Girls Kick Butt - installment no. 2

From the latest USA Hockey Magazine [Women's Team Climbing Mountains]

I read stuff all the time. The Sport's Page of the newspaper...Sports Illustrated...The Hockey News...all kinds of hockey blogs...OK, OK...

It's not all Sports/Sports/Sports (Dan "The Common Man" Cole reference, for those who know what I'm talking about).

I do read about World War II, the Apollo Space Program, autobiographies of super successful people. The book I am reading right now is "Feel for the Game" by Ben Crenshaw. I bought it at a church fundraiser for $3. I find bits and pieces of motivation there.

You want some good motivation? Go to: www.twitter.com/UND_WIH

Follow Brian Idalski, the women's coach at University of North Dakota Hockey Team, and then make sure you have your twitter account set up to receive "mobile alerts" so the updates are sent by text to your phone. Here are a couple of gems I received over the weekend from Brian:

"Give me 100%. You can't make up for poor effort today by giving 110% tomorrow. U don't have 110% U only have 100% & I want it from U now!"

John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach of the Universe

"If you want to take the island, then burn your boats. With absolute commitment come the insights that create real victory"-Robbins

I get an update on my phone (I get updates of those who are participating in the 12 Week Transformation, too, and, funny enough, the ones who are doing the most are the one's who are updating the most.

The guys I never hear from...well, they aren't doing 'jack squat'.

So...I love getting updates from guys via twitter who are kicking butt and taking names. Who would have thunk? Twitter an accountability piece! That's how I use it.

These updates give me motivation to get to work myself.

Social aptitude...you're a part of a great event!

Join in...push yourself...seriously...I have refs kicking butt and taking names.

(Just look at my "tweets" on the right hand side of this blog)

Superstitious or Not?

This is a link-o-rama to the Penguins Eastern Finals victory. I like the move by Crosby -- gutsy, not afraid, take the bull by the horns kind of attitude.

"We didn't touch the trophy last year, and obviously we didn't have the result we wanted," Crosby said. "We figured we'd touch it this year. Although we haven't accomplished exactly what we want, we still accomplished something here. You know, we can still enjoy it." -- Sidney Crosby on his decision to forget tradition and touch the Prince of Wales Trophy

Do you have superstitions or routines? I wouldn't necessarily say I am superstitious, but I do have a routine that gets my mind "game ready". Over the years I have found this helpful to ALWAYS be "on". That's one of the main differences I see between inexperienced guys and the solid veterans in hockey refereeing = the vets turn it on ALL THE TIME.

The closest I probably came to a superstition was when I played I changed shirts every period...even after warm ups. That's four shirts a game. I used to do that reffing, too. Decided that was too much laundry.

Here's the Kid defying superstition:

And We will See You...

Wednesday Night!

Game last night was awesome! Missed it?? You can get it all with these highlights right here:

Officiating Crew:
Referees - Paul Devorski (#10) and Dennis LaRue (#14 - USA Ref!)
Linesmen - Brad Lazarowich (#86) and Jay Sharrers (#57 - That's my boy!)


Personal side note: In August 2001, I went to Lake Placid, NY to attend the Elite Officiating Experience. This was the week that Team USA picks their World Jr. Team, and I was working the games that week. Well, it was one of the first night's, and I had it off, so I was watching USA play Finland (other side note -- Mikko Koivu was Finland's captain, and Jarkko Ruutu, the guy who bit someone in the thumb, was on the team, too - he was a piece of work back then, too!), and while I was watching the game I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mark Bavis.

Mark was the amateur scout for the L.A. Kings. I had met Mark a few years earlier in St. Cloud at the National Select 15 Festival. Brian Thul and I shared a couple of beers at D.B. Searle's, downtown St. Cloud after a game. He was coaching the Massachusetts team. I had also seen him on the bench with Boston University at a tournament in Duluth.

Mark and I chatted during the whole game. He was there to see David Steckel, who was a King draftee, whom Mark had scouted.

One month later Mark died in 9/11. Now that REALLY hit home for me, knowing that I knew someone personally on one of those planes. Gulp.

What Player Makes the Best Coach -- Referee, too?

Happy Mother's Day -- you're not a mother? Wish your wife a happy day for me? If that doesn't fit, wish your mother a happy day!

Barry Melrose, whom I am a fan of, is telling it like it is prior to this weekend's hockey. He makes some very good points. Among those good points has to do with, "What type of player makes the best coach?" Listen to his answer and tell me if it's the same guy who makes the best referee.

Most guys say that referee's are usually goons or goalies (I was neither). When I look at the characteristics of the elite level referee, I do see some of the same characteristics Barry mentions.

Food for thought...

You've Got To Be Kidding Me!?! (ala Common Man Style)

Sorry, I couldn't find an audio clip from the Common Man Dan Cole's "you've got to be kidding me!" clip (proprietary maybe?...he doesn't want any copy cats?...when you only got so much schtick, youve' got to protect it?).

Anyway...

Flames...extinguished!



Game Preparation:

Never, ever go into a game thinking its going to be a cake walk. Always go into a hockey game with the referee mentality that you are ready to call a major from the first drop of the puck. Thankfully, I learned this lesson vicariously through my Dad (those of you who have asked for homework know what vicariously means).

My dad talks about a game he was going to ref between Bemidji HS and Columbia Heights, way back in the day. His two really good friends were coaching each team, Bryan Grand for Bemidji and Elly Froiland for Columbia Heights. It was a game right before Christmas break, so all were in a good mood. My dad went into the game, thinking, "This is going to be a great game and a lot of fun!" He wasn't prepared for the hockey game that transpired.

The game was a nightmare. He wasn't ready for it, and the game got away from him in a hurry. He left the arena with his tail between his legs, both coaches (and good friends) totally pissed off at him.

NEVER AGAIN.

And...never for me either. Well, 99% never. I have had my head "somewhere else" and it bit me in the ass as I refereed that hockey game.

Kind of like it bit the Calgary Flames in the ass...

(p.s. Sorry for the "inside joke" Comman Man references -- Common Man Talks Hockey --)

Greetings (Konichiwa) from Japan

NHL Video & Game Day Blog- Pele???

Tuesday Night - 2/10/09

I was working a peewee game and we had two pucks enter the net coming directly from skates. The first one was waved off by my partner, because he determined the player made an action to direct the puck into the net (you can not direct a puck into the net under USA Hockey rules). The second one off a skate, was determined a goal by me, because the puck was shot, the rebound came directly out and bounced off of an attacking player's skate. I determined that it was not intentional, and that it was a deflection rather than a direction.
(I also saw Cal Clutterbuck try to kick a goal in on Wednesday night's Wild v. Avalanche game)

The only thing I am going to say about the following video includes:

a. That would be a "NO GOAL" in USA Hockey.
b. I am not one to judge what the NHL determines on goals.
c. Situations like this come up all of the time. There are two ways you can take it...

(1)Call the referees/video replay official/etc. wrong and point out why

Or

(2)Use this situation to be a "teachable moment" for yourself and discuss how you could use this example to your advantage.

A lot of guys choose option (1) = in my opinion, that is a poor choice. The referee community is small. Someone may know those officials on T.V. personally, and if you run your mouth reckless, it may come back to haunt. That is why I said that I am not one to judge what the NHL determines a goal...I have never been there, therefore, I am in no place to judge.

Instead...

Be smart and choose option (2). Look at the play, determine in your mind how you would call that in a game you would work, pass no judgment on what you see on TV, but instead have a healthy dialog about it. Use these moments to make yourself better RATHER THAN TEAR SOMEONE ELSE DOWN... "Be above the Fray.."

Happy Throw Out a Coach Weekend

Must be getting to that time of the year...maybe everyone is dealing with the cold in different ways. I know of two VERY demonstrative situations where coaches were thrown out of a game this past weekend:

Here's one of them

Makes me think about the very first time I threw a coach out of a game. It was in a Bantam A game (actually the championship game of an invitational tournament in East Grand Forks). That was a game where I had to break up my first fight (the game was a 2-man game), albeit it was gloves punching helmets, etc. I also threw out the Thunder Bay coach later in the game for repeatedly screaming at my partner. The other thing I remember from that game is that the East Grand Forks team had 3 future Division I players on that team.

Another funny memory I have is when I threw a coach out of a game that was a Junior Gold game, played at Breck Ice Arena. The Anoka team was EXTREMELY chippy and the coach was out of control. At the end of the game when I was checking the score sheet to make sure everything was alright, the scorekeeper started giving me the business. I had to deal with him, too! He looked like this guy ---->toothless trailer trash

The funniest part of the trailer trash story was that this guy was telling me how to ref. I actually had a brief moment of anger and told him that he could watch me ref the upcoming weekend on Fox Sports (I usually don't like dropping my resume, but I had enough of Otis the Town Drunk).
My partner then said the only Fox show he'd be on is "Cops".

Do you have any funny stories about coach behavior?