A man who officiated hockey at various levels for 16 years says people need to put themselves in the minds of referees and look at what they deal with at an average game.

"If their kid is 12 or 13 years old playing, swap roles and put their kid in the skates of the referee," Jonny Bast said. "Would they want to show up to the rink and see 20 or 30 parents yelling or swearing at their 12- or 13-year-old kid?"

The relationship of referees with fans, players and coaches has been in the spotlight since news came to light that the RCMP were called to a hockey game in Hague, Sask., last month.

A fallout resulted in the suspension of a parent, coach and players, and the decision that the referees involved will not be officiating games in the league going forward.

While Jonny Bast said he had a lot of support during his 16 years as a hockey referee, he saw a lot of people getting swept away by the emotion of the game. (Don Somers/CBC)

Bast first began refereeing when he was just 11 years old. He eventually made it up to the WHL before stopping in 2014.

While it's disturbing to hear stories about what happened at the game in Hague, Bast stated that it's not the usual behavior seen in hockey.

Bast said he always felt he had a lot of support, but admitted to seeing a lot of people get swept away by the emotion of a game.

"There's something to do with when parents walk into a hockey rink, they think they can just flip a switch and there's no boundaries or no rules with how they behave."

They're developing, just like the players are. - Jonny Bast

Bast said he feels parents, fans and coaches need to remember that referees, especially young ones at lower levels of hockey, are learning too.

"They're developing, just like the players are."

Bast said being a referee helped build character and allowed him to save money from a young age, adding that it gave him a lot more to deal with at his job compared to other kids his age.