Why I Love the C+ Guys with Heart

Infatuation may be too strong of a word when it comes to my admiration of Chris Chelios as a player. Why do I like him so much? Why did I like Wes Walz so much? Why do I like Owen Nolan so much?

Because they have heart.

I get asked by people all the time "who is the type of hockey referee you are looking to work with?" I tell them, it is certainly not the hot-shots. I can't stand those guys. You know who I am talking about...they have ALL the answers, they know-it-all, they are UN-coachable (I saw a lot of those dudes in the JODP -- uggh, just because you're working junior games don't mean jack squat).

I am looking for the guys who are the C+ skill level and play WAYYYY above their talent by using heart. Chris Chelios may have been a "straight A" player at one point in his career, but he has worked his ass off to continue to play well into his 40's.

I seriously doubt Wes Walz scored high on any battery of tests, but there was no one who could touch him when it came to heart power. I see the same in Owen Nolan now.

And, I saw a lot of that this past weekend in the Ultimate Officials Training Camp during the MN Blades tourney. I see that every week in the guys who are busting some serious butt at the treadmill sessions and in the morning skates, and in the training times when NOBODY IS WATCHING (yikes...that's the key to developing more heart power).

Here's my boy: