A hockey epiphany

I did FOUR games Sunday evening, the last 2 being the same two teams. By the middle of their 2nd game, they were at each others' throats.

Damn, that was fun!

I used to be nervous about making the wrong call, mainly because I didn't want to look incompetent by not KNOWING the proper call. Last night, though, a thought popped into my head; So what! So what if I screw up! I'll still get paid, and the players will gripe regardless. And I did - and they did too! The more confident I become in my knowledge of the rulebook, the more confident I become on the surface.

I heard someone say, after the last game; "It's all part of the game." There were no hard feelings, and noone bitched at me afterward. It was fun to watch that kinda game.

There's a player out there who looks a lot like Mark Wiley, only he's a better player. (Hey, I kid....) He's got the Small Euro thing going on - shifty, quick, emotionally indifferent....he even has the round helmet and colorfully crowded jersey. Fun to watch him slip away from the big guys trying to clutch and grab. He even got back at one of the Jerks who had knocked him down, a totally unseen slash that the Jerks bitched about for 10 minutes.

That number 19 I mentioned last time, now in his Euro #13 again, is still an unredeemable jerk. I don't referee with any kind of vendetta, but I sure do enjoy giving him a penalty. I've explained to both teams numerous times about hacking at the goalie when he's got it covered before the whistle. Inline is a little different than Ice that way - you CAN get a slashing penalty even before the whistle. Well, this jerk blatantly and harshly jabbed at the goalie after he had it covered, claiming that it was loose. I was at the top and called it anyway - mainly for the violent nature of the jab.

Before the 3rd game, I was chatting with a captain, leaning against the boards near a door. I didn't even realize it, but I had my arm down in the jamb. Another player comes from the backside and closes the door! I felt it crush my knuckles first, then the pain in my wrist exploded. It coulda been much worse for the wrist! Vessels popped, causing immediate bruising, and there is some lingering pain this morning. Still, I don't think it's a major injury.

One final scene: A big guy for the Red team was bitching about a goal I called, saying it shoulda been whistled down. I kept saying "It was loose," and said it one last time to the complainer. He responded "Like your wife." I made sure everyone heard the whistle and saw the sharp dramatic 'T' , which was followed by the slow arcing directive pointing from the player to the penalty box. I heard nary a peep from him the rest of the game. Of course, his team scored shorthanded.

And so it goes....