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One of the most legendary lines in hockey history was a trio of youngsters that very few of us westerners got to watch play regularly as a unit. Instead, we got to enjoy their spectacular talents shortly thereafter when they joined the NHL with different teams. I am referring to the CSKA Moscow (Red Army) trio of Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny.
Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined myself as a player having the sort of speed, puck skill and creativity that those guys possessed in spades. It was almost like they were playing a different sport from the one I used to play. They made extraordinarily difficult things look easy. As a referee, it was a privilege to share the ice with players such as these or Wayne Gretzky.
One of the biggest rewards of getting to travel the world in a professional hockey capacity has been the friendships I've made. My son, McCauley, is here with me in Russia while on spring break from school. Both Sergei and Pavel have shown kindness to my family that I will never forget.
Fedorov, now the general manager of CSKA, gave special permission to McCauley to practice with the CSKA '98 junior team in Moscow. In the meantime, Pavel arranged for his longtime skating coach, Valeri Lobanof, to come out and help McCauley and the other boys with their strides and to increase their speed. Additionally, Valeri showed the boys some exercises to increase their leg strength.
McCauley was thrilled. So was his old man. Special thanks also to CSKA Hockey School director Alex Deev for his kindness and friendship. Alex, Pavel, Valeri and Sergei all went the extra mile and helped give McCauley an experience he will always remember fondly.
Spaceba....Da Vi......
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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 the chairman of the officiating and discipline committee 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, while also maintaining 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.
Stewart is currently working with a co-author on an autobiography.