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Between my playing and officiating careers, today concludes my 40th hockey training camp since 1975. It's 31 years since I went to my first officiating camp with the NHL in Toronto in 1983. A lot of pucks have gone over (or through) the net since then. I head out next week to scout for new officials all across Russia and other locations in Europe.

I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's. However, I do get a bit tired of eating dinner out of hotel mini-bar food offerings late at night... not that I don't enjoy a $12 bag of pretzels as much as the next person (haha).

At any rate, trying to educate young officials takes time and patience. Time and patience is something with some latitude will eventually show in accomplished arbiters on the ice.
In the meantime, all those that buy tickets want instant perfection. Sorry to disappoint but it takes time to bake a good cake and much more time to build a good referee or linesman.

Let me tell you the characteristics I look for in a young official:

1) Athletic ability. This is of paramount importance. A person who can skate, has agility, flexibility and strength will be favored over a couch potato with a flabby body and a soft disposition.

2) Passion for the game: This official will find a way to get to the game despite flat tires, overheated engines, traffic or snow. The game must go on.

3) The courage of a Spitfire pilot: I want someone who will stand by himself and his teammates despite all the opinions or crowds up against him. The official must have a strong belief in himself.

If training officials was like instant oatmeal -- just add water and stir -- anyone could be a hockey. Sorry but it takes time. I had a chance to speak to the KHL supervisors yesterday about their ability and our need for them to use that ability to coach and teach, and emphasized the same themes.

Listen, anyone can point out a mistake. The value from personal experience is to teach the officials from their own backgrounds not to make the same error again. They are furnishing mental tools for the young officials' mental tool boxes. Officials are a team and we need to work together. At the same time, officiating is also about competing and the more people we have out there vying for spots, the better the officiating will be.

This year, we have 3 KHL Referees that will work a half schedule and then go to the minors and the junior level to teach and coach as supervisors. In the ECAC, five referees who started and worked last year are not with us this year. We have already filled those spots with others coming along.

The Frozen Four is in Boston next year. Our goal is to get a crew to that Tournament and work the championship game IF one or both teams playing are not ECAC clubs as has been the case the last two years.

Am I proud of the officials I work with in North America and Europe? Damn right I am.

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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 is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

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.

In addition to his blogs for HockeyBuzz every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Stewart writes a column every Wednesday for the Huffington Post.