For the Love of the Game

Enthusiasm
As a referee I notice my enthusiasm and interest for the profession can wane. Some games can suck away enthusiasm while others remind me of how much fun officiating can be. I particularly enjoyed my games this past weekend, so I thought it would be beneficial to point out some of the characteristics that made them enjoyable for me:

Officiating Partners
Referees perform as a team and each member has strengths and deficiencies. We had good chemistry and helped each other out when needed. Where I might have missed something, they were there to call it-and vice versa. Overall I feel we were fair with our calls and performed at a high level.

I am pleasantly surprised because I had never worked with a few of the officials before.

Coaches
Coaches that focus on coaching, motivating, and teaching their players are games I like to work. The efforts of the coaches translate into better skilled and behaved players, which in turn translates into better hockey games for everyone involved. The flip side being those coaches that focus more on the actions of the officials. This wasted focus seems like it could be better spent on their players and trying to adapt the team's play to fit how the officials are calling the game. The coaches I dealt with recently raised intelligent questions and wanted to have an open dialog with us officials when appropriate. Their approach was more effective than complaining and yelling with the goal only to complain and yell.

Players
Like coaches, players that focus on their own actions and behavior are a joy to work with. Even in one very lopsided game, both team's players played with integrity and respect for each other. The winning team celebrated (not excessively) their performance and goals while maintaining good sportsmanship. The losing team never gave up; instead they worked hard, skated hard, and played better as a team as the game progressed.

Keeping the Enthusiasm High
With the hockey season over half way through, I will strive to keep my enthusiasm at a high level in order to finish the season strongly.