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UPDATE: OMHA calls hockey dad's behaviour "totally unacceptable"

Posted By: Justine Lewkowicz · 2/26/2013 5:11:00 PM

The Ontario Minor Hockey Association says one Scugog hockey dad's behaviour last week is "totally unacceptable."

Police say several parents confronted a 17-year-old referee during a minor game last Tuesday. When the referee was leaving the arena and walking to his car, one of the parents allegedly threatened him and kicked him in the legs from behind.

29-year-old Brad Fenney has been charged with assault and uttering threats. He's been released with the condition that he not attend any organized youth sporting event.

"Certainly this type of behaviour is unacceptable," says Richard Ropchan with the OMHA. "The OMHA takes a lot of pride in working with and educating our members about acceptable behaviour."

Ropchan says playing hockey is more about learning life skills than preparing for a professional hockey career.

"If you can't have some fun and learn some life skills along the way, you're missing the point, you're missing the real purpose of enjoying the game," he says.

He add that parents are the adults in the arena and they should be setting a good example.



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  1. Steve posted on 02/26/2013 01:56 PM
    I have had over 30 years of experience dealing, and working, with referees. Young men and women take on the roles of referees not just to make money. Refereeing is also an alternate route to the NHL if you so choose. Believe me, there isn't that much money to begin with. Everyone I have ever known has not been born with a magic referee "gene". Learning curves, courses, practice and practical experience are all part of the process and at 17 you are still learning. I have met NHL refs who would all freely admit that they are always learning. This parent is just a thug who can kick a youth from behind. Wow, how brave. These are also the same types of individuals who would be the last to get up at 7 am on weekends, don a pair of skates and a striped jersey and go on the ice to referee someone's future Gretzky. Mainly because they would realize that you could be the best ref in the world but you are always going to be subject to jeers, obscenities and sometimes violence. Amazing how people can see better from 180 feet away than the ref who is within a few feet. Not every ref is perfect, nor is every ref awful.

    Respect is a two-way street so just imagine yourself in the striped jersey for a while. In this case, though, I think such advice will fall on deaf ears and, perhaps, a skewed vision of the realities on the ice.
  2. Stephen posted on 02/26/2013 03:09 PM
    I hope they charge this idiot with every offense they can think of. What a low life to attach a teenager doing something this guy undoubtedly wouldn't or couldn't do! Also curious as to why other parents didn't intervene to prevent this from happening?
    1. Tara posted on 02/26/2013 10:41 PM
      @Stephen That's a very good question, why didn't the parents intervene on the refs behalf. Maybe it's because they were equally angry with him. Why is no one looking into the refs behavior before the incident.
  3. Mike posted on 02/26/2013 04:05 PM
    Abolutely pathetic! Feel sorry for this moron, buit more so for his kid. Its a game! Wake up people! Absolutely no excuse for any of the stuff that goes on in our Rinks these days. Think of the damage done to the 17 year old kid now!
    1. Jack posted on 02/26/2013 04:19 PM
      @Mike I think the New should get the whole story before publishing!!!
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  4. Tara posted on 02/26/2013 10:22 PM
    Why is no one inquiring as to why " several" of the parents had to approach the hockey referee after the game. As much as I agree violence is never the answer, the ref was apparently behaving extremely unprofessionally, swearing and yelling in front of both the kids and their parents. One parent, the one who is accused of assaulting the ref, stood up for his kids right to play a fair and fun game of hockey. Instead of embelishing the facts of the "assult" which was an accidental kick to the underside of the refs foot, maybe the media should be looking into the real issue.
    1. Valerie posted on 02/27/2013 06:56 AM
      @Tara It's ALWAYS the adults who ruin the fun for kids, and in this particular case, I'm fairly certain charges would not have been laid unless the police felt they were warranted!!
      Regardless of the ref's unprofessional behaviour, since when is it appropriate to escalate an already ugly situation and make it worse? Surely the parent should have set a better example and known better than to approach the ref as he left the arena!
      I hope this parent is banned from arenas for some time to come....only a shame his poor child will have to wear the humiliation of his cowardly act!!
    2. Stephen posted on 02/27/2013 11:26 AM
      @Tara You can't seriously suggest that what his parent did is defensible! If this ref was not professional (at 17? really) their only option is to complain to the OMHA! The parents have no right to yell, scream or assault this 17 year old ref or any ref. Because of their actions these parents are also failures as parents, what they just taught their own kids is reprehensible! In what amateur sport are we guaranteed perfection in referring? In amateur sport we learn to live with sub par referring as a part of the game!! If there was any parent there with mental capacity of an adult this should never have happened!!!
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  5. Carl posted on 02/27/2013 12:08 AM
    Granted the parent acted in an non adult like manner and maybe the referee did act in an unprofessional manner but the are proper channels which could have been taken to resolve the issue. I fail to see how the police would have charged this parent with assault for what was described as 'an accidental kick to the bottom of the feet' Did the parent really need to be that close to the ref on his way out of the arena? What example is this parent showing his child? 2 wrongs definitely don't make a right, but assaulting someone because you are upset with their performance is doubly wrong!!!
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