Hockey refs in short supply: A new pandemic normal in Quebec
There have been plenty of shortages during the pandemic – bikes, lumber, new cars – but this is one that few people expected.
A lack of referees has hit Quebec’s recreational sports scene, especially hockey, making it hard for people to pick up their old pastimes the way they were hoping.
“This is going to be probably the hardest season we’ve ever had,” said Robert Hurtubise, the referee-in-chief for the Suroit district hockey league, just southeast of Montreal.
Meanwhile, the pace of rec sports has picked back up to full speed, or maybe even more.
“Kids are doing two or three games in one arena, maybe having time to have a snack, and then are booked in another arena 15 to 20 miles away,” he said.
“Believe me, I’m scared that by Christmas, some of the guys are gonna be burnt.”
Usually, Quebec's referee workforce stands between 4,600 to 4,800. This year, the roster has shrunk by as much as 30 per cent.
What happened? Essentially, a lot of the referees found other work during the long sports hiatus, said another organizer. And they came to see the less pleasant aspects of refereeing.
Organizers told CTV News it's normal for refs to be verbally berrated by people in the stands.
“They found that they could find jobs that maybe paid a bit less, but you know, nobody’s screaming at them, no one’s calling them names,” said Antony Monaco, who runs a league in east-end Montreal with more than 40 teams.
“At the end of the day, we're all human beings.”
There’s no shortage now of players, echoed Monaco, in the adult leagues as well as kids’ ones.
“There were a couple of instances where we had no ref and I had to referee,” he said.
“It happened maybe twice. It’s not the ideal situation, but whatever gets the job done.”
The shortage is a pattern across Quebec, say organizers. It means some leagues will have to put two refs on the ice instead of the usual three in the hopes of avoiding cancelled games.
Leagues are also trying to recruit more refs, but to do that they’ll have to face a bigger question: how to make the job enticing again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.