If there’s ever a level that cries out for the veteran Level 3 official, it has to be Pee Wee AAA.

I say this after handling a bunch of games in a West Coast PWAAA showcase. Fast, heads-up, no-nonsense and pretty much like an NHL game without body checking. And don’t get OS started on the LA Junior Kings purple-and-gold uniforms, including matching helmets and gloves. Still the best jerseys ever.

Anyway, with PWAAA, it’s imperative that the referees be seasoned guys that know how to call a game filled with body contact at a playing level that prohibits body checking. You readers understand what this means, right? As the preface to the USA Hockey Rulebook states, a player is entitled to use proper body position and body contact in all age classifications in order to gain a competitive advantage and players are allowed to compete for body position using their strength and balance in front of the goal or along the boards. 

Enough said about body contact and checking. OS is now going to identify various aspects of officiating that are not necessarily stressed in the rulebook or seminars, but in fact, represent tools in the arsenal of veteran successful officials. And successful likely means having an unannounced representative from USA Hockey calling a referee over to pay an officiating compliment on the previously-observed game.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you cry out in unison.

Wait until the end.

Tool No. 1: When play is set up in one of the defensive ends, make constant split-second eye contact with your partner so you know what he is seeing. What this means is that both guys should never be looking at the same play. 

Example: Most rookie guys will both be following the puck throughout the defensive zone. Yet, as veterans know, the blue line official should be watching the players in front of the net when the play is somewhere else. This comes from the Manual, but is also common sense. Still, it is natural for the blue line zebra to also follow the puck, which is why the deep ref should make constant eye contact with his partner. This ensures that battles in front of the net are always being monitored. Executing this takes constant practice but is exceptionally important, yet rarely stressed. 

Tool No. 2: Do not robotically point to the faceoff circle for a goaltender frozen puck in the crease. What often happens to newer refs is that they are so focused on pointing to the spot that it often appears they are pointing to the net, indicating a goal. Watch out for this, particularly when pointing diagonally across the crease for a faceoff on the opposite side of a stoppage. Relax. Shut the play down calmly, and then if you must, point to the faceoff spot, taking care to ensure you are not signaling towards the net.

Tool No. 3: Do not repeatedly skate to the bench when a coach calls you over for “an explanation.” First, it indicates that the coach is in control. Second, it slows up the game. At higher levels, after the first instance of this, simply advise the coach to send over the captain, pursuant to USA Hockey rules. 

Yeah, these are just three little-discussed techniques that guarantee success for you newer guys and should also be monitored by veterans who periodically get into bad habits. 

Now, what about that USA Hockey representative? 

Here’s what happened. After our second game, a guy in a USA Hockey polo and donning an identification badge calls me over. Soon as I see his credentials, I’m figuring my partner and I are in trouble. Instead, he identifies himself as a USA director of officiating and compliments us on the game that he was observing from a private room on the second level. Trust me, even veteran guys like my partner and I completely appreciated this, and we thanked him for his kind words.

Truth is, the AAA game we did was so highly-played that we didn’t deserve the compliment.

But the fact that a guy comes down to introduce himself as a USA Hockey director was very impressive, and even after 28 years in stripes, a small gesture like that really had a positive effect on OS.

Which is a life lesson on the adverse impact of negativity, whether in hockey or in life.

Questions and comments can be sent to editor@letsplayhockey.com, via Twitter @OSpeaking or through the Let’s Play Hockey Facebook page.