The ice rink hosts hockey games, which intensify with each passing moment. Indeed, the emotions flow through not only the players in the game but also the crowd watching these athletes skate around with a stick in their hands and chase the puck. However, there are instances when things escalate, leading to unimaginable scenarios on the ice.

On social media, a video went viral that showcased how, in a rec-league game, an individual from the audience came down the rink and attacked a young referee. While hate for the officials in professional leagues like the NHL is quite common, hitting someone physically without any reason or out of pure frustration is never acceptable be it hockey or any other sport.

So what happened? Sharing the concern on his official X profile, Topher Scott shared a video that shocked many online. What did it showcase? The video is just eight seconds but speaks volumes as a person was seen walking on the rink while the young referees were trying to communicate about something. Indeed, a few players were also seen on the ice in the background skating, but they immediately stopped after watching the horrible act.

Apparently, the individual was a parent, and while their facial expression isn’t accurately visible on the video, it’s clear that they were angry and frustrated. Immediately, they took matters into their own hands as they pushed the two young referees onto the ice and walked away. This action was purely unjustified and even dangerous, as even though the referees were wearing protective gear, they could have been injured if pushed on the hockey rink this way.

Scott further shared his thoughts on the caption of the social media video, stating, “This is a parent coming onto the ice and pushing a 13 and 14-year-old referee down to the ice during a rec-league game in Washington. These incidents are becoming more and more the norm. We need to be better. It’s about the kids.”

Now, that’s just the sad reality of hockey in the current era. Local rinks host a fun, non-contact rec-league game that lacks competitiveness. Indeed, with this unthinkable action, the parent involved has broken a lot of rules, majorly one of them being the abuse of officials, which is usually not tolerated. But how did the community react to this? 

Hockey fans weren’t happy with this

There is never a justification for pushing or bullying someone significantly younger than you. These young referees are trying to learn too, like the players on the rink in the rec league, and the action of the parent was just unjustified. With a disappointing tone, this hockey fan wrote, “This is disgusting.” While another echoed the anger stating: “I’ll be at every game my kids refs and that dude would have the worst day of his life. Men need to stand up to bullies.” Also frustrated with this action, a fan shared their thoughts on the individual, stating, “Embarrassing. Send his a** to prison.”

So how common is this issue currently at these levels for not just hockey but other sports as well? Quite often, actually. These are recreational hockey leagues that are way out of competitiveness, but parents take these as if the games are high-stakes like they’re some NHL games. Indeed, these actions stem from frustration and a lack of proper perspective, as these young ones are also trying to learn the game to become professionals in the future.

Standing against the parent involved, this user wrote, “He should go to jail.” This fan, though, pointed their fingers at the officials, stating, “Anyone of the coaches could have stepped in a stopped this guy. It’s a shame they didn’t step in.” Another fan wrote, “ALL the criminal charges for that guy. Full extent. Done.”

Indeed, the frustration from fans is justified. The action on the rink was really ridiculous, and the officials of these rec leagues really need to protect their junior referees to avoid such kinds of situations in the future.