Former Powell River minor and junior hockey player Keagen Abbott has now donned a striped jersey and is refereeing junior hockey games in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League.
In his hometown to referee Powell River Kings games on Friday, January 3, Saturday, January 4, Abbott said coming home to officiate the games was “pretty awesome.”
“The Kings were a team I grew up watching, and I was their seventh skater on defence at one point for a season, so being in Powell River was fun, and having all my family at the game was special for me, too,” said Abbott. “In the first game, during warmup, I looked up and my dad was standing in the crowd wearing a referee jersey, and he was on the jumbotron. It was a fun experience to have them all there and to skate in front of my hometown spectators.”
Abbott said he started in Powell River Minor Hockey in pre-novice and worked his way up through the various divisions. He left the community and played at an academy in Victoria, then played U18 hockey on the island. In his grade 12 year, he started playing junior hockey in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, in Campbell River.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Abbott said he was lucky enough to be a part of the Kings team that went and played in the bubble in Burnaby, and he was living in a hotel for 47 days.
“We basically did nothing but play hockey and hang out,” he added.
When he aged out of junior hockey, Abbott said he was looking for some way to stay connected with hockey. He said that while he was playing, he tried to become friends with referees.
“I knew quite a few of them and when I could no longer play junior hockey, I ended up going to school and to help offset some expenses, I looked into refereeing and got in touch with the right people,” said Abbott. “I’ve just never looked back. I’m in my second season and loving every minute of it.”
Abbott said organizations and leagues like to have former hockey players as referees because they understand the game. He added that he has been lucky to get good opportunities as a referee so far.
Being a referee means being conversant with the rule book. Abbott said every season, referees have to dig into the rule book to see if there are any changes. He said knowing the rules intimately also helps when explaining something or defending a call that has been made.
“Knowing the proper wording of the rule book definitely helps; having a good understanding is critical,” said Abbott. “We also have really good support staff. Our bosses are great and our supervisors watch what we are doing. They are incredibly helpful getting us where we need to go and making sure we’re all on the same page. Having this support is incredibly helpful for us.”
Abbott said he finds refereeing rewarding.
“My biggest thought when I stopped playing was missing being part of a team,” said Abbott. “What I have found from refereeing is I’m still part of a team. It may change from night to night, with whatever crew I’m working with, but I still get that feeling of being with a team.
“We’re all pretty close and good buddies. In the Victoria area, where I’m going to school, if there’s a couple of games going on in the area, we are all trying to meet up for dinner afterward, or do something together. So, I still get that aspect of being part of a team, which I really enjoy.”
Abbott said for the most part, the junior hockey players are respectful of his decision-making.
“For any call you make, someone’s not going to be happy about it, whether it’s a player, a coach, or even the fans, and you have just got to live with it,” said Abbott. “Most of the guys on the ice are pretty good, and even if they lose it for a second, they’ll skate by and be like, ‘sorry, I lost it there a bit.’
“Our motto from the bosses is you treat disrespect with respect, so you just try to de-escalate situations.”
Abbott is not sure if or when he will be refereeing at Hap Parker Arena again this season. He said it is tough travelling to Powell River from Victoria, and there are officials in Courtenay or Campbell River who can jump on the ferry.
For the games he officiated here over the holidays, he was on his Christmas break from school when the two games were on. He said if he’s back in the community from reading break at school, if the Kings have some games, he is hopeful that he could be on the ice again, making calls.
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