For the most part, All-Star Weekend is about showbiz and individuality rather than hockey. That's OK. It is what it is. Those who saw me play and those who saw me referee can attest that I think it's a positive, within reason, to have fun out there and let it show rather than suppressing it through learned stoicism.

The reason why we ALL started playing the game in the first place --and why those of us who stayed with the game as players and those of us who took up officiating as a means of staying involvied within the game -- is because the rink is our favorite place to be. The game is intended to be simultaneously fun and competitive. Drain the fun or lose the competitiveness, and the game loses something. Lose the competitivenes PLUS try to force or contrive the fun elements and you get..... well, you get most All-Star Games.

To me, though, there was one shining exception that showed off our sport at its very best: the women's 3-on-3. THAT was worth watching. THAT is how to showcase our game's speed, skill and combination of team-oriented focus and individual skill. It was great hockey on two fronts.

It was outstanding on the playing side. It was also tremendous in terms of the skills of the four officials. I was especially proud to watch Katie Guay and Kelly Cook skate. They skate as well as ANY male official with whom I worked in my 20 years as a professional hockey referee. Their skating capabilities are also right up with most of the NHL PLAYERS of both my officiating and playing days.

The big argument from the ill-informed is for the "safety" of the women officials, not wanting to risk them getting run over by the players or physically manhandled. Baloney! I watched Kerry Fraser, Ray Scampenello, Dan O'Halloran, and Kelly Sutherland -- all far from giants physically, and all very good officials who command respect and achieved acceptability -- maneuver just fine around NHL ice and players.

Refereeing takes guts and brains to make the right calls. Gender or physical stature do not matter. Neither does nationality, religion, sexual orientation or anything else. Hockey touts its "If you can play, you can play" motto. I applaud that notion, and think we should all continue to work hard to make that ideal into a reality for everyone. I'll also add a corollary that principle: "If you can officiate, you can officiate."

Doubt it? Watch the pace and flow of that women's game this past weekend.

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A 2018 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, 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.

Visit Paul's official websites, YaWannaGo.com and Officiating by Stewart.

Follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulStewart22