Hockey at our level is about having fun. Period. It's a different kind of fun for each individual; be it the social aspects, the pysical exertion, the game strategy, or the beer drinking afterwards. Win or lose you have to enjoy it or you need to walk away from it for a while. No one in men's league is being scouted for any bigger leagues. We pay to play. We pay to take the trips. We pay in RMB and we dedicate our evenings, weekends, and vacation days to do this thing.

Before I start my ranting I think we also all need to recognize that the heat of the competition and the adrenaline of the game is exactly the fun that some guys are looking for. Some players aren't motivated unless they're a little bit mad out on the ice. Thats okay. Some players don't feel satisified with their level of play unless they've really turned up the agression on the ice and came with their "A" game. Thats okay. Some players need this league as a stress release from the daily grind and don't want to play if they can't be competative and get a little intense on the ice. That's great. In my mind that's what hockey should do for you.

Here's where the ranting begins. I'm sick and tired of negative people giving the organizers and supporters a hard time.
Let's start with the refs.
They don't get paid. They're there to help out. The time they spend on the ice is time that they aren't drinking beer or being with their families or socializing or whatever it is they do. Don't think they're doing a good job? Here are your options:
- Do it yourself
- Withhold some of the money you're paying them.
Really, if you expect professional refs then pass a hat around before the game and drop some cash in it to pay a pro ref. Otherwise shut up. (and if you want to pay pro refs, feel free to coordinate hiring them and putting together their schedules) When the refs stop having fun, they'll quit doing it. Where does that leave the league?
If you honestly think for one second that you can be playing a game and be completely objective about what you see as player you're crazy. The refs don't care who wins and they don't see everything. Just because you saw something doesn't mean that they did. It may have been blatently obvious to you and right in front of you but you don't know what the ref was paying attention to and it doesn't make you justified to bitch about it.

Next, the scorekeepers. They aren't paid, they aren't trained, they don't know all of the names, or the rules. They are drinking buddies, wifes, parents, or kids and they're trying to help out. In my opinion anyone caught looking at them crosseyed should serve a bench minor. We've had several occasions where players were chastising the off-ice officials for not being loud enough calling the period times, making mistakes with the clocks, or not recording the goals/assists correctly. So what. It's a shit job and these people are also trying to have fun with it. If you are the guy that makes it not fun for them you shouldn't be playing in this league. The only thing you need to do is skate over to them at the end of the game and thank them for being there.

Most importantly... the organizers. There are as many opinions about how the schedules should be run as there are a-holes in the league. I can't beleive how much whining I've heard about the logistics. "I think the bus should have left at this time instead of that time." "Why does my team have to take this time slot?" "Why did the game start late?" "Why did the game start early?" I heard complaints about the benches, dressing rooms, and all sorts of other things completely out of the realm of Shanghai Hockey's control. Just as a simple example: Try this, the next time you feel like saying

"This doesn't make sense, why do we have to wear the white jerseys for game x? This is stupid."

Instead, say something like this

"Hey, everyone, listen up, I'd like to take control of the jersey situation. Please everyone give me your opinion on the jerseys and then I'll go around collecting them after every game and distributing them before the next one."

Don't bring whining. Bring suggestions and solutions. The organizers only want everyone to have a good experience. If you don't like the way their doing it get involved and make a change.

I couldn't have been more impressed with how the season and the last couple of touraments have been conducted. Even when the occasional bitching starts its usually from good guys who are caught up in the frustration of a game. I'm certianly guilty of it as well. Just take a hard look at the big picture and consider holding your tounge or shoving a beer in your mouth to shut yourself up.

Ahhhh. I feel better now.