Hockey Fights Cancer: The Will of the Fighter

Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22

Yesterday was Hockey Fights Cancer Night in Boston during the nationally televised Wednesday Night Rivalry game between the Bruins and Flyers in Boston. Rather than discussing the never-ending recklessness of Zac Rinaldo, I prefer to call attention today to one special little guy.

Five-year-old Max Mitchell, a pediatric sarcoma patient who is part of the Jimmy Fund, had the honor of dropping the ceremonial first faceoff. He had the opportunity to receive a huge and much deserved ovation from the TD Garden crowd and warm greetings from the players. The smile on little Max's face was priceless.

I am no longer actively involved in the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer program, but the league still does great work. Please help support them because the Fight is a good fight and who loves a good fight more than the Stew Cat?

Someone once said to me, "Cat, you have burned through more than your 9 lives. You are at 15." OK, I agree. However, there's a reason I am still here and still in the fight. I am not done yet. There are still people and young legends out there that need to be helped to learn to fight. If that's my mission, that's OK. It's a good mission; wheels up and still skating.

Keep fighting, Max. You are braver and stronger than most pro athletes you idolize. Here's a look at the upcoming Hockey Fights Cancer nights arond the NHL:

In 20 years of officiating, I never missed a game due to weather or for any trite reason other than a serious illness and one bad injury. Two times I had to book off, I had a torn hamstring in ' 95 and missed two weeks (thank you, Brett Hull) and in ' 98 when I had stage three colon cancer.

I had to take a leave when I had that cancer but that was well known before the season started. Wen I came back on November 13th in NJ, I reffed while still taking DAILY doses of chemo.. for six months. Yes, that was tough but I always prided myself on being tougher than the medicine. I remembered what NHL officiating legend Frank Udvari told me years ago, "Excuses are for losers."

Being on chemo was not a good enough excuse to miss doing my games. Besides, I needed to skate to know I was still alive. In my mind, I accessed my fighter's mentality to give me strength when I didn't feel strong: Fight off Death, stare Death right in the face and tell him to F-off because I'm not ready to go yet and you're not gonna get me without one hell of a fight. Maybe you knock me down, maybe you beat the tar out of me but I will get up again and keep fighting you.

The doctors told me not to go out there on the ice so soon. I made it all the way back and kept on working. Hopefully, I taught them something and helped others watching get through their trials.

Those doctors and others all came to my comeback game. I was so proud that they all came. Thank God for Dr. Lokich, Dr. Camer, Dr. Kearney and Dr. Kelly at The New England Baptist. They gave me the best care possible and I could never repay it.

As I have said in the past, I am an ordinary man. The same fight that lives within me lives with everyone if they are determined to access it.

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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.

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.