Nobody likes a snitch.
Someone who tattles on others for their wrong doings, ones they hope to get away with.
Yet that is essentially the number one duty for a hockey referee.
They are there to de-escalate situations, keep players safe and, yes, call out players for breaking the rules.
Workers often have their performance scrutinized by employers, those above them on the seniority ladder.
Referees are looked at as scapegoats by rabid fans, never heroes.
Their favourite team lost by one goal? You bet it was that referee鈥檚 fault for not calling a penalty back in the first period.
Their team won after scoring four power-play goals? No praise to the officials for calling so many penalties.
A thankless job, yet one Dwayne Weber has been doing for the last 40 years.
The Wilkie native who moved to North Battleford in 1986 knows he鈥檚 far from a fan favourite, but thinks it鈥檚 too easy for others to judge.
鈥淭hey should try reffing to begin with,鈥� he said with regards to fans getting on his case during games. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a totally different side of the game from a player to a ref. It鈥檚 different positioning wise and everything.鈥�
It鈥檚 hard to imagine someone would willingly do a job where they are berated night in and night out, but perhaps that wasn鈥檛 on 11-year-old Weber鈥檚 mind when he started.
鈥淎 friend of mine asked if I would help him out, and I enjoyed it,鈥� he said.
Just like players, as an official gets older they begin moving up in age groups.
鈥淎s you get older you get up to higher hockey,鈥� he said.聽
In 1989 Weber officiated his first SJHL game and likened the experience to being called up as a player to the next level.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a guy who assigns the officiating crews to games and back then they saw me doing games and asked if I鈥檇 be interested in doing junior games,鈥� Weber said.
Weber is now that 鈥済uy鈥� who assigns officiating crews to SJHL games, although once he retires from officiating at the conclusion of the 2014-15 SJHL season he will no longer be that guy.
鈥淚 was thinking of backing out of all of it,鈥� Weber admitted. 鈥淚 teach and assign and all that stuff, so I thought I鈥檇 back out of all of it, and then maybe come back. But for on-ice I probably won鈥檛 come back at all.鈥�
Weber says his plans are to continue working his day job at Valley Ford.
When teaching younger refs about getting into the game, Weber says he tells them it鈥檚 important not to take things people might say to heart.
鈥淧arents you always have yelling,鈥� he chuckled. 鈥淏ecause their kids are all going to the NHL. I always feel sorry for the younger refs in the lower levels, but it does get better as you move up. I just tell them not to have their radar ears on, just let it go, do the best job you can and come out better off than them.鈥�
Fans might forget that refs are people too, as Weber鈥檚 wife Donna chimed in.
鈥淲e have two boys, and when the youngest was little, Dwayne was doing a game in the middle of the afternoon, so I decided to take the boys to this hockey game,鈥� she explained. 鈥淪o at the game someone yells 鈥榃eber you suck!鈥� and my youngest one goes up, taps him on the shoulder, the guy looks at him and my son says 鈥楾hat鈥檚 my dad!鈥� The guy turned beet red and didn鈥檛 say a word after that.鈥�
Weber says there鈥檚 a line when it comes to getting on a ref鈥檚 case.
鈥淢ost of the stuff you don鈥檛 take to heart, when they get personal I don鈥檛 like that,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou hear a lot of things like 鈥榮hake your head and see if your eyes move鈥� and things like that.鈥�
Having a short memory is just as important.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the stuff you have to let go of,鈥� he said of holding grudges against specific players or coaches. 鈥淚t builds up on you and that鈥檚 where you end up making your mistakes. There are certain players that you know are going to be problems all the time, but you鈥檝e got to try and let that go. You鈥檙e always going to have guys yelling, but that鈥檚 just part of the game, I guess.鈥�
When it comes to officials having discussions with coaches on the bench, Weber says most times it looks worse than it actually is.
鈥淎 lot of them are because coaches are all up about a call from before,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes you鈥檒l see the arms going up and down, but they aren鈥檛 really that angry.鈥�
Being in one profession for four decades, you鈥檙e bound to see some changes throughout the years. Officiating is no different.
鈥淚 think the speed has picked up because they鈥檝e opened the ice up a lot more for the players,鈥� Weber explained. 鈥淲hen they added no-touch icing that鈥檚 helped a lot of players by preventing injuries.鈥�
Before no-touch icing was brought into the game, a defending player would have to skate back to their own zone and touch to puck for the play to be whistled dead. This resulted in races for the puck between opposing players, with a few falling feet first into the boards resulting in gruesome leg injuries.
Any hockey fan knows that every game doesn鈥檛 always go perfectly without a dangerous hit, a player getting hurt or worse.
鈥淚 was doing a midget game and a young boy had actually died on the bench,鈥� Weber said. 鈥淗e had heart problems, and we had to get the ambulance and that kind of thing.鈥�
Even regular events can be frightening for an official.
鈥淎 lot of checks from behind makes the hair on your back stand up,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne second a guy could be skating and the next he won鈥檛 be walking.鈥�
Much like players, officials have to travel to games. Except they don鈥檛 get to travel on a bus with 30 other people, they have to get themselves to the games, wherever they may be scheduled.
鈥淵ou can travel a long ways reffing,鈥� Weber said. 鈥淲hen the boys were growing up I missed a lot of their hockey because of reffing. I remember one weekend, Friday I left to do a game in Flin Flon. So it鈥檚 six hours there, then six hours back home. The next night I was in La Ronge, and on the way home from there I got a call saying I had to be in Kinderseley Sunday afternoon.鈥�
Driving yourself to the game can sometimes be the most dangerous part of the job.
鈥淲e were coming back on the Biggar highway one time, and it was snowing so badly I could barely see the road in front of me,鈥� he reminisced. 鈥淚 had to stick my head out the window so I could see the line on the road.鈥�
Busy schedules aren鈥檛 something everyone can handle, referees or otherwise.
鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 like that many days in a row,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou can get burned out if you do it too much.鈥�
It鈥檚 not just employees that feel the strain of a busy schedule either.
鈥淵es and no. At times it was tough because we had two boys growing up,鈥� said Donna. 鈥淭he challenge was trying to be at their games because Dwayne was always gone. You get used to it and you just expect it after awhile. It was a drastic change after the boys were done hockey and then I had nothing to do and he was always gone.鈥�
鈥淣ow that I won鈥檛 be on the ice she鈥檚 got to put up with me all the time,鈥� Dwayne quickly laughed.
Fans might think refs are out for no purpose other than to screw over their favourite team, but Weber says their job is something they take seriously.
鈥淧robably making the call,鈥� he said when asked what the most difficult part of the job is. 鈥淵ou want to make the right call every time. I鈥檓 just trying to help with the game, is the way I look at it. You want to be consistent all the time, that鈥檚 what the players want and that鈥檚 what the coaches want.鈥�
Weber has shown consistently throughout his career as has he been the recipient of numerous accolades.
He was voted by his peers to work the lines at the 1997 SJHL All-Star game, and received the 鈥渕ost deserving official鈥� twice in his career.
鈥淚t makes you feel good about it,鈥� said Weber. 鈥淵ou just have to do the best job you can. Eliminate your mistakes and keep moving forward.鈥�
Humble, Weber was quick to mention those who helped him along the way.
鈥淚 was able to do all this stuff because both boys and my wife allowed me to,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he was good enough to let me do it,鈥� he said with a big laugh.
Weber is scheduled to work his last SJHL game at the Civic Centre in North Battleford Friday when the North Stars host the Melfort Mustangs.
There is a rule barring officials from working playoff games in their hometowns.
Weber is still undecided on how much, if at all, he鈥檒l help out with the game after this season.
鈥淲e do a lot of reports on refs, which is the only way to learn and move up,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭hey want me to do more of that now that I won鈥檛 be on the ice but it takes a lot of time.鈥�
Weber and his wife say they plan to visit their eldest son Randy in Bonnyville, Alta. often, especially since they will be able to see their grandchild regularly.
Four decades of dealing with players and coaches will surely give Weber the patience to handle a young grandchild.
