Northern Ontario Hockey Officials Sound the Alarm on Escalating Parent Misconduct
In the heart of Canadian hockey country, where frozen rinks are second homes and the game is stitched into the fabric of community life, the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) is facing a troubling off-ice opponent: increasingly aggressive and inappropriate behavior from parents.
Steve Lawrence, president of the NOHA, didn’t mince words in a recent open letter posted to the association’s website. His message was clear - enough is enough.
“I am writing to you today with profound disappointment and serious concern regarding reports of parent behaviour from this past weekend that have absolutely no place in our game,” Lawrence wrote.
The tipping point? A string of disturbing incidents during the Soo Pee Wee Hockey League’s annual Extravaganza tournament in Sault Ste.
Marie - an event that brings together youth players aged 7 to 17. According to Lawrence, the behavior of some adults at this year’s tournament crossed serious lines: a parent allegedly made a throat-slashing gesture toward an official, others hurled offensive comments at opposing players, and one father was reportedly caught on camera instructing kids on how to injure opponents.
These aren’t isolated outbursts, Lawrence emphasized. They’re part of a growing trend that threatens the very culture of minor hockey.
“These are deliberate actions that undermine everything we stand for in minor hockey,” he said. “They create unsafe environments for our children, drive away officials we desperately need, and poison the culture of respect and sportsmanship that should define our game.”
That last point is hitting home in a big way. Officials - the backbone of youth hockey - are increasingly being driven away by the toxic atmosphere.
According to the NOHA’s officiating program coordinator, some referees have been followed into parking lots or confronted outside dressing rooms. These are volunteers and part-time workers, many of them teenagers themselves, just trying to keep the game running.
Jason Marchand, the NOHA’s executive director, acknowledged that poor behavior from parents isn’t new - but it’s getting worse. The organization is now working with three northern Ontario hockey associations to track incidents and try to stem the tide.
“It’s disappointing that we do see that,” Marchand said. “It’s obviously heightened because it’s minor hockey and kind of that recent history there. From our end, we just need to continue to keep educating on expectations and then handle, in an appropriate manner, the cases that do come across.”
The stakes are higher than many realize. If officials and volunteers continue to walk away, it’s the kids who suffer.
Fewer referees mean fewer games. Fewer volunteers mean fewer opportunities.
And in communities where hockey is more than just a sport - it’s a rite of passage - that loss cuts deep.
One local coach, McPhee, who also volunteers in minor hockey, has seen the shift firsthand. The verbal abuse from the stands, he says, is worse than ever. And it’s not just hurting the officials - it’s discouraging good people from stepping up to support the game.
The message from the NOHA is simple: this behavior has no place in hockey. Not in the stands, not in the parking lot, and certainly not in front of the kids.
The game is built on respect - for teammates, opponents, coaches, and officials. When that breaks down, so does everything else.
Hockey parents are passionate - that’s part of what makes the culture so strong. But there’s a line between passion and poison. And right now, too many are crossing it.