I'm already very familiar with the new elbow check we are using to greet each other in lieu of shaking hands. Gordie Howe once greeted me with one in Cincy in my first game playing against him.

Lining up with him for a faceoff, I made the mistake of telling him that he was one of my childhood heroes and that I had named my dog "Gordie" in his honor. He didn't respond verbally. He responded with an elbow to my face. I didn't get the virus from him but woke up in the dressing room sniffing a "popper" and trying to figure out which way was up.

Back in those days, there was no quiet room or concussion testing. I said I was OK to go back out, and there I went. I lined up against Gordie again.

I certainly wasn't about to fight Gordie Howe -- first of all, because he was Gordie freakin' Howe and I knew my place, and secondly because, even in his mid-40s, he was still someone no one in their right mind (or even in my mind) would want to drop the gloves and fight. I also wasn't going to say anything disrespectul to him.

So my "revenge" was this: I told him, "I'm gonna go home and strangle my dog."

He smirked and replied, "Welcome to the pros, kid."

I met Gordie many, many times thereafter. What a wonderful gentleman he was; as kind, compassionate and caring off the ice as he was talented, ruthless and tough on it.

Yesterday, I was thinking about my owner, Pete Owens, for whom I work at TectaAmerica selling commercial roofing nowadays. Our General Manager, John Donovan, held a meeting yesterday. We discussed who can work out of the office from home are authorized to do that. The guys that are up on the roofs doing the actual work will continue to have jobs and get paid even if we are slowed down as best we can. This is a great thing and comforting for our fellow workers.

I am also reminded of Casablanca and Rick's after the French gendarme, Captain Louis Renault shut down the cabaret / saloon known as Rick's.

"Gambling, I'm shocked!" he said.

The next day, Rick (Humphrey Bogart) told Carl (actor SZ Sakall), the German waiter/bookkeeper "to keep everyone on full pay."

You think about that and then come to realize why everyone loved to go to Rick's and loved this movie and that Bogie's character deep down, was a great guy. I love working with honorable and caring people whether it's on the ice or off.

If you need a roof, well, we are working. We will come fix your roof.

Integrity is everything. So is making the best of what you do well. I sold my toughness on the ice, because it found me employment and kept me in the game. Then I sold penalty calls and calls, because I had great teachers who made a ref out of me and I had the work ethic and hustle to put their advice into action. Now, I sell roofs.

Longtime Bruins GM Harry Sinden thinks it's appropriate that I sell roofs. After all, my first game as an NHL Referee, I disallowed the Bruins winning goal. He later said, "Stewart took the roof off the Garden that night. He should put it back on before he quits."

Ha Ha It's supposed to go up 75 degrees here. What I wouldn't give to sneak in a bucket of golf balls before it snows. It always snows on April 1. Must be a law I'm unaware of.

Rmember what Rick said to Captain Renault? "Louis, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Take care of yourself, and take care of your friends and family. The pandemic is a good time to reach out to all of your friends and ask how they are doing. Stay busy and stay productive.

The best advice my mother ever gave me, during a dark time in my life when I found myself lacking motivation, was this: "A busy man is a happy man. So get busy."

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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.