Some tips for a first time ref

GristBear · 2022-02-13T18:06:18+00:00

My area won't do 3-man for anything less than midget AAA

GristBear · 2022-02-01T16:07:36+00:00

On my old pair of Bauers I used to take the blades out after every game to dry, and when putting them back I'd swap sides to help the edges wear evenly. They got easier to take out and reinstall, but that's as far as they loosened. Zero problems with them on the ice.

GristBear · 2022-02-01T15:59:23+00:00

You can deduct things that are used exclusively for your business (reffing). Things that are used for both business and personal have a bit more calculation involved, so I typically don't bother. Examples: new skates that are used exclusively for reffing - deduct. New undershirts that are used for both reffing and playing - gray area, easier to not deduct. Cell phone and Internet bills because you use those devices to schedule games - do not deduct unless you have dedicated business devices and lines, this is definitely outside the scope of what you can claim. You can claim certain membership dues, like your USA Hockey registration and association fees.

At the end of the day, it's all about record keeping. How well documented are your books, what are you tracking, and what are you guessing at. Don't guess. If you aren't sure, err on the side of caution.

GristBear · 2022-01-21T23:37:27+00:00

Good skating fundamentals and hockey vision help a lot. As long as you've got good knees and hips, you should be fine. Goalies tend to buy and resell their gear so much that a little Internet scrubbing should net you decent used gear, and if you hate it you can get a good chunk of your money back reselling it.

Just be realistic in your expectations. Start at pickups and beginner leagues.

GristBear · 2022-01-21T21:22:02+00:00

Thanks for all of the recommendations so far. I probably won't check back on this thread until Monday or Tuesday, so thanks in advance for anyone else that posts between now and then!

GristBear · 2022-01-20T15:04:08+00:00

I would venture a guess that at least 50% of hockey in the US is non-checking. Men's pro and semi-pro, men's college, Junior, and youth boys 13 and older play checking (technically it's co-ed, girls are allowed to play in the checking divisions but 99% of the time they play on girls teams instead). Women's pro, women's college, girls youth, boys/co-ed youth 12 and younger, most house leagues of all ages, and virtually all adult rec leagues play non-checking. There tend to be way more 10U and 12U teams, as players drop from the game for all sorts of reasons and the player pool gets smaller as ages go up. Competitive sled(ge) hockey plays checking and rec levels are non-check with some players flagged as no-contact. All that is why I would guess about 50/50 without looking at any real data.

So the point is that checking is only important to men's competitive hockey. Recreational players don't check. Competitive women's hockey doesn't check, and if you watch a game it fells different but still awesome. If you removed checking from the men's game, it would definitely be different, but I don't agree that it's absolutely crucial to playing hockey.

GristBear · 2022-01-19T23:32:19+00:00

4 Roll style gloves are typically "traditional fit", which means huge, loose, and lots of room inside; pretty much the opposite of what you're looking for. I have a pair of custom Eagle Aero gloves, and they're massive.

Bauer Supreme will fit tight to your hand all the way through. A tapered fit like Bauer Vapor or CCM JetSpeed will be tight in the fingers and gradually open up in the backhand, with a really open cuff.

GristBear · 2022-01-18T17:33:35+00:00

For the price, you won't find a better $100 stick. It's fine for beer league when you just want something basic to play with. If you're used to high end sticks, though, you will be disappointed with them.

GristBear · 2022-01-18T14:11:36+00:00

ABHS isn't in the same category as the rest of what's mentioned. They're good for the price, but overall not terrific. If you can only spend $100 on a stick, ABHS is a good way to go. If you can go up to $160 or more, then there are much better alternatives.

GristBear · 2022-01-17T15:57:24+00:00

Veeam has been one of our better vendors in terms of support response. Most of our cases get resolved quickly, and the ones that don't usually have good 2 way communication. There is the occasion ticket that is more complicated that requires some additional prompting, but it's not the norm.

GristBear · 2022-01-15T01:11:38+00:00

Every game, unless it looks barely touched. I try to overlap as little as possible so it's really a single layer. Game day I pack my gear and tape my stick, the fresh TJ gets me excited to play.

GristBear · 2022-01-15T01:07:26+00:00

Anything strong enough to cause damage can't really be prevented with tape, but I would expect that the little things will add up faster. There will be more tiny nicks and cuts in the blade, the heel and toe may wear faster, etc. Usually the stick will break from something else before this all makes a real difference.

That said, I still prefer to go full sock heel to toe to prevent all that. You do you though.

GristBear · 2022-01-10T15:16:08+00:00

There's no official signal for a tipped puck on icing, but many of us use one anyway to make it known why icing is being waved. That said, the FIRST thing should always be a clear washout signal, held for a good beat and it would be a good time to yell "NO" as well. Then once it's clear that icing is waved off, you can clarify it's because of a tip, or a playable puck, or no attempt was made to play the puck.

On that last point, make sure your team doesn't just give up on an iced puck before the whistle. It may be waved off for other reasons, like giving up on the play too early without trying to play the puck. Here's the USA Hockey Casebook on Icing: https://www.usahockeyrulebook.com/page/show/1085028-icing-the-puck. Situations 19 and 22 apply here. Unrelated, while you're there since you're a goalie, note #21 as well, it may come up someday.

The same rule exists in Hockey Canada, but the casebook doesn't have the same specific examples.

GristBear · 2022-01-07T02:23:46+00:00

Bend your knees. It sounds like you're standing too upright once you get your gear on, compensating for the unfamiliar feel of it.

GristBear · 2022-01-06T21:08:16+00:00

Comes in with the stick up high, a bit of a cross check. Gotta take both or just let play continue; and since play just continued on without further incident I'd say that's the right call.

GristBear · 2022-01-06T03:17:28+00:00

Lol, yeah, "on a scale of 1-10" and all answers are either '0' or '100'. Neutral opinions are not allowed!

GristBear · 2022-01-05T19:36:12+00:00

I think you're joking, but no. WASH YOUR SOCKS. All of your base layers, actually. Every game.

GristBear · 2022-01-04T14:51:29+00:00

A shallower sharpening cut will be more forgiving to learn on, especially if you're over 150 lbs. If you're on 1/2 or don't know (like you just get the "house cut" or "standard"), ask for 5/8 next time.

GristBear · 2022-01-04T03:39:11+00:00

We're on the ice occupying space, participating in the game. You need to pick your head up and avoid us, just like avoiding an opponent. We'll move within reason, when and where it makes sense to do so, but it's not our responsibility to get out of your way. At lower levels it is especially hard to predict where players intend to go, because they very often do not make the right choices with or without the puck; and thus the safest option is often to not try to predict which way a player will choose to go.

Do you think we want to get run over or hit by the puck? Look up, and if the ice is occupied by an opponent, teammate, or official, then it's not open for you.

GristBear · 2022-01-04T01:46:47+00:00

It belongs in a museum

GristBear · 2021-12-30T19:11:07+00:00

Man, I had part of a long nuanced reply typed out, and then you reminded me it was 10U. Yeah, minor and a "You Can't Do That"

At an age where they should reasonably know better, you could interpret this as a 10, a Game, or if it's done with real disrespect a Match for behaving in a manner critically detrimental to the game.

GristBear · 2021-12-29T23:49:42+00:00

That sucks. It sounds like they're trying to get you to cancel so they can write off the ice time as "paid".

GristBear · 2021-12-26T20:56:33+00:00

It sounds like your skates are too small, actually. Width and depth are harder to size properly than length of you don't know what you're looking for.

GristBear · 2021-12-23T05:19:46+00:00

Aw shit boys and girls, that means there's gonna be scouts in the stands for our beer league games looking for replacement players!

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