Coaches need to watch their behavior with referees and players, writes Brion O'Connor. (Getty Images)
I'm not the type to suffer in silence. My family, and my friends, know this all too well. Believe it or not, though, I have held my tongue on occasion. Most of the time, it's been when I've seen loud and abusive behavior by coaches my daughters were playing against.
This behavior has almost reached epidemic proportions, in my opinion. Sportsmanship has been trumped by hockey coaches who feel obligated, even entitled, to insult the refs, their opponents and even their own players.
There's a YouTube clip from over the weekend, showing a coach physically assaulting a referee on the ice, midgame, at The Bog in Kingston, Mass. It's shocking.
