During the holiday season, I often think of the trips I would take with my dad when he would go north to Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby and especially Dartmouth to referee during their Christmast tournament. We would go for a two- game set, staying overnight and then having breakfast at Lou's in Hanover especially when we were at Dartmouth.
My Dad knew of Christmas tree farms in the area. After breakfast, we would stop and buy three or four trees that were bundled up and tied to the roof of our station wagon. One, of course the biggest, was for us. The others were given to The Tarpey family, our oil man and our plumber.
I think of the decorations on our home on Maryknoll Street in Dot (Dorchester) and later at 975 Centre in Jamaica Plain.
I often think about that Christmas when my Dad surprised me with that 1st pair of boy's skates. I wrote a story about it for the Huffington Post, entitled
A Christmas Story: My Father's Greatest Gift. Later, NPR Radio turned the story into an episode of their syndicated Only a Game show. To listen to the program,
click here.
That memory is indelibly inked into my mind when I think back to that Christmas and how happy I was when I opened that present and saw those boys Hyde skates with the blue tips on the heels.
I especially recall the smile my dad had on his face and the wink he gave me as I clumped around the living room in my new skates.
Matthew Sherman, the then-9-year-old son of a family friend, asked if he could take that story and make it into a children's book that is available on Amazon for $10. Mathew got a young lady, Chloe Mako, to Illustrate the story. The book is called
A Magical Christmas for Paul Stewart. Proceeds of the book sales go to support inner-city hockey, including the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation in Philadelphia.
True story: At my U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2018, Matthew and his family were among my guests in Nashville. He walked up to Gary Bettman, confidently approached and introduced himself and then tried to sell Gary a copy of the book. He didn't make a sale but he got a high-five from the NHL Commissioner.
Yesterday, I sat in my new living room looking at our tree. It's maybe not the biggest or the the shapeliest but I grew it in my back yard. It has meaning to me, and it made me think back to the trees I brought home with my father.
This week also has meaning in the hockey world. Yesterday was the 33rd anniversary of the night I refereed when Wayne Gretzky scored five goals and one assist against Don Beaupre and the Minnesota North Stars. That night, I disallowed a would-be sixth goal for Gretzky as Beaupre gloved the puck just before it crossed the line. The crowd in Edmonton erupted, thinking it was a record-tying goal but I was in position and made the correct call.
No replay in those days, but none would have been needed. Nonetheless, I was a villain on the postgame radio show for denying Wayne yet another record. Such is the life of a ref.
After the game was over, Mike Cvik, the linesman drove me and Wally Harris, our supervisor, back to The hotel. That is when Wally took me aside and told me that my dad had died earlier that day. They held the news until after the game.
All of those great memories of Christmas tree farms, Lou's Breakfasts in Hanover, College games, the long drives with dad, they all came back to me last night. As Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life learned, it's the family, the friends, the memories that make life worth living. I've had many great ones.....Those skates took me everywhere I dreamed I could go.
Thanks Dad and Merry Christmas to you, Mom, Nanna, Grampy, Gil and Grandma Mac.
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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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