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I hope everyone enjoyed this year's dramatic and highly entertaining Stanley Cup Finals and all the dads out there had a good Father's Day. I am now back in Russia for much of the summer. In today's hockey world, there really is no such thing as an offseason anymore.

When I talk about things that have changed in the game over the course of my career, one of the most dramatic changes has been the way players and officials alike approach the off-season.

Back in the 1970s when I was playing professionally and the early to mid-1980s when I was breaking in as a referee, things were very different. Many players and officials alike lived on a McKenzie Brothers diet of beer, Tim Horton's or Dunkin' Donuts and back bacon. That was especially true in the summertime, when many hockey people were either spending their time fishing or hunting. Others, especially before the NHL-WHA competition drove up salaries, had to work summer jobs to supplement their incomes.

Bob Clarke and I have had some differences at times over the years (in fact, he once tried to get me fired as an NHL referee) but I have to give credit where it is due. As captain of the Flyers during their Stanley Cup years, he was a fitness fanatic by the standards of the time. After the team won its first Stanley Cup, he personally asked all of his teammates to make sure they came to training camp in September in decent physical condition. Most complied, and it gave the team a little extra advantage as it began its defense of the Cup.

Very early in life, I realize that my size, strength and toughness were my only shot at a professional hockey career. I was another early adopter of weight training and I took up martial arts and boxing as well. For me, I never wanted a "permanent offseason", which is what would have happened if I did not keep myself in the best possible shape year-round.

Back then, many players and officials scoffed at these sorts of things, and many called weight training in particular a "big bore". Their only off-ice exercise was to bend their elbows to hoist a few brews at the bar or to heave the remnants of their drive-through burger and fries at the trash can from 10 feet away. The more endeavoring might actually walk a golf course instead of riding a golf cart.

Times have changed, for players and officials alike but especially the latter. Back then, there was still much to learn. Around hockey, even among players who were considered reasonably fit, tobacco use and diets consisting largely of saturated fats and carbohydrates were still not necessarily frowned upon the way they are today. The fitness bar has been raised many notches since that time.

From an officials' standpoint, the 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs were a major turning point in the way conditioning was emphasized. That was the year of the infamous "have another donut" postgame run-in between New Jersey Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld and referee Don Koharski after Game 3 of New Jersey's series with Boston.

Throughout the 1990s, there was an evolutionary process of the fitness standards expected of officials; meeting these objectives became both mandatory from the NHL in its reviews of referees and linesmen and supported by most of the officials themselves.

A huge step in the process happened in 2000, when the NHL hired Dave Smith to oversee and monitors the health and wellness of all NHL on ice-officials as well as NHL-contracted officiating prospects working in the minor leagues. The brother of former Detroit Red Wings assistant and longtime Swedish league head coach Barry Smith, Dave is a former collegiate and pro (in Europe) hockey player who served as the physical therapist and the strength and conditioning coach for the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers before the League hired him to the post he still holds.

Smitty works directly with each official to craft a personalized off-season fitness plan and in-season maintenance program. On the first day of training camp before the start of the preseason -- yes, there is training camp for officials as well as players -- each official must undergo a pretty rigorous fitness test. If he spent the summer vegetating on the couch or eating poorly, it is going to show.

During the season, officials are also reviewed on their ongoing skating and physical performance in addition to the traditional review aspects of rule enforcement and game management. Conditioning has to be kept up all season, to the dismay of those who are prone to deconditioning during the season when it can be tougher to carve out time to work out.

Referees and linesmen live out of suitcases virtually the entire season. There are few nights spent in your own bed, few home cooked meals and no "home games" per se unless you are working a game in or near the city where you live. As such, it takes major commitment to avoid deconditioning.

Things like food portion control, limiting intake of bad cholesterol, making time for off-ice exercise (and, if need be, doing injury rehab work) and getting sufficient rest are largely an individual responsibility for officials to balance against constant travel, sleeping in hotels and eating either on their own or with their officiating teammates. This is an area where players have a built-in personal fitness advantage over officials during the season, because the teams largely structure their day-to-day routines for them and the trainers travel with the club.

If you want to see what a sample personalized fitness program for a current-day NHL official looks like, click here.

One final thought for now: It is also important to tend to one's metal health as well as physical. Take some time to step back, take a deep breath and recharge your batteries. Before returning to Russia, I enjoyed some time with my family, catching up with friends and playing a few rounds on the links.

Many hockey people never really take the time to enjoy what the places they travel to have to offer. Personally, I get great enjoyment from visiting the landmarks and taking in the scenery of the places I've had the opportunity to travel. That is especially true after the season. Most recently, I've been in Sochi, which has to be seen to believed. Beautiful place!

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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.

Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.

In addition to his blogs for HockeyBuzz every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Stewart writes a column every Wednesday for the Huffington Post.