Jeff Carlson Needs Our Help
We are only as good as those we played and battled with and against. Jeff Carlson of Hanson Brothers fame in Slap Shot needs our help this holiday season. His cinematic "brother" and real life close friend, Dave "Killer" Hanson (Jack Hanson in Slap Shot), alerted me to a Go Fund Me campaign that was started by Jeff's son, Hunter, to help the family deal with the slew of medical bills associated with his dad's battle with life-threatening medical issues.
Jeff is a tough guy and a good man from a great family. I am proud to call him a friend from our off-ice encounters when he's traveled in Hanson Brother character with Dave and with real-life brother Steve Carlson (Steve Hanson in Slap Shot). Having fought all of the Carlsons/Hansons during our respective playing days in the NAHL and/or WHA, I can tell you firsthand that they were tough to play against when the gloves were on and a real handful to fight when the gloves were dropped. More important, the off-ice and real-life Jeff, Jack and Steve Carlson as well as Dave Hanson are salt-of-the-earth, humble, quality people.
In the spirit of the holidays, as a gesture of thanks for the laughs the Hanson Brothers characters have brought cinematically and live, and a node of respect to someone's who has devoted his life to the game we all love, I encourage everyone to donate any amount you can to Hunter Carlson's drive to help his dad cover his medical expenses.
Thus far, roughly $14,750 toward a $20,000 goal has been met. To help out,
click here.
Below is the text of the email I received from Dave Hanson regarding Jeff:
Hi Again Friends,
I hope you all have a wonderful family and turkey filled Thanksgiving. I'm following up on the email I sent last week for a couple of reasons. First to let you know that the financial goal that Jeff's son Hunter set on the GoFundMe page has been exceeded due to the overwhelming generosity of concerned and caring folks like yourselves. Secondly, to let you know that I spoke to Jeff over the weekend to let him know about it - keep in mind that Jeff does not have any social media skills to keep up on this kind of thing / he still uses a flip phone - and he was overwhelmed along with speechless, if you can fathom Jeff being speechless. His exact words to me was, "I didn't think people liked me." Thirdly, after speaking with Jeff I realized that although the goal that Hunter set has been exceeded, the amount donated so far will help but he has significant medical and related bills that have been and will continue to pile. Expenses that require him to make long-term payments and possibly force him to skip doctor visits due to co-pays he can't afford. Lastly, I was contacted by some of you who wanted to donate but could not get on the site using the information I provided. Therefore, I'm sending you the direct link to the site and ask you to use this link in any of the postings you are sending out to spread the word about Jeff.
Rise and Shine
f you're not early, you're late. I am up everyday by 5:30 a.m. It usually takes an hour to shower shave, read, breakfast and take the dogs out. Then I get to drive to work go to meetings, inspect roofs, talk to clients on the phone and do business reports. Such is my post-playing, post-officiating, post ECAC and KHL officiating management daily life. Even during my playing and reffing days, I was an early riser even on the days when I didn't have to be up to go to practice, the rink or tend to league paperwork.
Like Ronald Reagan, I'm a believer in napping. These days, I usually take one before dinner,then eat, have a glass of wine or whatever and the some Christmas cookies and cocoa with whipped cream. I'll then reply to some emails and watch some TV and be in bed by 11 tonight.
I watched the Rockettes on TV last night, and they were are terrific. Turning on the Christmas tree lights and away we went for Christmas 2020.
Life itself is a gift. Who can be tired? This is my favorite time of the year. Some early risers might get more done, but so be it. I just read an interest article on the pros and cons of waking up early. For some it's beneficial. For others, it becomes detrimental if done habitually. I put myself in the first category. If you're interested,
click here for the article.
Refereeing Experience
As we (hopefully) get through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and the outlook starts to brighten after this toughest of winters, I think we can all agree that a return to a semblance of normality should be a goal worth achieving. We're not there yet; far from it. I just hope, that in this time when the daily news is getting bleaker and bleaker in the short term in terms of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths -- with vaccines imminently about to roll out and become more and more widely available -- that we all do our part to protect others, be mindful of the dire situation that our first responders, nurses and doctors face every day and also excercize some damn common sense for once in terms of minimizing our own risk.
If you don't wear a mask, won't avoid crowded indoor spaces, won't socially distance when you possibly can, and won't even listen to the hand washing guidelines that our public health experts put out, you aren't exercising your "FREEDOM." You're simply being DUMB (not to mention selfish).
At any rate, once we DO get some normality re-established and we get hockey back on the ice for more traditional seasons, the need for more people to give officiating a try at the grass roots on up will be greater than ever. It's a great way to stay involved in the game and to give something back.
Let me close this on a lighter note: Don't worry if you have no officiating experience. Give it a try and see if it's for you. Keep this in mind, too. If you are the parent of two or more children, you've already got refereeing experience! Psychologically, ice hockey officiating is much like being the adult in the room when your two kids are fighting over the same object.
Ya Wanna Go Again?
For Black Friday weekend and for the duration of the holiday season, I have created a 20% off coupon code for all orders of my autobiography, Ya Wanna Go?, at http://YaWannaGo.com. The code is FRIDAY (not to be confused with famous NHL/WHA referee Bill Friday). Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
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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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