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The other day, a friend of mine mentioned that two longtime NHL officiating colleagues of mine -- linesemen Brad Lazarowich and Andy McElman -- would be working their respective final games. I was asked how I felt about it.
"Time passes for everyone," I said. "Brad and Andy had real good runs. I've heard they both got pretty good severance packages from the NHL, so it's not a bad way to go out. My concern is how we keep developing officials for the future."
I just got back from speaking at an officiating symposium in Calgary. In talking to lacrosse officials,I found out that hockey isn't the only sport that is facing a severe officiating recruitment crisis.
Here's the situation we have in hockey: We have a rough time getting qualified young people in the door and an even tougher time retaining them. Even many promising young officials decide it's not worth all the abuse and nonsense they have to deal with -- coaches (and parents in the stands at developmental levels) make life utterly miserable, and it has gotten much, much worse over the years.
It's become like a snake that keeps biting its own tail. A lot of the brighter young lights, men and women who have other options in life, just walk away.
That is everyone's problem in this sport. We all have hires to make and games to assign, and the pool is getting drained. The long-term effects on both quantity and quality of candidates is downright frightening.
Leagues right up to the NHL should be very afraid. The shallower the pool -- in a sport that is extremely difficult to officiate well -- the lower the median sinks and the wider the discrepancy between the very top and the most problematic officials becomes.
So when capable and respected veterans like Brad (1,971 games, and would have hit the 2,000 milestone if not for an injury) and Andy (an even 1,500 games) exit the NHL, I am personally appreciative of what it was like to work with them but it also fills me with a lot of concern about recruiting the next generation who can be developed into professionals much less achieve anything resembling longevity. Brad is 53. Andy is 54.
Brad and I go way back together. We worked a lot of games together in Western Canada, especially up in his native Vancouver, and he was always a fine teammate. In a previous blog, I told my Chinese buffet in Montreal story involving Brad and another recently retired linesman, Mike Cvik.
I've also known Andy, a Chicago native, for many years. We, too, worked a lot of games together but I worked more frequently with Brad. I will say that both are good guys who had your back.
My own NHL officiating (and playing) careers started with a game in my hometown of Boston, and I also finished my officiating career in Boston. I am glad Andy got to work his final game in Chicago. Likewise, Brad worked his first and final games in the same place: Winnipeg, with the home side being the two different incarnations of the Jets.
Bravo, gentlemen, and thank you. I will do my damndest to keep fighting the good fight so that we can someday are able to look at another pair of linesmen and marvel at a combined 3,471 games and 33 seasons of NHL experience and all that it entails to keep oneself on the ice, in-season and over the summer.
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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.