, we would have to drop the clock in most games because the process of ensuring the correct clock time would mean that we would run out of time in the time slot.
4. I believe I mentioned before, and I do, all the time if I notice the clock run for an additional couple of seconds in any game, at any time, at any score, I request to the timekeeper to not start the clock so as to ensure the greatest accuracy. But generally do not consider one second worth doing this for.
5. Also to reiterate, in a one goal game with under 30 seconds to go, I would have given credence to the request and offered up the one second add (or slow clock start by the timekeeper in lieu)
6. There was no cut corners or deliberate incorrect clock. My call as a referee was (Although I thought the request was ridiculous) was that neither myself or the timekeeper were aware of any time lapses so I wasn't granting his request.
7. Once you open up yourself to these kinds of issues, players will continue to press the envelope for an advantage. Do I want players in every game come up to me and ask for an additional second to be put on the clock? It isn't reasonable.
8. IT IS REC HOCKEY. GO PLAY.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Sorry you had to take the side of the insane guy but here is the rationale.

1. There is no cutting corners. No one in the rink saw the clock tick down one second.
2. When you press stop on a rink clock, it goes to the second after a certain engineered spot. So, let's just say there is .65 of a second left, the time will tick down to the next second.
3. If a player is that adamant of the accuracy of the timekeeper ensuring that a second doesn't come off the clock, as a referee it would be incumbent of me to watch the clock for ever stoppage to ensure that the time is correctly administered. With number 2 above it would be impossible. Not only that, the calls on the ice are far more important than ONE SECOND in a multi goal difference game. I could ignore the hooks, holds, trips, goals, assists, and every other call to ensure that in the player's opinion he didn't lose precious time. I could also go to the timekeeper on every stoppage and ask if they were quick on the button or possibly too quick on the button and ask them to add a second or remove one if necessary. I am sure that with the 5 and 2 rule, we would have to drop the clock in most games because the process of ensuring the correct clock time would mean that we would run out of time in the time slot.
4. I believe I mentioned before, and I do, all the time if I notice the clock run for an additional couple of seconds in any game, at any time, at any score, I request to the timekeeper to not start the clock so as to ensure the greatest accuracy. But generally do not consider one second worth doing this for.
5. Also to reiterate, in a one goal game with under 30 seconds to go, I would have given credence to the request and offered up the one second add (or slow clock start by the timekeeper in lieu)
6. There was no cut corners or deliberate incorrect clock. My call as a referee was (Although I thought the request was ridiculous) was that neither myself or the timekeeper were aware of any time lapses so I wasn't granting his request.
7. Once you open up yourself to these kinds of issues, players will continue to press the envelope for an advantage. Do I want players in every game come up to me and ask for an additional second to be put on the clock? It isn't reasonable.
8. IT IS REC HOCKEY. GO PLAY.

These 8 points boil down to the following:

1. As referee, you judged that the clock didn’t run after the whistle.

^^^ this is the only one that matters. Make the call and stand by it. Treating the player like he’s ridiculous for wanting correct timekeeping is an additional, unnecessary layer to the situation which puts you in opposition to making the correct call for its own sake. The player is well within his rights to want the correct time on the clock, and you’re well within your rights to judge that the correct time is already there. That’s the end of it, you are the referee and you’ve made your call.

2. You don’t want to deal with constant trivial adjustments to the clock.

That’s fine 99.9% of the time, but you’re talking about the last minute of a playoff game which is still being contested. That is not a trivial situation. Nobody is suggesting you treat the final minute of a contested playoff game the same as some other random meaningless moment. Situationally, the end of a playoff game needs to be called by the book — penalties, clock issues, faceoffs, whatever. No team’s season should end on a referee’s failure to follow the rules of play.

3. It’s rec hockey, it’s not that serious.

Again, situationally speaking, everyone on that rink should be giving maximum effort. A playoff game is not a casual skate for fun, it’s the competitive part of the rec experience. Just as the players should respect you as referee, you should respect that they’re out there amped up on adrenaline and giving it everything they’ve got. Treating them like they’re crazy for asking for a fair chance to advance is bound to undermine your relationship with them.


In regard to point #2, I was a scorekeeper for years including the NCAA level and a ton of rec hockey. I know exactly how the timing systems work, and no, they don’t automatically tick down when you stop the clock. The second changes when it ends, when the (usually not-displayed) decimal changes from .0 to .9. As a scorekeeper, you figure this out because penalties often end up ticking on a different cadence than the main clock.

Also, that whole point should be irrelevant if your scoreboard shows decimals when time goes under 1:00, which has been a standard feature for decades.

 

[Neutrinos]

To me, that's a legitimate question in a playoff game. As a ref you're free to decline if you don't have reason to think the clock ran past the whistle. But from the team's perspective, if their whole season comes down to scoring 2 goals in a minute, of course they are going to be annoyed at losing precious seconds to a slow scorekeeper.

That is insane. If you are going to ask for 1 second everytime the clock stops it is ridiculous. In a close game, near the end, I would consider, but in a multi goal difference with a minute left, I am not going to consider 1 second. If it was 3-4-5 seconds, sure.

Are refs supposed to look at the clock as they blow the whistle to see how much time runs down?

Late in a meaningful game, with the score close, it might be a good habit to get into

If the ref blows the whistle with 1 minute left, there should be a minute left of play, not 59 seconds

Asking for 1 second to be put back on the clock is nit-picky, but it's not insane

How many seconds are allowed to tick away after the whistle blows before it's acceptable for a team to request the time be put back on the clock?

 

[tarheelhockey]

Are refs supposed to look at the clock as they blow the whistle to see how much time runs down?

In most rec league environments it’s only an issue in end-of-game scenarios, due to running clocks.

IMO it depends on whether it’s a one-ref or two-ref team. I don’t expect one ref to have eyes in the back of his head, he has to have his eyes on the play and not the clock. In that scenario, he and the scorekeeper need to act as a team and trust each other to. Screw ups are usually on the scorekeeper, not the ref. The best you can expect from the ref is that if the clock runs egregiously past the whistle (like, if it doesn’t stop at all) then he should be able to guesstimate how long it has been since he blew the whistle and do some math to put a “fair” number on the clock.

If it’s a two-ref team, a good best practice is for the back ref to quickly glance at the clock to mentally capture the timing situation.

 

[Slats432]

Asking for 1 second to be put back on the clock is nit-picky, but it's not insane

With a minute left in a multigoal difference game, asking for 1 second to be put up is slightly more than nit-picky, but I will concede from my earlier post, less than insane. (After discussing with multiple referee brethren, the proportion of referees that see it closer to I do would be near 100%). In a one goal difference I would agree it would be mildly nit-picky, but I would be more receptive.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Funny enough, this past Saturday the championship-winning goal in my league was scored with less than one second left.

 

[Slats432]

Funny enough, this past Saturday the championship-winning goal in my league was scored with less than one second left.

And I have been on a championship winner where we tied it with .5 seconds left and won in the shootout.....for some reason I always remember beating a team called the Pink Penetrators.

 

[Aces89]

My team has been getting back to playing Shinny games against random teams before the season starts. One of our players is the head coach of the U14 AAA team we played and he thought it would help his team as well playing adults.

 

[Fanned On It]

Even there though... I remember one time I thought a guy (who was much better than ) was getting kind of physical with me, though I can't say it was a penalty. I got upset and slashed him - right across his shin pads. It was dumb on my part because not only did I get a penalty, but what did I think that was going to do to the guy?

He laughed it off, but if he took the "well I won't do anything first" approach he could have really hurt me. Which is why I do think the bigger, younger, more skilled guy has a even higher responsibility in beer league to be careful.

I don't understand... you said he was "getting physical" but not enough for a penalty and then you proceeded to do something physically that warranted a penalty. Didn't the other guy already adopt the "I won't do anything first" mentality? Maybe I misunderstood.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I don't understand... you said he was "getting physical" but not enough for a penalty and then you proceeded to do something physically that warranted a penalty. Didn't the other guy already adopt the "I won't do anything first" mentality? Maybe I misunderstood.

Did you miss the "it was dumb on my part" bit? I wasn't justifying my actions, just retelling an anecdote that sometimes even if the other guy is being dumb (which I was), if you're bigger and stronger you should still show restraint (which this guy did, he just laughed it off).

 

[Aces89]

First preseason game of the year. Lots of rust (and beer) to shake off

 

[Slats432]

I played Sunday. I acted like a complete idiot. I am taking the winter off playing.

 

[beedee]

We lost in the finals, 2-0.
I'm taking the Fall season off. Not even sure if I'll come back for the Winter season. It is now $498, plus the USA Hockey fee (is it $40 now?) for a 15 game season. Thinking I may stick to organized pick-ups at $25 a pop, with a 1.5 hour session, with buzzers going every two minutes.

 

[Alfie11]

My team has been getting back to playing Shinny games against random teams before the season starts. One of our players is the head coach of the U14 AAA team we played and he thought it would help his team as well playing adults.

Lol, I love the intro scene and music. Not bad for beer league.