By Mathieu Gagné

Publié le 16 juin 2026

For hockey players, it is hard to find a job while playing hockey. Becoming a referee is the perfect mix for hockey players, between doing what they like by following more hockey games and having some money in the winter. Being a referee is not what you see. There is a lot more that coaches, players and parents in the stands don’t know that it’s more than a job.  

Being a hockey “ref” is a passion and can also be a competition with your best friends. 

The goal of every young referee is to one day make it to the show (NHL), but to end up there, it is more difficult than most people think. Every single year, referees must do on and off-ice evaluations to see if they are still fit to referee in hockey games. Being wise and being in shape are the main criteria to be a good referee.  A word that comes up often in the world of referees is “sharp.”   

The first step, if you want to climb the ladder, is to enroll into the provincial officials’ program, which allows you to go referee everywhere in the Québec province and to be supervised by big names in the referee game in Québec. Vincent Thivierge, a ref who is in the Provincial Officials Program, who has been supervised by a lot of big names, said, “They don’t really look at your calls, they mainly look at how you show up and how you can keep up with the speed of the game.” So, to be a good ref, most people don’t know that you must be sharp and in great shape on the ice. I think it is partially true because to have the trust of the people in the stands and the coaches, you must know what you are doing, but that doesn’t mean you really make the right calls.  

Afterwards, it is also a passion because you must like that job because the parents, coaches and players are extremely intense and can sometimes cross the line. Of course, hockey is a sport that can run high on emotion over time, and people may not realize that what they are doing is not appropriate in sport. Sometimes, the parents take it too seriously. They don’t realize that their children are having a lot of fun on the ice. After a hockey game in Lac-Etchemin, in the category junior D, a dad went down where the referees skated off the ice and punched the ref of the game for no valuable reason. It is okay to be passionate and intense, but there is a limit, and the limit must not be exceeded. 

Also, the referee job is cool because you can have a kind of competition with all your friends, like the one who makes the most games in a single season, the one who makes the best games or the first to make it to the Provincial Officials Program. My personal experience with this last kind of competition is when my best friend, which I started referring with, stepped his game up while following the provincial officials program. We had been equal since that day, and it felt like a crushing blow right to my head. I questioned myself whether I should continue refereeing or if I should quit. I continued, and it was the best decision that I had ever made. I travelled everywhere in the province of Quebec to live my passion.  

 In conclusion, being a hockey referee is a perfect mix of passion, competition, and earning money while staying in the game.  

Next time you watch a game, respect referees, and consider trying it yourself before criticizing them.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Un arbitre attaqué et un homme arrêté lors d’un match de hockey mineur à Lac-Etchemin 

This article relates to the incident in Lac-Etchemin during a Junior D game in which a parent assaulted a referee. 

Why You Should Become a Hockey Referee 

This article explains why becoming a hockey referee is a rewarding experience, highlighting the benefits such as earning money, staying involved in the game, building strong relationships, and developing character through adversity. 

Youth hockey ref escorted out of N.S. rink by police after 'hate-motivated' harassment, say RCMP 

This article relates to an incident in Musquodoboit Harbour where a young hockey referee was escorted out by police after experiencing hate-motivated verbal harassment from a spectator during a game. 

REFEREE EDUCATION

This article explains how the Hockey Canada officiating program works, including how to get started as a referee, the different certification levels, and the responsibilities involved in officiating hockey games.