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The other night, I got together with some old friends for dinner in honor of Nate Greenberg. Apart from Nate and myself, Terry Sericolo, Brian Murphy, Mike Noeth Sr., Kevin Collins and Chris Rooney were all there. I had a great time, sharing laughs, stories and fresh seafood with the group.
Whenever people ask me what I miss the most about pro hockey, it always comes back to the people. I made some lifelong friends during my playing days but the guys I truly felt the strongest bonds with were my fellow officials.
Growing up, my dream was to play in the NHL. Even one game would have been incredible. That I got to spend much of the 1979-80 season in the league (albeit playing sparingly), and to make my home base for that year in a great city like Quebec, was more than I could have ever hoped. That said, if I am being 100 percent honest, I found more enjoyment and fulfillment as a referee than I did as a player.
This was for two reasons:
1. Ice time. As a player, I was fortunate to get more than a couple shifts in a game. There were games, both in the WHA and NHL, where I dressed and sat on the bench but never got a single shift. It's not a great feeling. As a referee, conversely, I was on the ice for the entire game. Keep me skating, and I'm a happy man.
2. Intrinsic rewards. Rather than serving my team and dropping the gloves both to protect teammates and to establish myself, officiating gave me the opportunity to serve the game itself. I learned to enjoy the beauty and flow of a well-played game, the skills to take the temperature of an emotional game and the ability to leave the building with a good feeling that was not dependent on which team won and whether I was given a chance to get out on the ice that given night. Besides, I had an all-new group of teammates -- my fellow officials -- and we shared the bond of doing one of the toughest jobs in sports.
Make no mistake about it. Especially in today's game, hockey officials are excellent athletes in their own right. But it takes more than fleet feet, excellent cardiovascular conditioning and stamina to be a good official. There's also a lot homework, judgement and patience involved. Like the Peace Corps slogan under JFK, it's the toughest job you'll ever love.
I share this viewpoint and the dinner table photo from the other night by way of making my latest plea to urge more ex-players to consider officiating as a route to staying involved in the sport. The game was done with me as a player by the time I was 30 years old. It turned out that my best years -- my most times rewarding professionally, the closest friendships, the funniest and most bizarre stories on and off the ice -- were still ahead of me.
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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.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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