Follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulStewart22
It is Stanley Cup playoff time in the NHL; the most bittersweet time of year for all but teams and officials who go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. In collegiate hockey, congratulations go out to head coach Jim Montgomery and his University of Denver team after defeating Scott Sandelin's University of Minnesota Duluth squad in the Frozen Four championship.
This has been a excellent season of college hockey, especially here in the ECAC. We had a great year with Harvard making the Frozen Four here in Chicago and Union College's Mike Vecchione earning a Hobey Baker Award finalist spot along with award winner Will Butcher (Denver) and Zachary Aston-Reese, who has had immediate American Hockey League success with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins since finishing his career with Hockey East's Northeastern University.
On the women's hockey side, the ECAC's Clarkson Golden Knights team took the trophy as national champions at The Women's Frozen Four in St. Louis. Congratulations go out for a stellar run to the championship.
Of great personal pride, we saw officiating crews distinguished the ECAC on both the men's and women's side. We had a crew working in St. Louis at The Finals for the Women's Championship. On the men's side, we had crews working the NCAA Regional in Fargo (two games) and one crew in Cincinnati (one game).
It's now time for a respite. For a little while, at least, put the skates away, fuel up the lawnmower and bring out the golf clubs before watching the NHL playoff games and perhaps a ballgame or two. Recharge the ol' batteries.
In Dec 1975,I left the University of Pennsylvania for Binghamton and the start of my hockey career in the many slices of the game that I have worked at, if you can even think that I called it work. I've been a professional player, referee, coach, TV/radio analyst, hockey writer, charitable foundation ambassador for the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer campaign, director of The Bruins Foundation, co-commissioner of the private school ISL league, ECAC Director of Officiating, Officiating and League Discipline Consultant to the KHL, assistant rink manager at Penn's Class of '23 Arena , a skate sharpener, Zamboni driver, rink janitor, painter and ice rink design consultant and, simply, a hockey fan.
My most important job, however, is as the father of two players ages 19 and 15. I do some work as an advisor to many people in the game at many levels. Forty two years after leaving Penn for Binghamton, I am now closer to the end than the beginning. I think I'll go one more year.
Always remember: keep skating and may The Flow be with you!
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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.