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I have been writing far too many of these types of blogs over the last year. Today, the hockey world lost iconic Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider to cancer at age 83.
Out of respect, people always called him Mr. Snider. In actuality, however, he hated being addressed that way. He was a good and decent man who did not come from wealth as a child but made himself into an extremely wealthy man through his own passion and intelligence.
Everyone in hockey has Ed Snider stories to share. Here's mine.
It is no secret that he poured all of his emotions into pulling for his team. Like every fan -- because he was just a fan at heart -- he sometimes got worked up over calls that went against his team. That's the side the public saw.
What the public did not see was how respectfully he treated officials on a personal level, making sure their needs were met in his building. They also did not see how he treated people on a one-to-one basis.
I got to know Ed Snider and the Snider family a bit over the years, and they are good people. Although I was one of the "bad guys" -- a ref and, before that, a player for other teams -- I always was treated fairly by him. It was not just because I was a former Penn student-athlete, who helped out around the Class of 1923 Rink when it was the Flyers' practice facility in the Broad Street Bullies days. That was just how he was raised by his father Sol and mother Lillian to treat people.
One time in particular, I had a personal matter that I wished to discuss with Mr. Snider to get his feedback. I knew he was a very busy man and did not expect a fast reply when I left a message with his secretary.
Within a few minutes, my phone rank.
"Paul, it's Ed," he said. "What do you need to discuss with me?"
That was Ed Snider in a nutshell -- caring, respectful, and someone who showed the courtesy of a personal response that was timely and straight to the point. I wish I could say everyone in authority positions that I dealt with in and around the NHL was just like Ed Snider, but that would be untrue.
Thank you, Ed Snider, for all you've done for the game and for all the people you've helped point in the right direction over the years.
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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.
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.