Judgement: Standards and Consistency

Two of the most critical aspects of officiating a hockey game, regardless of level, are effectively “managing” each game and delivering a standard of consistency that ensures everyone is on the same page on the ice.

San Diego native John Lindner, who currently works as a full-time referee between the American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League and is licensed as an International Ice Hockey Federation official, knows firsthand the importance of proper game management. 

“Game management is always changing and dependent on the levels you’re working,” said Lindner, who is in the midst of a two-decade-long career as an official that includes experiences, as student and teacher, with USA Hockey’s summer camp programs and its Advanced Officiating Development Program. 

“But what it really comes down to is having a feel for the game and an understanding of the philosophy of the job you have to do. It’s not simple, but you can simplify it down to keeping things fair and safe. The biggest tip I could give to someone is that we don’t dictate outcomes, we respond to action. And, try not to overthink it.”

Lindner, who got his USA Hockey officiating certification at age 11 as a way to get more time on the ice and earn some spending money, took the time to offer insights and advice on game management, setting standards of play and working with players and coaches who may push boundaries. 

USA Hockey: To be an effective game manager, how important are consistency and balance?

John Lindner: Consistency is what we all strive for, and it’s one of the main issues you hear on a day-to-day basis at the rink from coaches and players. Our perceptions of consistency and what we believe it is might not be the same thing. There may be a game where 59 minutes out of 60 are really simple and straight forward and it wouldn’t matter who is out there calling the game. But then there may be one critical moment in that entire 60 minutes and that’s why being consistent is so important. When something happens in the first period, it’s easy to call a penalty or make a tough decision. Consistency is about having the courage to officiate the game the samefor all 60 minutes, whether it’s a three-goal lead in the first period or tied late in the third. 

USA Hockey: What is most important to consider when it comes to setting standards of play?

Lindner: We’ve all had nights where we let the game get away from us or it feels like that. And you certainly never want to insert yourself into a game when you don’t need to. But what you do in the beginning of the game, you’re essentially setting yourself up for how the rest of the game is going to go. And a lot of times, when you start to see problems or what we call exploding games happen late in the second or into the third period, if you’re really critical of yourself after the fact and think about what you could have done better, a lot of times, things started with decisions you made or didn’t make in the first period. So, set that tone right from the beginning if players start to step out of line or if you start to notice a trend. Noticing trends becomes increasingly important as you try to learn your craft. When you call something in the first period and it’s late in the third and the same thing happens, you can call a penalty and nobody can really be upset with you when you’ve already set that standard. 

USA Hockey: Do you communicate this to players and coaches before the game? 

Lindner: Especially at lower levels, coaches want to ask before the game, how are you calling the game tonight – are you calling it tight or not. And the answer I always give is I’m calling the game to the standards that the league has hired me to call the game to. Because for younger officials, the standard is basically set by the rule book and USA Hockey has a standard. The standard is what the league that we’re working for sets. 

USA Hockey: Would you proactively say something pre-game to two teams if they were rivals, and the last time they played it was chippy, etc.? 

Lindner: I won’t go there until the first incident. Because in my mind, unbiased and consistent officiating starts with every game having a clean slate from the puck drop. There will be things in my mind, we do homework to know the players, the personnel, who are the best people to talk to, etc. But those are just tools for us to be better at our job.

So, let’s say I’ve got two teams playing three games and last night the ending of the game was chippy. So the next game, like two minutes in, it gets rough and we’re probably going to call penalties on both sides, send them to the box. We may go over to the benches and say look, we’re not doing this all night. You have to play hockey, you’re not going to be penalized for playing hard but the stuff after the whistle or the cheap stuff, you got to knock it off. That way you’re addressing an incident, and you’re not communicating to the teams that you have a preconceived notion about them. Talking about this before the game can backfire. If you say something like we’ve got to keep things under control and keep it tight, then the minute something happens that they think is a penalty, or that they don’t think is a penalty, they’re going to throw your words right in your face.

USA Hockey: How do you deal with players and coaches who push boundaries?

Lindner: Working with players and coaches is interesting. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of this job. Everybody is different. Especially at the high levels where you’re seeing certain people repeatedly, knowing your personnel becomes really important. Because certain coaches might have one communication style. Certain coaches might get really hot and get really emotional and intense, and you have to try to bring them down so you can have a productive conversation with them. Other coaches might be a little bit cooler, other coaches might have a manipulative approach to how they try to speak with you. Personally, that’s my least favorite. I can deal with someone who is emotional because it’s an emotional game and we’re all passionate about it, myself included. So, I can understand. But things like sarcasm and manipulation you have to have a certain zero tolerance for, and I’ll usually warn a coach in circumstances like that and if they continue to be disrespectful, or sarcastic and rude to me I will refuse to engage with them and just talk to a captain.

USA Hockey: Is there a difference in the various levels of the sport, when it comes to how players and coaches interact with officials?

Lindner: In professional hockey, things are very intense. This is how players and coaches make a living. And if I make a mistake or do something wrong, I’m literally taking food out of somebody’s mouth, so the stakes are very different. You’d think it would be better at youth levels, where it’s all about the kids and all about development, but some of the worst I’ve ever encountered has been in youth rinks, not professional. 

USA Hockey: How would you recommend a younger official handle a player or coach going overboard?

Lindner: The thing that I do at all levels is I try to be proactive in communication. I talked about how I won’t go over it before the game and tell them how I’m going to call the game but especially if I do find myself working a youth game, I will go over and introduce myself before the game. I will go over and try to have a lighthearted conversation. When the game is not tense, and we’re playing hockey and we have a stoppage and nobody’s mad, I try to have a small conversation with the players also, between whistles. Make a joke if you’re funny, play to your strengths. All the coaches and players are different, every official is different too. Utilize your people skills, and if you can do that in the moments when it’s not tense, and then when things do get tense you flip a switch, a lot of times the reaction of the players is better because they go whoa-whoa John was making a joke before and now he’s really mad, what’s going on. 

USA Hockey: Anything you would say to coaches or players about the job of the official when it comes to game management, setting standards of play, making sure you’re on the same page?

Lindner: I would say try to make the conversations productive. Try to understand where officials are coming from, because we’re always trying to understand your perspective as well. We are also former players and some of us are or were coaches too. We understand what it’s like to be in your shoes during a given situation on the ice. Remember the officials are human. It’s not just calling penalties and skating around. There’s so much more going on that you have to process and mentally be aware of. At the end of the day I think that’s where all sorts of resentment and misunderstandings come from, just a lack of understanding.

Source: usahockey.com