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Morton Made a Successful Jump from Playing to Officiating |
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Best wishes go out to longtime NHL referee Dean Morton, who will be retiring at the end of the 2021-22 season. His final game will be in Calgary when the Flames play the Detroit Red Wings. He'll work the game with fellow referee Brad Meier along with linesmen David Brisebois and Brad Kovachik. Meier, like Morton, is retiring at the end of the season.
I have always felt a connection with Dean because we are both former NHL players who made the transition to officiating after our playing days ended. There is some nice symbolic meaning to Dean's final game being one that involves the Red Wings. He was drafted by Detroit in the 1986 NHL Entry Draft and later played his lone NHL game (scoring a goal in the process) in a Red Wings uniform during the 1989=90 season. He had a six-season professional playing career in all.
Later, Dean made it back to the NHL -- this time for a much lengthier stint -- after making the transition from playing to officiating. It's a different mindset, a different type of grind and there are many technical adjustments involved. There's also the matter of learning the Rule Book inside and out as a prerequisite. Dean knew his way to the penalty box as a player, but officiating involves a much deeper degree of knowledge both of the letter of the law and the reason why certain rules exist. There's a lot of art to feeling the temperature of a game, and it takes a lot of experience as well as hockey sense to hone that ability.
I was an AHL officiating supervisor during Dean's early years as an official. There was significant concern by league higher-ups about whether he'd navigate the steep learning curve successfully and at one point, he was about to be fired. I tried to pay forward what men like John McCauley, John Ashley, Frank Udvari and Scotty Morrison did for me: I advocated strongly for continued patience with Dean. He did the rest and lasted 22 years; the potential was there all along.
Just as with players, it is very special for officials when they hit the coveted 1,000 NHL games worked milestone. Dean Morten accomplished that feat earlier this season. While we all need mentors and supervisors/coaches who believe in us along the way, everyone in this business eventually has to stand on his own two feet and prove his mettle.
Congratulations on a fine career, Mortee. You've done our profession proud.
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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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