Thick-Skinned Whl Officials `Love The Game'

SPOKANE - The referees and linesmen who enforce the rules during Western Hockey League games have thick skins that even the most vicious insult can't penetrate.

They don't care if the players and coaches like them.

And to a man, these striped shirts put up with the boos, the barbs and the affronts to their ancestry and eyesight because they harbor a deep love of the game.

``The No. 1 reason I'm a referee is because it's the next best thing you can do to actually being a player,'' said Hank Aarsen, a Vernon, B.C., native in his second year on the job. ``I love the game and I love being on the ice with the players.''

They take the fan abuse with a grain of salt.

``The people cheer when you get hit. They cheer when you fall down. I just take it in stride,'' said linesman Cory Bowles of Spokane.

``Booing gets you up for the game. It makes you realize the responsibility you have,'' said linesman Lyle Seitz of Calgary, Alberta.

There are 16 referees in the WHL. Four are full-time, meaning they are guaranteed 10 games a month. The pay ranges from $90 to $150 a game for referees. Linesmen make $45. They also receive mileage, meals and lodging on the road.

On the average, one referee or linesman a year makes it to the National Hockey League from the WHL.

Aarsen likes games where the flow of play isn't sabotaged by uncalled-for roughness.

``I'm going to let the guys play and when they show me they don't want to play, that they want to goon it up, then I'm going to hammer them,'' he said.

The linesmen spend most of their time looking for offsides violations and two-line passes. They play major roles when fights break out, trying to prevent players from serious injury while protecting themselves.

When the linesmen pry the combatants apart, the referee determines the penalties.

``You've got to pick and choose your spots. Sometimes you pick the wrong spots. You usually move in and stop a fight if someone's getting hurt. By the time they hit the ice, they're both usually tired,'' Bowles said.

``The worst situation is when you get five fights going at once,'' Seitz said. ``If there's one fight, we can control it. I worked a game between Portland and Lethbridge where five fights broke out. Under the procedure, you have to get one fight broken up and the guys off the ice before you can get to another fight.''

For referee Mike Leggo, a communications major at the University of Victoria, much of the fun comes on the road, developing a camaraderie with the other officials.

The referees and linesmen must maintain a professional distance between themselves and the teams.

``I enjoy refereeing. Sure, you get people mad at you, but I tell them I didn't write the rules. I just enforce them,'' Leggo said.

Brent Larson of Calgary, a fifth-year WHL referee, hopes to make it in the NHL.

``I like to set a good tone for the games. I make sure the first penalty I call is a good one and that I remain consistent. If the players don't want to listen to me, then I'll go to 10-minute misconducts. You let the players determine how they want to play the game,'' Larson said.

``You have to maintain control but you can't over-penalize the players. When the game's over, it's a great feeling knowing you've done a good job. There's a lot of pride involved.''