Hockey NL is adopting a new initiative to address the abuse of game officials.

At all levels of hockey, officials face unnecessary abuse from players, coaches, parents and fans.

That is why the “Green Armband Initiative” started in Quebec in 2020 to combat a 30 per cent loss of referees sick of the abuse.

Officials under the age of 18 will now wear green armbands—instead of the standard red—to remind those participating and watching that’s the officials are only teenagers.

Hockey NL’s Coordinator of Officials for the Avalon Zone, Steve Orr, says the primary culprit were parents with children in the Under 13 and Under 11 divisions.

Orr says he’s personally faced lots of abuse over the years.

He’s 40 now, so the impact on him is not as great as it was when he was a teen, but he describes being chased through parking lots, having things thrown at him, and been spit on.

“We really need to get that out of the game.”