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Every Day is Deadline Day

February 29, 2016, 10:19 AM ET [1 Comments]
Paul Stewart
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Today is the NHL trade deadline; actually a misnomer because it's not an actual trading deadline (trades can still theoretically happen) but rather a deadline for teams to set their list of playoff-eligible players. At this time of year, there are a lot of nervous players keeping one eye on their typical game preparations and another on the transaction lists.

Whenever their phone rings -- cell phone calls and text message alerts nowadays, hotel room and home phones before that -- the heart races for just a moment. That was especially true before the days of caller ID where the player had to pick up and hear who was on the other end of the call.

During my playing days, every day was like deadline day. The only time I had anything resembling a feeling of job security was after I established myself as one of the better fighters in the World Hockey Association and I negotiated a new contract with the Cincinnati Stingers. However, even that feeling was fleeting after Jacques Demers -- who liked me and always treated me well -- left the Stingers and was replaced by Floyd Smith. I was a big fan favorite in Binghamton as well, and truly loved it there, but my happiest year as a player was 1977-78 in Cincy and then again under Jacques during the time in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques in 1979-80.

Most of my pro playing career was transitory, playing primarily on tryout deals and one-year arrangements. I was literally fighting for my job every game, and I never knew when the plug may be pulled. Even when I played for Jacques, there were plenty of games where I sat on the end of the bench and never got a shift -- or only got a few shifts, where I knew I was being sent out to fight.

I didn't mind. Just being a pro team and getting some games in at the WHA and then NHL levels were a dream come true. I got very good at keeping an already packed bag handy and being prepared for anything while playing in assorted high (AHL) and low-level minor leagues in my staccato path to and from the big leagues.

I played very briefly on tryout for the Edmonton Oilers in their WHA days, in the U.S. south for the Birmingham Bulls, in Cape Cod, various stops in the American League including a single game for New Haven and a stint with the Philadelphia Firebirds after they (unfortunately) became a woeful farm team for the pitiful Colorado Rockies. I had NHL preseason tryout with the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, and turned down an NHL/AHL contract with the Minnesota North Stars out of loyalty to the Stingers for giving me my first real shot.

So I am not kidding around when I say that every day was like trade deadline day for me.

As a referee, I could tell it was around trade deadline time just from the intensity of the games. Teams were battling for playoff spots and players were eager to impress the scouts and their coaches; in some cases out of eagerness to go to a better situation and other times as a last-ditch effort to convince their current team to keep them. There were frayed nerves, and more cheapshots and backtalking in games right around the deadline -- natural human tendencies during times of high stress.

For myself as a ref, the arrival of the stretch drive was the start of a bittersweet time of year. In my younger years when John McCauley was the NHL's officiating director, the stretch run was a time to continue to prove my mettle as a burgeoning go-to ref. After John's death and the start of a different regime, the arrival of the stretch run meant my season would be over soon -- perhaps a few grudging first-round assignments but never much beyond some standby work into the second round of the playoffs with no hope of assignments into the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals.

As such, I could relate to the teams and players that were putting forth their best professional efforts late in the season -- not all of them did, but the majority did -- even as they knew it would be a short spring.

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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, Stewart serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC at both the Division 1 and Division 3 levels.

The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
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