CVMHA Officials Code of Conduct and Standards

 

23 October 2004

revised Sept 10^th 2019

 

Code of Conduct:

 

As officials in a sport that is extremely competitive and emotionally intense, it is essential that officials conduct themselves appropriately.  An official’s character and judgement are frequently criticized and scrutinized.  It is imperative that officials display behavior that will reflect only a positive image.

 

Attitude

Minor hockey is very important to the players, coaches and parents.  Therefore, every assignment should be treated with the same effort and respect.

Officials should always maintain a positive frame of mind.  Calls should never be made in anger.  At no time should any official (on-ice or off-ice) engage in conflicts with coaches, players, parents, or spectators.  Belligerence or vengeance will not be tolerated.

 

Professionalism

As a hockey official, professionalism is the cornerstone of success.  Officials should act in a mature, confident and responsible way.  They should exercise self-restraint when confronted with difficult situations, and demonstrate patience, tolerance and firmness.

Officials should also treat each other with respect.  They should never criticize the performance of another official, on or off the ice.  There are systems in place to deal with performance issues.

 

Rule Knowledge

Officials should know the rules of the game in order to provide the best possible service to everyone involved.  They should convey confidence in all decisions.  If in doubt, officials are encouraged to seek advice/assistance from more experienced officials.

 

Teamwork

Officials must function effectively as a team.  They should discuss techniques and possible scenarios before a game.  Communication on the ice should be through signals and voice.  Support for all decisions should be evident on the ice.

 

 

Code of Discipline: 

Officiating is a significant responsibility, which can be demanding of time and energy.  Officials represent the players, the parents, and the reputation of the entire CVMH Association.  The following protocol is designed to maintain integrity, structure, control and consistency within the Referees Group:

 

Late for a Game:

1^st offence – Warning.  Official will be reminded of the responsibility to fellow referees and the players (RIC).

2^nd offence – 7 – day ‘no-call’ list (RIC).

3^rd offence – 14 day ‘no call’ list (Review Committee).  Further assignments may be re-evaluated (RIC).

4^th offence – End of season suspension (Review Committee and RCM).  Official will be given no further assignments.

 

Absent for a Game:

 1^st offence – 7 – day ‘no-call’ list (RIC)

2^nd offence – 14 day ‘no-call’ list (Review Committee).  Further assignments may be re-evaluated (RIC).

3^rd offence – End of season suspension (Review Committee and RCM).  Official will be given no further assignments.

 

Recommendation:  The Referee Administration group recommends that a Review/Discipline Committee be formed to handle any matters pertaining to discipline for the Referees.  The committee should be comprised of the President of CVMHA, the Referee in Chief (RIC), one other member of the Executive and one senior member of the Referees group.  The composition of this committee would ensure impartiality, equality, integrity, confidentiality and consistency when handling any disciplinary matters.  The Committee would review each case as required to determine if the recommended discipline is suitable.

Any disciplinary action would be date stamped according to the guidelines above, and would be levied by CVMHA President on behalf of the RIC and the Review Committee.  Any ‘end of season’ suspensions would involve, and be levied by the North Island League RCM under BCAHA rules (see Officiating Program, Suspensions, Rule 7.18 and 7.19)

 

 

 

Game Assignments:

Promptness:

It is each official’s responsibility to ensure they are at the rink no later than 45 minutes for Island league, and 30 minutes house league, prior to the scheduled start of the game.

If, for some reason, an official is running late and will be arriving after the 30 minute deadline, it is that official’s responsibility to contact the other game officials to advise them of the situation.  The officials can be contacted in the Referees Room at each arena by phone:  Glacier Gardens (250-339-8211 local 7069)

If, at the 15 minute mark prior to game time, an official has not shown up for his/her posted game, it becomes the responsibility of the officials present for the game to decide if they should call another official to fill in, or to run the game with only 2 officials.  Once that decision has been made, and a replacement has been found, the original official must forfeit the game for the replacement official.

 

Cancellations:

Once an official accepts game assignments from the Assignor, it becomes the responsibility of that official to find a replacement of equal or higher qualification, should the original official find that he cannot fulfill an assignment.  If the official is unsure of a replacement official’s capability, contact the RIC for verification.

When an official accepts an assignment from another official, it is the recipient’s responsibility to contact the assignor with the change.  This will ensure confirmation of the date, time, rink, and level of play, and guarantee the assignor’s records are kept accurate for the purposes of game cancellations, payment, supervision and future assignments.

 

Availability:

If an official knows of upcoming dates that he/she will not be available, those officials are asked to submit those dates to the website with a minimum of 14 days lead time.  This means providing a list of days and times (“dark days”) you are not available to accept game assignments.  Where no “dark days” are entered into the website, the ‘default position’ will be that the official IS available for game assignments.

 

Notes:

Officials should only accept Minor Hockey assignments from the designated assignor as detailed by the Goaline website.  If a team official contacts an official regarding any minor hockey game, refer them to the assignor.

As a general rule, officials should only work 2 games in a row, than have a minimum 4 hour break before skating again on the same day

 

 

Dress Code:

Officiating is a very high profile occupation.  It is important to make a positive impression on others.  A professional appearance will assist officials in gaining the respect and confidence of everyone involved in the game, on and off the ice.  With this in mind, the following outlines the acceptable dress code for CVMHA:

 

All Rep Games

• Shirt and tie, or shirt and sweater
• Casual or dress pants
• Appropriate footwear
• No team jackets
• No ball caps

 

All Other Levels of Hockey

• Sweater or casual shirt
• Shirts must be tucked in
• Casual pants or jeans – clean, and in good repair
• Clean footwear

 

Notes

• Skate laces must be white
• Ensure jersey and pants are clean and in good repair
• Ensure equipment bags are in good repair and are closed while walking through the arena.

 

Officials who do not adhere to the dress code will be reminded of their responsibility to look professional and may have further assignments re-evaluated.