‘Rink rage’ a common, disturbing sight: poll

A majority of Canadians who have attended youth hockey games report having witnessed adult spectators hurling curse words and abuse at referees and players, according to a new poll by Angus Reid Forum.

“We hear the horror stories, but as far as we knew nobody had yet gone out to measure the prevalence of this,” said Shachi Kurl, senior vice-president of Angus Reid.

The survey targeted 686 adults who had attended a youth hockey game within the past year. Of those, 59 per cent reported witnessing “inappropriate language and/or berating” directed against a referee, and 49 per cent saw the behaviour directed at “the kids playing hockey.”

Among survey respondents, 42 per cent called rink abuse a “very serious issue that is hurting the game,” while another 45 per cent called it a “very serious issue, but more or less under control.”

While aggressive spectators have long been a phenomenon at Canadian youth hockey games, efforts to combat “rink rage” have increasingly been pushed into the spotlight.

In 2010, Calgary minor hockey organizers began requiring parents to complete etiquette training before enrolling their children.

Just last month, a junior game in Penticton, B.C., required police involvement after a parent pursued a referee into the rink parking lot and punched the official’s car.

According to the Angus Reid survey, the likelihood of witnessing abuse went up sharply among regular attendees of youth hockey.

Among adults who had attended at least 11 games during the past two years, 73 per cent reported having witnessed verbal abuse against referees, and 63 per cent reported seeing verbal abuse directed at a player.