In honor of the giving season here is my version of the 12 days of Christmas. It may not have quite the cadence to it of the original -- but if you like, you can feel free to repeat each verse in reverse succession. It's sure to become a holiday classic.
On the first day of officiating Stewy said to me, get to the net and see what you need to see!!!That is where the money is. Work tight to the net by skating to open space and boomeranging the net.
On the second day of officiating Stewy said to me, keep your feet moving, referee. Hustle out out of the zone. When the players are moving up keep your feet moving, too. You will be able to make better determinations from 50 feet rather than 100 feet away from the play.
On the third day of officiating Stewy said to me, know the Rule Book to a T. When you have some free time refresh your knowledge, there is NO excuse for not knowing options on a penalty or the rules.
On the fourth day of officiating Stewy said to me, be prepared for when they disagree. Communication with players and coaches is essential. This grows even more important the further we get into the season. Those few extra seconds will make a huge difference when you can clarify or answer the pressing question. Use your judgment as how long you should stay, the goal is to get the puck down.
On the fifth day of officiating Stewy said to me, take time to process what you see.remember there is no prize for putting your arm up for a penalty the fastest (you may end up on the naughty list). Watch the play, judge the play, and make a decision. Then, if it is a penalty put up your arm.
On the sixth day of officiating Stewy said to me, use hockey sense when you call a penalty. When calling penalties ask yourself: Did someone gain an advantage? Was the play dangerous? Did someone lose a scoring opportunity? What was the effect?
On the seventh day of officiating Stewy said to me, linesmen don't guess where they're going to be. Judge the players crossing the blue line, see where players are and decide if it is offsides. Don't guess or anticipate where the players will end up relative to the puck.
On the eight day of officiating Stewy said to me, establish the faceoff standard early. Keep it throughout the game. I never like to see a center thrown out for the first time late in the third period on a defensive zone faceoff.
On the ninth day of officiating Stewy said to me, apply some psychology. have a presence after the whistle and calm players and situations.
On the tenth day of officiating Stewy said to me, linesman go to the bench with a referee. When a conversation is taking place between the coach and referee, a linesman should accompany the ref. Remember that you are there to observe not offer opinions.
On the eleventh day of officiating Stewy said to me, when an odd situation happens get together as a team. Discuss what happened, what the rules say and make sure you have the right call.
On the twelfth day of officiating Stewy said to me, linesmen must call icing consistently. Throughout the game, remember these guidelines:
* When a puck off the ice or bouncing will be icing if all of the other conditions are met, the defensive player is not expected to be able to play that puck.
* Make the decision when the puck is at the top of the circle if the player has been skating or not and then live with the decision. Do not wave off a puck a foot or 2 before the goal line because a defenseman "may" have held up.
* Remember if a player can't get to a puck before it crosses the goal line then it is icing.
* In a foot race if the puck in your judgment will cross the goal line when the players get to the dot then it is icing if the defensive player wins the race.
* When the puck is on the ice defensive players are expected to make a reasonable effort to play the puck, if this condition is met then it is icing.
* The back linesman is responsible for watching the players coming off the bench. Initiate icing and take inventory of the players on the ice. Stay with the bench and make sure the right players are on the ice. The referees will help but this is your responsibility.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight, and when you go out skating, keep your laces tight.
************************************************************************ 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 serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC at both the Division 1 and Division 3 levels.
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.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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