fter almost 20 years of refereeing, I decided to hang up the red stripes this year. But the decision has nothing to do with my age or even hockey itself.
It has everything to do with the way I was treated by my association. And that got me to thinking: Maybe there are other assignors, supervisors and league officials who might see themselves in my story.
How it all began
Let’s start at the beginning. At the tender age of 16, 30 years ago, my hockey career — as a player — was rapidly coming to a close. Knowing I loved the game, my father suggested I stay in it by trying officiating. I immediately fell in love with that and started refereeing almost every night and all day long on the weekends.
I found out as much as I could about refereeing, and I rapidly climbed the officiating ladder.
In Canada, the highest rank for an amateur official is Level 6, reserved for only the cream of the crop. I never made it that far, but I did become one of the youngest Level 5 officials in Canada, reaching that mark when I was 20.
Continued...
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