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Hockey teams are always looking for an edge;a field of knowledge or a realm of opportunity that they can use to their advantage and stay ahead of the competition. One of the areas where I believe forward-thinking NHL teams could tap into an under-used knowledge base is by considering longtime officials for decision-making roles in their scouting departments and/or front offices. Why not?

An NHL owner once said to me, " Paul, you're not a scout or a GM. You're a ref and a former player. What would you know about finding players and putting a team together?"

My blunt response: "I am three feet from these guys. I know whose real and who throws snow. The scouts are three hundred feet up there in the press box. Some do a great job and some are mostly drinking coffee and worrying about the traffic getting home."

That's the thing about scouts. There some truly great ones who are worth their weight in gold to an organization. There are also a lot of mediocre ones -- nice enough guys, but not very hard working on game nights -- who think they've done their job simply by keeping to their travel schedule.

What I have found over the years is that being an ex-player does not necessarily make someone qualified for coaching, scouting, officiating or being a general manager. Some of the best ex-players have been among the worst coaches and GMs, for instance. Likewise, being the GMs old running buddy from their respective playing careers does not necessarily qualify someone to be a scout.

Some NHL teams have taken chances on candidates who never played the game at any significant level. Many have been former agents, who crossed over to the other side of the table. Some have watched a lot of hockey and know all the buzz words but anyone who has been on the ice in a playing capacity at the NHL (or high minor league) level can see they really aren't qualified for hockey operations related posts as coaches, general managers, scouts, etc.

Some non-players have excelled in those posts. Some have been disasters. The wheat inevitable gets separated from the chaff.

Scotty Bowman is the ultimate example of someone who excelled in the NHL despite never playing pro hockey. Ditto Pat Burns and Ken Hitchcock. New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero, a former agent whose playing career topped out at the collegiate level, became an NHL front office man in Ottawa and Pittsburgh and later brought a Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh as a general manager before his current job in New Jersey. Former agent Bill Zito is an assistant general manager with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Oilers and former Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli never played above the collegiate level.

Here's a little secret about those guys: Part of what made them successful as coaches or front office people is that they know when and what to delegate to their assistant coaches, scouts and other personnel who had been former NHL players or at least had been former pro players.

The non-players who have been disasters in those jobs are the ones who went in thinking they knew more than everyone else. Pierre McGuire was the poster child for someone who knows all the jargon and memorizes facts about players and teams but was painfully unqualified for NHL coaching when he got the chance.

At any rate, if some NHL teams are willing to consider for high-level jobs some non-players or those who otherwise lack high-level coaching experience, I should think that savvy hockey officials should also be part of the mix. There are some really sharp hockey people on the officiating side of the game. My brethren who excel in their professional know how to "read" players and often have a level of hockey sense than rivals even some longtime players. I have no doubt in my mind that there are current and former officials who could make for good scouts and front office people if NHL owners would open their mind to that possibility.

I knowfrom what I speak, because I once interviewed for an NHL GM job. More to the point, I am not the only former official who has the chops to deserve consideration for such posts. It just takes one progressive-thinking team to open that door to my fellow officials and I think the rest of the hockey world will be surprised by just how much we actually do know about what goes into the making of a successful hockey team.

Professional officials ARE hockey people, too. They just have a somewhat different perspective and set of experiences. That is something any healthy NHL organization should welcome. It just takes one real success story in one NHL organization to create a copycat effect leaguewide. Nothing succeeds like success.


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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.

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.