Fearing cancelled hockey games, this northern Ontario league will pay for new gear for refs

The Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) is in dire need of referees.

The league, whose teams have been a fixture in northern rinks since 1919, has lost about 200 on-ice officials over the past few years, which could force cancellations in the 2022-23 season.

Association president Jason Marchand said COVID-19 played a "significant" role in keeping refs off the ice recently, but negative interactions between officials and hockey coaches over the years have also been a factor. 

"Obviously, the last couple of seasons, safety concerns were an issue," Marchand said. "But abuse from coaches, that was also an issue.

"It's perhaps intimidating as a 14-, 15-year-old, being yelled at by an adult. That can be obviously intimidating," Marchand said. "It's not the reason that we want to lose officials, especially those who obviously have put in the time to become certified and to be able to get on the ice." 

Surprisingly, one of the barriers for new refs to get involved is also the startup cost, Marchand said.

"We've figured that it's between $400-500 for some brand new officials to get involved due to the jersey and pants, but also the helmet and visor, and things like that."

This season, with an aggressive push for recruiting underway, the league is offering to subsidize the costs of equipment for aspiring refs. That includes registration fees and equipment — whistle, jersey, and pants — to all first-time officials for the 2022/2023 season.

The money was made available through the Ontario Sports Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of sport and physical activity in Ontario, and could be valued at $500 per new ref.

"We're trying to alleviate some of those concerns as well, the fact that typically brand