Follow Paul on Twitter: @paulstewart22

A few years ago, while still working for the KHL, I spent U.S. Thanksgiving in Slovakia. I celebrated the occasion by eating a turkey drumstick at a mall food court in Bratislava. Such is the hockey life, but I must admit that there's no place like home for the holidays. I enjoyed my time in the KHL and am proud of our advancements in the realms of officiating and discipline but I always knew the position wouldn't last forever. It's good to be home with my family.

Thanksgiving in the U.S. has always been one of my favorite days of the year. In 1958, I took my first strides on the ice at the Boston Arena, wearing my sister Pat's (too big for my feet) white figure skates with toe picks. On Thanksgiving 1979, I made my NHL playing debut at the Boston Garden as a proud member of the Quebec Nordiques.

My annual Thanksgiving tradition when home: doing the cooking in the AM watching the parade and then watching one of my all-time favorite movies, Miracle on 34th Street. After that, it will be time to put up our Christmas lights and the candles in the windows. Soon the rink will be up in the back yard and it once again will be the damn finest and best maintained backyard rink in New England (if I dare say so myself).

Yes, Virginia, ex-"goons" and an refs are real people with real families, too.

Every year on Thanksgiving, I can't help but count my blessings and the people to whom I am grateful. I think about my dad and grandfather, wishing they were here. I think about the late John McCauley and Frank Udvari and my greatly missed old buddy Romeo LeBlanc. I think about men like John Ashley, Scotty Morrison, Jacques Demers, Frank "Junie" O'Brien and Fred Shero. I think about old friends and teammates from my playing and officiating days. I think about dear non-hockey friends, both living and deceased.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!


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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 serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.

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