Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

I Did Care About Who Won and Who Lost: Here's Why

February 9, 2017, 1:50 PM ET [5 Comments]
Paul Stewart
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22

All games here are cancelled today. We had a pretty big snowstorm, with accumulations of 12 to 14 inches of wet snow. It takes me back to my childhood in Boston.

When it snowed like this when I was a boy, I would walk into the Boston Arena, use my key to get in the back door and skate knowing all games and practices were cancelled. It was the same rink the Bruins first played on in the NHL and the same rink my grandfather and dad reffed and coached. It was where I and, many years later, my sons each took our first strides on skates (well, at least stride, fall down, get up, stride, fall down and get up again).

Sometimes, I would take the trolley in for a nickle if it was running in the storm then take the trolley back home. Other times, Northeastern Coach Fernie Flaman would drive me home on his way past my house to his house in Westwood. I was sitting with a Hall of Famer! He asked me if I would ever think of attending Northeastern. I suppose he liked my passion (who the hell else would be there skating in the dark?) because I was never the most gifted player on the ice from a God-given talent perspective.

There I was, out on the same rink that Dit Clapper, Art Ross and Eddie Shore played against Montreal's Sprague Cleghorn and his brother O'Die. The Arena was home to pro wrestlers, too, such as Crusher Casey, Killer Kowalski and Haystacks Calhoun (who became a babysitter of sorts to me). So I loved snowstorms but for other reasons than a day off from school. I skated with the exit signs lighting the oval shaped ice, listening to my two pucks rattle off the boards. I was skating with hockey's ghosts and a mission that burned in my heart -- I wanted to do this all my life if only I could figure out how.

Although I am now long retired as an active official, yesterday, I got to ref two games: a Middle School ISL Prep game with two teams of freshman and younger boys having at it. I officiated Thayer Academy vs BC High then Thayer's second middle school team played Nobles, which is a coed middle school team with nine girls and the remainder of 7th and 8th grade boys that could really scoot. That game went into OT.

The very best part? I reffed with a young man, just 24, who just finished a deployment in Korea, fixing tanks for the US Army. Now he's out and studying to be an EMT and he's reffing hockey as well. The young man could skate, was eager to learn and brought his dad to watch his game. We had a nice chat afterwards.

I wish my late Dad was around to bring to games. However, I get to ref with my sons, Maxwell and McCauley and that is a thrill.

Today, I am getting ready for the last few weeks of the ECAC College and ISL Prep seasons after I plow the driveway. Early this morning I read an article on the CBC website entitled NHL Refs Don't Give a Hoot Who Wins. This is absolutely true.... to an extent.

It is certainly true to the extent that officials do not have any rooting interest in the teams -- regardless of where the official's hometown is, regardless of the game's venue, relationships with the respective coaches and players, or any such nonsense. There are ZERO directives from any league to in any way, shape or form bring about a "desired" outcome.

However, and I know that some folks are going to misunderstand what I'm saying, in other regards I always cared about who won. I cared who lost, too.

Here's why: It was vitally important to make certain when I was on the ice with these two teams that it was NEVER my lack of hustle, honesty, knowledge of the rules and the playing of the game that decided the outcome. It was my prime directive to do my job. Then the team that scored the most goals won -- fairly, honestly and safely for the players on both sides.

There is no hidden meaning to what I stated above. Take it at direct face value. To those of you who will inevitably gloss over what I just wrote and say, "See? Stewart is admitting he and other refs are 'biased'!", please brush up on your reading comprehension skills then re-read the paragraph immediately above this one.

Anyway, even with today's cancellations, there's lots of excellent hockey coming up. One of the biggies: Harvard is in The Beanpot Final vs BU next Monday.

See you there and, in the meantime, keep on skating!

************************************************************************



************************************************************************

Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.

Today, he is the director of officiating for the ECAC.
Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Paul Stewart
» The Stew: Kevin Pollack, We Nearly Missed, Thank You Fans
» Officiating: Reasonable Doubt vs Miscarriages of Justice
» My Advice to Matt Rempe
» Greig, Rielly and "The Code"
» Chirping Zebras Podcast