State Meeting - January 28 to 30

[elliott70]

Minnesota Hockey, Inc.
Board Meeting
January 28 - 30, 2022
ZOOM Teleconference

Committee Meetings - Friday
07:00 - 07:30 PM Marketing Communications Committee Gray / Andresen
07:30 - 08:00 PM Parent Behavior/Officiating Shortage Andresen
08:00 - 09:00 PM Executive Committee Oleheiser

Committee Meetings - Saturday
08:00 - 10:00 AM District Directors Committee Souja
10:00 - 10:45 AM Rules Committee Beckman
11:00 - 11:45 AM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Andresen
11:45 - 12:30 PM Lunch Break
12:30 - 01:15 PM Finance & Budget Committee Kephart
01:15 - 01:45 PM Membership Development Olson / Ricke
01:45 - 02:30 PM Hockey Operations Committee Reed
02:30 - 04:00 PM Other Committees Reports

Sunday board Meeting
08:00 AM Call Meeting to Order
Roll Call
Moment of Silence for Ron Warren, D3 Grievance/Discipline Chair for 20+ years and Great 8 GM;
and for Dave Hendrickson, Former D11 Director and HP Coach
Minutes from Previous Meeting
Agenda Additions/Changes
Treasurer's Report
President's Report
Executive Director's Report
Committee Reports:
Administrative Mgmt Adult Adult Women Bus Development
Disabled District Directors Diversity Executive Comm
Finance/Budget Girls League Grievance High School Boys
High School Girls Hockey Ops Handbook Junior Gold
MIAMA Marketing/Comm Membership Dev Nominating
Recreation Hockey Referees Regional Coordinators Rules
Safety Scholarships SafeSport/Screening Tournaments/Awards

USA Hockey Reports

Old Business:

New Business:

[O-townClown]

Please provide any summary you can for the officiating shortage and parent conduct comments.

[elliott70]

Please provide any summary you can for the officiating shortage and parent conduct comments.

There is some connection between the two.

Officiating - brain storming ways to attract/keep more.
But the more immediate question is meeting this year's problems and how MH can help.
I believe there will be a proposal at the meeting.

The parent conduct problem is difficult.
In District 16, if identified they get banned from attending games of their child.

But assigning someone to police the stands is difficult.

I iwll let you if any OFFICIAL action is taken on these issues.

[OldManRiver]

I would be interested to know if there are any comments for feedback related to the new checking rules for Bantams and how they are being enforced.

[goldy313]

Meh…. This is a decades long complaint.

I was an USHL official that joined the Army and was stationed in Germany. When I came back 3 years later I was now a level one official, only able officiate Squirt games. Having officiated USHL games or top professional tier contests in Germany meant nothing to USA hockey.

USA hockey does not have a clue when it comes to standards. As a person who worked in the USHL this isn’t a surprise.

[elliott70]

Yes Goldy, but this is MN Hockey not USAH.
And ref shortage is a bigger problem this year than it has been for many years probably 20 or 30 years.

And we are having more problems with parents/fans than normal.

[SCBlueLiner]

Starts at the Association & Team level. When I have my parent meetings at the beginning of the season I have a conversation about how we are expected to represent ourselves at the rink, in the stands, and on the road. I was also a former referee so understand what the referees go through. Guess what? At the youth level, "working" the official for a call will get you nowhere. In fact, it hurts your team. Treat the official with respect and your team will get the benefit of the doubt. I won't tolerate team parents berating officials or arguing with opposing teams fans in the stands. It's embarrassing and a poor reflection on our town and our association.

If everybody took care of their own then we would all have less problems.

[elliott70]

Starts at the Association & Team level. When I have my parent meetings at the beginning of the season I have a conversation about how we are expected to represent ourselves at the rink, in the stands, and on the road. I was also a former referee so understand what the referees go through. Guess what? At the youth level, "working" the official for a call will get you nowhere. In fact, it hurts your team. Treat the official with respect and your team will get the benefit of the doubt. I won't tolerate team parents berating officials or arguing with opposing teams fans in the stands. It's embarrassing and a poor reflection on our town and our association.

If everybody took care of their own then we would all have less problems.

Perhaps MN Hockey should hire you to talk to every team before the season starts.
You are right, that's where it needs to start - in each association - with each team.
The problem people may not listen but maybe others will step up and remind them to behave themselves.

In the 1990's while running Bemidji hockey I had a talk with each team, mites through Jr Gold, at the beginning of the year.

[Eagles93]

The problem these days are some parents are crazy and there's nothing the association can do about it. If a parent is yelling at the refs, the association can tell that parent they are not allowed to be in the arena for x games or x days. That parent says "F you, I'm watching my kid play." Then what? Call the police? Suspend the kid?

In regards to referees... what is USA or MN Hockey doing to attract new referees? I get seemingly 10 emails a week from MN Hockey, I don't think I've seen one mentioning recruitment of referees. Why are there no posters at rinks recruiting referees? There is a huge referee shortage and there are no upcoming referee certification seminars.

[elliott70]

The problem these days are some parents are crazy and there's nothing the association can do about it. If a parent is yelling at the refs, the association can tell that parent they are not allowed to be in the arena for x games or x days. That parent says "F you, I'm watching my kid play." Then what? Call the police? Suspend the kid?

In District 16 associations are directed to call the police if a parent will not leave. Charge them with trespass and possibly disorderly conduct.

In regards to referees... what is USA or MN Hockey doing to attract new referees? I get seemingly 10 emails a week from MN Hockey, I don't think I've seen one mentioning recruitment of referees. Why are there no posters at rinks recruiting referees? There is a huge referee shortage and there are no upcoming referee certification seminars.

Good point - I will bring that up on Friday night and Saturday morning.

[SCBlueLiner]

Starts at the Association & Team level. When I have my parent meetings at the beginning of the season I have a conversation about how we are expected to represent ourselves at the rink, in the stands, and on the road. I was also a former referee so understand what the referees go through. Guess what? At the youth level, "working" the official for a call will get you nowhere. In fact, it hurts your team. Treat the official with respect and your team will get the benefit of the doubt. I won't tolerate team parents berating officials or arguing with opposing teams fans in the stands. It's embarrassing and a poor reflection on our town and our association.

If everybody took care of their own then we would all have less problems.

Perhaps MN Hockey should hire you to talk to every team before the season starts.
You are right, that's where it needs to start - in each association - with each team.
The problem people may not listen but maybe others will step up and remind them to behave themselves.

In the 1990's while running Bemidji hockey I had a talk with each team, mites through Jr Gold, at the beginning of the year.

Depends on the salary and benefits package...I might be interested. Just kidding.

[elliott70]

Double what I get.

[SCBlueLiner]

So we are both unpaid professional volunteers.

[elliott70]

So we are both unpaid professional volunteers.

[goldy313]

Meh!

National, State, and Local, mandates are killing officials. After 20+ years as an MSHSL official I am done. The whole thing has become a political battleground. We are short officials but yet are charged ~ 20% by the MSHSL and our local associations to officiate. Jason Nickelby should be held accountable for this crap!


The official shortage is going to grow exponentially. The MSHSL is directly responsible for this. Schools need to hold the MSHSL accountable.

Stop being politically correct and start doing your job MN Hockey, the MSHSL, USA Hockey.

Equity is the next MSHSL buzz word .

[jg2112]

I think the first "endgame" of the referee shortage will be that non-varsity sports will not have officials. Games will be officiated by coaches. It's already happening in soccer.

I wonder how parents, coaches, and participants will feel about that.

[Eagles93]

Meh!

National, State, and Local, mandates are killing officials. After 20+ years as an MSHSL official I am done. The whole thing has become a political battleground. We are short officials but yet are charged ~ 20% by the MSHSL and our local associations to officiate. Jason Nickelby should be held accountable for this crap!


The official shortage is going to grow exponentially. The MSHSL is directly responsible for this. Schools need to hold the MSHSL accountable.

Stop being politically correct and start doing your job MN Hockey, the MSHSL, USA Hockey.

Equity is the next MSHSL buzz word .

Can you expand on this? What mandates? What do you mean you are being charged 20%? I'm not as familiar with officiating MSHSL as I am MN/youth hockey.

[elliott70]

Please provide any summary you can for the officiating shortage and parent conduct comments.

As usually a lot of talk and committee appointed.

[elliott70]

I would be interested to know if there are any comments for feedback related to the new checking rules for Bantams and how they are being enforced.

Not discussed.
No 'big' problems arising from it, apparetnly.

[elliott70]

In regards to referees... what is USA or MN Hockey doing to attract new referees? I get seemingly 10 emails a week from MN Hockey, I don't think I've seen one mentioning recruitment of referees. Why are there no posters at rinks recruiting referees? There is a huge referee shortage and there are no upcoming referee certification seminars.

I brought it up and new committee will take it under advisement.

[elliott70]

I think the first "endgame" of the referee shortage will be that non-varsity sports will not have officials. Games will be officiated by coaches. It's already happening in soccer.

I wonder how parents, coaches, and participants will feel about that.

Not likely to happen.
What is being discussed, at least in parts of the state is
1. using one official for squirts, 10U
2. limiting the number of tournaments
3. limiting the number of non-league (scrimmages) games.
after recruiting efforts
which would include
making entry easier,
rewarding new refs, rewarding for more games reffed, wtc...

[OldManRiver]

I would be interested to know if there are any comments for feedback related to the new checking rules for Bantams and how they are being enforced.

Not discussed.
No 'big' problems arising from it, apparetnly.

Thank you for listening for any discussion of it. I appreciate you bringing all of the information from these meetings to the group!

[goldy313]

You better figure out a better Region system that doesn’t produce 21-0 games. That is asinine and no kid deserves that.

Putting Edina and Worthington in the same Region is beyond myopic. Fix this! Is Minnesota Hockey so ignorant as to not know the difference between Worthington and Edina? Clearly they are.

If you want to grow Hockey this isn’t the way. This was awful and avoidable to anyone but Minnesota Hockey.

If you are for kids and promoting hockey than do it. Worthington is a fine program but should have been eliminated before playing Edina in Bantam A hockey.

Everyone in Minnesota Hockey who thought this was okay should resign.

[bardown27]

You better figure out a better Region system that doesn’t produce 21-0 games. That is asinine and no kid deserves that.

Putting Edina and Worthington in the same Region is beyond myopic. Fix this! Is Minnesota Hockey so ignorant as to not know the difference between Worthington and Edina? Clearly they are.

If you want to grow Hockey this isn’t the way. This was awful and avoidable to anyone but Minnesota Hockey.

If you are for kids and promoting hockey than do it. Worthington is a fine program but should have been eliminated before playing Edina in Bantam A hockey.

Everyone in Minnesota Hockey who thought this was okay should resign.

Edina didn’t play Worthington in Bantam A regions…? Worthington doesn’t even have a Bantam A team

[Eagles93]

Looks like it was Bantam B, Prior Lake beat Worthington 21-0. Not sure what else MN Hockey can do here, it's B level, and somehow Worthington made it this far. Prior Lake (#2 ranked in state according to YHH) should've took their foot off the gas, this is more on them in my opinion. 9 goals in the 3rd period?? Worthington did play Edina and lost 9-3. MN Hockey could certainly do some things better, this doesn't seem like something that needs to be "fixed".

https://gamesheet.app/seasons/1398/stat ... /box-score