Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22
I am in my 40th year in pro hockey and I wouldn't have it any other way. By pro, I mean that I get a contract to do stuff at the rink. If I didn't have the game and a rink to go to -- regardless of the level of play -- I wouldn't be alive to write this. Whenever I've been in a dark place in my life, hockey has pulled me through it.
Don't let anyone in this little secret: If there had never been a dime in it for me, you'd still have found me at the rink. That's why my wife, Lori, laughs at me whenever I tell her I'm at work when she calls as I am at a game or heading in that direction.
"You call that work?" she chuckles.
She has a point. I would rather be in a rink with thousands of people watching a game instead of sitting in an office or selling a car or catering to some boss who is truly impossible to please and never appreciated me in the first place. When I officiated a game on the ice, it was MY game. When I played, I could control what I did on MY shift (if I got a shift in the first place).
As such, I know that l am a lucky guy to do for a living what I actually enjoy to do. As both a player and official I, was told by people at every step along the way,"You aren't good enough." Well, I made it to the NHL twice over and lasted over 1,000 games. Nowadays, I'm still going strong in my roles with the KHL and ECAC.
Nevertheless, I would be lying if I said there are never days where my job doesn't feel like "real work. I still have to contend with politics, bigotry, provincialism, wars, declining money rates, poor skaters, badly written rule books. There is also the iincessant blah, blah, blah from those that think they know the rules but really haven't got a clue.
It brings out the Dorchester boy in me.... ready to do battle with all comers.
Then I get to see people who excel in their work, like some of my KHL and ECAC crews who take pride in the team and are true pros. Now I wait and watch my own two boys, McCauley and Max and my "Russian blind side son," Dmitry Antipin, working their way into the game.
In case you wondered, watching my boys and helping them along their way, keeps me going. I have told Max and McCauley that their job at practice is to outwork their entire team and improve to the point that they are the guys getting called up to the next, big club.
To all young aspiring players and coaches: It's easy to be average. If you want to be average, sit on the couch, watch TV, don't do pushups, don't shoot pucks, make excuses and constantly claim to be "tired." Don't be average, folks. Be exceptional. Give one hundred percent every minute you are out there on the ice. As a player, it will narrow the gap if you are lacking soft hands, slick moves, speed or strength. As an official, working on your conditioning and positioning are the ticket to success.
In hockey, there is a lot of modesty, both genuine and false. People are expected to attribute their success to luck. I do it, too.
Here's the reality, though. The kid who plays the piano at Carnegie Hall doesn't get to do it because of luck. The kid who plays or officiates hockey professionally isn't lucky. There is a lot of hard work and dedication that goes into it. It just doesn't "feel" like work most of the time, because it's a labor of love.
When it comes to making a living, we make our own luck. There's no magical lottery ticket waiting for you. Make it happen for yourself.
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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 an officiating and league discipline consultant 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. 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.
In addition to his blogs for HockeyBuzz every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Stewart writes a column every Wednesday for the Huffington Post.