Who's On Your Team? May the Force be With You?

 Go from the Guy on the Left to the Guy on the Right


Have you ever heard the expression, "the officials are the third team on the ice?"  Well, it's true and how you work with that team says A LOT about you.

I am going to talk about my own journey as a "young apprentice" into a "jedi knight", and might just change the identities of some to protect the innocent (and guilty).

• When I first started out in USA Hockey, I was a high school junior.  I reffed for two years in high school to (a) get more ice time and (b) make a few bucks.  That was it.  I enjoyed the game and kind of did my best.  I worked with other high school teammates like myself.  There was no striving for referee excellence going on.

• When I got to college, for a few years, reffing was the best part-time job anyone could offer.  And that's how I viewed it.  I worked with a lot of other "greenhorns" (anyone from my generation remember 'Grizzly Adams' and the Uncle Jesse guy on the show always calling Adams a 'Greenhorn' - that's the only way I knew that saying....some outsider who knew little about nothing..haha).  Working with Greenhorns didn't push me into any level of excellence either.

TO SUM UP MY FIRST FIVE YEARS OF REFFING = You Don't Know what you Don't Know

You may think you are doing all the right things, going through the right actions, 'behaving' like a referee in the right ways, but you don't know how incompetent you really are.  Keep in mind, the majority of the refs out there are average.  If you want to be like the norm...well...that's cool...you will be a normal referee.

•  The next five years of my reffing career had the following circumstances: (1) met Rick Looker, (2) got a serious drive to be the "best referee", (3) went to MHOA camp, (4) worked Bantam A State Tourney, (5) went to Regional Camp, (6) worked MJHL as a ref, USHL as a linesman, (7) went to National and Select Camp, (8) worked USHL as a ref, and (9) worked MSHSL Boy's State Tourney as a linesman, and (10) hired by WCHA.  

TO SUM UP THE NEXT FIVE YEARS = Knowing What I Needed to do to Be The Best

So this all meant that I was associating myself with like-minded guys who all wanted to be the best.  We pushed each other.  We all strove to get the same assignments.  We developed some commaraderie, and even some long-lasting relationships.

However...I would still end up working with some...let's just say..."doozies".

That's going to be the reality.  For example, when I was first doing lines in high school, I was travelling to such exotic locations as Indus, MN (natural ice under a shell, open to the elements), Park Rapids, MN (they actually stored potatoes in the arena during the summer) and Bagley, MN (outdoors, you wear a ski mask,  amongst the pines), and I did games for other guys who...were...doozies.  I had two things to do in those games: (1) keep my high expectations up there and (2) take care of the team.

That means -- you don't get angry with them when they foul up (which they'll do more frequently than you'd like), you never question their advice (keep your mouth shut and work hard), and realize that they have been around awhile and will talk about you.  Hopefully all that talk about you is good.

• The past 11 years of my officiating has brought about lots of things (I am starting year 22 of reffing), and I continue to work with some of the guys I associated myself with in the beginning of my push for excellence.  I also work with some doozies.  And I want to note they are all great guys.  Hockey people are the best, and that goes particularly for hockey officials. 

To SUM UP THE YEARS 11 until I AM 60 YEARS OLD AND STILL REFFING (see Chris Chelios:):  

I Push for Excellence Everytime.  I Love the Game.  I take Pride in Professionalism.  And I am looking for more guys who want that push towards excellence...you know...the guys who "don't know what they don't know"?

"You don't build a reputation on what you are going to do."