Rink Relations: How Officials and Ice Rinks Can Work Together

Jeff Theiler is in his 16th year as chief operating officer with the U.S. Ice Rink Association, an organization for individuals, facilities and vendors in the ice rink and arena industry. The association’s mission is to grow and advance the ice rink industry through training programs and education, as well as to provide resources and networking opportunities for its members around the country. Prior to joining the U.S. Ice Rink Association, Theiler himself spent many years managing rinks near his home in the Pacific Northwest and also for the Philadelphia Flyers organization.

One of the many hats ice rink managers must wear is working closely with game officials. It is a critical and often overlooked working relationship that can have a trickle-down impact on all of the hockey players and families that enter the building.

Theiler, who also represents USA Hockey as a member of the IIHF Facilities Committee, shared his thoughts on the rink manager-game official relationship, what they can and should expect from each other, and how they can work together to continue to make participation in the sport a positive experience for all involved.

USA Hockey: First off, what led you to being COO for U.S. Ice Rinks? What was your career path?

Jeff Theiler: I started out working for the youth association that I played for, in a new rink that was built after I graduated out of the program. I was doing general operations, janitorial, driving the ice resurfacer, jack-of-all trades stuff and was also the goaltending director. After college, I became assistant manager of the facility and was in that role for 11 years. I went on to work for the Philadelphia Flyers, running their training center in New Jersey. After four years with the Flyers organization, I returned home to Seattle and was rink manager at Everett Event Center for three years. I saw a great opportunity with the U.S. Ice Rinks Association and have been with the organization for 16 years now. 

USA Hockey: What do you enjoy most about your job?

Theiler: When I was coming up, I didn’t really have a mentor. My rink manager was a player and had never run a rink before. So, there was a lot of trial and error. Had there been training or resources available back then it would have made my life a lot easier coming up and that’s what we’re trying to provide. By our organization providing educational resources, certification and networking opportunities, that helps advance a level of professionalism within the industry and hopefully there’s a trickle-down effect. So, when people come to the rinks, they get on a good sheet of ice, they’ll know the people taking care of things truly care and show them respect. It’s important to understand what the people in our industry are going through, and an opportunity for me to give back.

USA Hockey: Why is a solid relationship between rink manager and game officials so important?

Theiler: If the games don’t start and end on time or if there’s poor communication during challenging situations, things can get out of control quickly. For officials, if you aren’t being treated well by the rink, you won’t care as much about the condition of the room, the quality of the ice or if there are issues with the boards or glass in the field of play. As a rink operator, you rely on officials to let you know if there are issues that are dangerous, like screws sticking out of boards, gaps in the boards or glass, problems with the ice, where someone could get injured. Oftentimes the rink only has a few people working at a time and they’re running around doing a hundred things and may not see those issues. Communication is key to resolve a variety of scenarios.

USA Hockey: What is the typical relationship between game officials and the rinks themselves?

Theiler: If the rink is running their own youth hockey league or adult league and they are responsible for scheduling the officials, they’re in charge of managing the scheduling and payment side. If a rink is just renting ice to leagues, there isn’t a lot of interaction other than when the officials come to the rink, and making sure their dressing room is clean and in order. If someone in the game or crowd gets out of hand and the official decides to kick them out, that’s when the rink folks would get involved.

USA Hockey: Are the ways rinks work with game officials different depending on level? 

Theiler: At some of the higher levels, such as college or AAA, you’ll have two referees and two linesmen, so there are more needs in terms of the amount of dressing room space to provide. In some cases, the rink manager will need to coordinate a separate entrance to the building for the officials for safety reasons.

USA Hockey: What expectations should a rink have for game officials?

Theiler: First and foremost, it’s good communication – before they arrive and when they’re at the rink. If they want a clean dressing room, they need to make sure they leave it clean. They should notify arena staff immediately if there’s any sort of injury on the ice or crowd control issue or a situation where they or someone else is being put in an unsafe situation. The rinks would also like if the officials would move the nets before the ice resurfacing. It’s really the rink’s job to do that but that would be a nice courtesy the officials could provide. Of course, you can only expect them to go above and beyond for you if you’re also treating them with respect.

USA Hockey: What should game officials expect from rinks?

Theiler: They should expect a clean dressing room that’s adequate size for the number of officials that will be there, that’s lockable for their possessions and hopefully have a separate bathroom and shower. In some cases, if the rink can provide some sort of locker or lockable storage that would be a nice thing to offer. And, communication is a two-way street. Rinks need to make sure they’re communicating clearly with officials and being there for the officials if an issue arises. 

USA Hockey: Can you give an example of a great relationship you have (or a rink manager you know well) has with a specific official? What makes it so great?

Theiler: I know a few rink managers that, especially for higher level games that may be a little more stressful, will put some refreshments and snacks into the officials’ dressing room to show their appreciation. That’s a nice touch, especially when there are tournaments and officials are working four or more games in a row. That sort of thing breeds loyalty and people will want to come back and that’s important.

USA Hockey:  What are some things that both rink managers and game officials could improve upon or a process they could change to make the working relationship all the more beneficial/effective?

Theiler: In the past, I’ve experienced issues where we have no-shows or have one official show up late, and it’s sometimes due to the games being late in the evening. Someone reaching out proactively to say we’re going to be late or unable to make it helps a lot. Nobody wants to show up for an 11 p.m. adult start and there aren’t any referees there. The officials aren’t employees of the rink, so there isn’t much the rinks can do to hold officials accountable, but it does impact their business and they’ll likely be blamed. A little courtesy and communication are appreciated. Then it can be resolved at the officials’ association level or scheduler level. As for the rinks, they can make sure they make officials welcome and appreciated. It’s not a glamorous job and with some of the unfortunate behaviors you can see, if the rink can in any way help protect officials from those things happening, by monitoring the crowd for example, that’s an important step.

Source: usahockey.com