Over the past year, I sold my house and moved into a condo. Pictured below is the backyard rink I built every winter. It's a place where dreams were forged for my two sons and their friends. Many of my happiest memories at home came during winters around our rink: Sitting by the fire, watching the boys skate, chasing their errant shots down the hill, the Christmas lights around the rink, the snowman lit up and on the hill, the hot hose at 2 AM with a coyote sitting on the hill howling at the moon.
This was our backyard rink. Sad we sold the house but it was time. The boys are gone now except for holiday visits. Pointless to keep up a big house with two empty bedrooms and a rink with no skaters. pic.twitter.com/giYil2oVg1
How was I able to battle so hard and successfully beat advanced-stage colon cancer? Just to be able to be there for those moments and memories.
I have to be honest: I'm a bit sad that we sold our home. But sometimes your head has to rule over your heart. Reality was stark. My sons are now on their own, chasing their dreams and living their lives. Except for their visits during the holidays, we didn't need the space. it does not make sense to keep a big house with two empty bedrooms or build and upkeep a rink with no skaters. It was time to sell and say goodbye.
That said, I miss the rink and the times when the boys were growing up. One thing I can say about the experience of battling cancer right after my older son was born is that I never took the time for granted. Besides that, I enjoyed it. The rink was never work. It was always a moment of peace to me and an investment of my time toward our boy's success. So far, so good.
Friends In Need
For all the rivalries and friction that are part of the emotional side of hockey, there is also a fraternal bond that builds and strengthens over time. Unfortunately, with each passing year, I find myself writing more "get well" and "in memoriam" blogs for my contemporaries on the ice and in the administrative and managerial sides of the game.
* My condolences go out to the family and friends of U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer Art Berglund, especially to his step-daughters Jossie and Cathy. Art, who was instrumental in the explosive growth of USA Hockey, passed away yesterday at the age of 80.
* Prayers go out to longtime Chicago Blackhawks forward Steve Ludzik who, at age 59, is is need of a liver transplant.
* Prayers go out to longtime NHL defenseman (most remembered as an Islander but also a King, Flyer, Baron and North Star) and broadcaster Jean Potvin. In February 2019, Jean underwent a successful liver transplant. Now he needs a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, Jean's overall health, especially his heart, do not make the 71-year-old a strong candidate for the surgery.
My friend Ward McKeen donated a kidney to his dad. We need more organ donors. They are true life-savers and heroes, whether it's saving the life of a loved one or a stranger. There were not many positives that came out of the tragic death of Vezina Trophy winner Pelle Lindbergh in Nov. 1985, but his family's willingness to donate his organs ended up saving several other people's lives. As Mike Keenan poignantly said, it was Lindbergh's final save.
For more information on organ donation, visit DonateLife.net.
Doesn't Matter How You Score 'Em
We were snowbound in the house this week, with more than a foot and a half of snow locally. It gave me the chance to send out some emails and catch up on my DMs here on HockeyBuzz and my Twitter page. I was asked if I remember much about my goals in the NHL because I didn't really go into much description of them in my "Ya Wanna Go?" autobiography.
I only scored two, so I certainly remember them. The first came in Vancouver on March 23, 1980, at 12:07 of the first period; the game's first goal in an eventual 6-2 win over the Canucks. It was also the last game my Nordiques won that season. We went 0-6-2 the rest of the way. After my fight in my next game with the late Jack McIlhargey (I blogged about Bucky after his passing a few months ago), I returned to the lineup on March 30 against the Islanders and scored a second-period goal in a 9-6 loss. Real Clouturier and Rich LeDuc created the chance.
My first goal in particular was a real beauty. Guy Lafleur had nothing on me. I jest.
The goal a pure fluke. I never got full control of the puck and it slid under the goalie's arm and trickled over the goal line. You could read the "NHL" label on the puck as it went in.
So, no, it's wasn't a top-shelf beauty or a slick deke that turned the goalie inside out. Marc Tardif made a legitimately nice play. I just saw a big seam, went to the net, and got rewarded for it. Oddly enough, although I remembered the play very well, I never saw a video clip of it until many years later when someone kindly uploaded it to YouTube.
At the end of the day, there are no style points added to a goal. Goes in off your shinpad? That's fine. Goes in off your skate? No problem, as long as it wasn't a "distinct kicking motion" (as the NHL Rule Book not-so-clearly defines). Bounces in off an opposing player? They're part of the ice surface as far as the legality of a goal goes. Goalie makes a spectacular glove save but does so just behind the goal line? It's a goal.
It goes without saying that my goal scoring wasn't what got me to the NHL. I was no star. I was a fighter who would go with anyone; that was my ticket to the pros. But it doesn't matter who you are. Any player's first NHL goal is a thrill and a memory he can instantly recall for the rest of his life.
Because of my own experiences as a player, I always took enjoyment as a referee when a tough guy or fourth line checker would score his first NHL goal in a game I officiated. When the goals are rare, they're all the more special to the guy who scores it.
So, yeah, I certainly remember my goals in the NHL. Since there were only two, they don't take up too much space in the ol' memory vault.
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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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