The job is thankless - abuse from players, abuse from coaches, abuse from fans. You are always going to be unpopular to some fans. Its a task that you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy - but without them, we wouldn't have a game.
We're not exactly overflowing with officials at the minute, an issue I feel needs addressing quickly. However, we do have one who is very good at what he does, and we spoke to him.
Ladies and gentlemen, EIHL match official Tom Darnell.
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| Photo Courtesy of Dean Woolley Photography |
FSB: How did you get into officiating? Were you a fan of the sport before? Did you try playing?
Tom Darnell: It all started in Milton Keynes back in the early 90's; we were invited to go and watch the Kings play and instantly became hooked on the sport. My brother, Matt and I took up ice skating and ended up playing for the junior Kings.
We had to put up with the all too common roller-coaster ride that is Ice Hockey in the UK with the rink closing down, going to play for other teams, then returning to Milton Keynes. My family became involved in the sport in a much greater way when my Dad invested in the MK Kings, owning the team for a number of years. I played for the senior team in the EPL in a handful of games, although it was my brother that went on to become a far more accomplished player - playing for the MK Kings and latterly the Solihull Kings for a number of seasons, he now coaches a rec team back in MK - so you could say I have seen hockey from all vantage points and have an appreciation for the sport as a player, owner, official, and most importantly, as a fan.
I first took the step into officiating when Bob Bramah ran a training course in Milton Keynes; alongside playing I would occasionally put on the stripey shirt to officiate the younger age groups. My proper officiating career, like so many in this line of work, happened very much by chance. The return of the MK Kings saw them play a pre season game against the Solihull Blaze, coached by Paul Thompson. About an hour before the game we discovered no officials had been assigned to the game, so I grabbed my gear and took to the ice with a local official and the now coach of the GB Sledge Hockey team Andy Linton. The game didn't result in a bench clearance, therefore, we were happy with our work.
From that point I was assigned a handful of games in the EPL as a linesman and began to realise that my playing days were coming to an end, but that officiating would be a great way to keep an active role in the sport. Prior to the following season (98/99) I was offered a place at the Superleague & BNL training camp and haven't looked back since.
FSB: What does training to be a referee involve?
TD: Training is very much 'on the job', you can watch all the video and manuals there is, but the real progression and training happens by being placed in the same situations over and over again. Sure, you need to be taught the rules, positioning and procedures and these give you a framework by which to work to, but the reality is you must work towards the top through gaining first hand experience and listening/observing those who have been there and done it. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to work with some excellent officials and have built up a style based on the bits I liked and saw as successful in other officials.
Of course, we have training camps, video analysis, seminars with officials from other countries, skating tests etc. These coupled with what I discussed above are the foundations for becoming a successful official.
The other aspects is how much you want to do as an individual; this summer I have been working with a personal trainer with specific experience in training speed skaters as well as other athletes - this was a personal decision motivated by a desire to be the best I can be on the ice and a general health drive personally.
FSB: How did you end up making the grade for Elite level?
I have been involved in the Elite League since the beginning, previously working in the Superleague, British National League and one season in the EPL. Originally working as a linesman, about five years ago I started the transition to referee.
I take pride in wearing the Elite League crest on my shirt and work hard to maintain my place in the league, but also in helping the next crop of officials make the grade. This country desperately needs to focus on officiating in a far more complete way than it does right now - I'm glad to say positive steps are being made, but we need to ensure a healthy group of officials are chasing the top guys for their place in the EIHL, without the support network to make that happen, hockey in the UK will be in a dangerous position as we continue to lose officials.
I hope the current review in to UK hockey ensure officiating is not forgotten and that we build the infrastructure and support network to bring through the next group of Joy Tottman's and Moray Hanson's.
FSB: How do the league assign referees to games? How long in advance do you know where you'll be at a weekend, and who your linesmen will be?
TD: We are generally assigned games a month at a time - to be honest, I pay little attention to the assignments. I don't care where I go, who I'm working with, or what games other guys have got. I go where I'm assigned and it's team A and team B for me, two teams in different coloured jerseys.
Sure, some teams may have history or a match up could have featured previous situations we need to be aware of, but for me every day is a new game and I treat it as such. Of course, we look forward to working the 'big games' and officials just like players want to be there at the end of the season for those games - but any game has the potential to be a barn burner, so I go into no arena with a preconceived idea of how it will play out.
I tend to work a lot of games with Lee Young as we live close to each other - we are firm friends of many years and will write a book one day about all our experiences on the ice! It's also great to travel with someone to games as the road trips can be long and tiring.
FSB: What does game day involve for a referee?
TD: The most important thing for me on game day is eating at the right time - particularly now I'm getting a bit older. I don't have any particular routine, other than ensuring the officials who are meeting up know what time we are departing, making sure my kit is ready to go and that we are arriving at the arena a good hour and a half before game time to ensure we can grab a coffee, warm up properly and get focused on the game.
Travelling is a big part of the job and sometimes the most difficult. We will be out of the house for the whole day until late, and sometimes overnight - this take its toll, particularly on our partners, who are always so supportive. It's a big sacrifice, but one we all enjoy making.
FSB: You must have officiated hundreds of games, are there any that particularly stick out, either as tough games to call or great games that you've witnessed first hand?
TD: One day I will work out how many games I have worked in my career, it must be over 1,000 by now with the 2014/15 season I think being my 18th wearing the stripes. Three games stick in my mind during that time.
The first was the second leg of the challenge cup final back in 2006 in Cardiff, who were taking on the Coventry Blaze. I worked the game with Andy Carson and Lee Young, and it was simply the most amazing game with Cardiff coming back from a few goals deficit to win on penalty shots, scoring an equalizer in the final minute to take the game to overtime. The effort shown by both sets of players, the atmosphere in the old Cardiff rink and the game we called were all perfect.
The second would be working the gold medal game in men's division 1A at the World Championships between Italy and France, with Italy the victors and promoted to pool A. I worked with a Finnish referee and Norwegian linesman and we owned the game from start to finish. To be assigned a game of that stature is a memory that I will always be proud of.
The third game was the EIHL playoff final seasons ago, my first playoff final as a referee. That's what you work hard during the season for, to be assigned that game. It was a fast, end to end game of such high quality and again we left the ice knowing that we had done a great job in ensuring a fair and exciting game had taken place.
FSB: Should any of our readers want to step out in the stripes, where's the best place for them to start?
TD: The best way to get into the sport as an official is to reach out to your local ice hockey federation, so either the EIHA, SIHA or NIHA, the links are available on the IHUK website.
I would encourage all junior players in particular to give it a go, you never know where your career could end up, and with that experience as a player, the foundations for being a great official are already there.
The main piece of advice I would give which has got me to where I am is to always listen to the advice and experience of your fellow officials - and to never be bigger than the game itself. We aren't there to be at the centre of attention, we are there to enable the amazing sport that is ice hockey to take place fairly and safely, and we have the best seats in the house to do that.
Big thanks to Tom for his time, and such thorough answers. Catch him in your rink this next season.
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