Dear Reader:
Paul Stewart is a very engaging person. He’s always been an engaging person.
To say that he is comfortable in a hockey arena would be an understatement. He has made his professional working career in hockey. First as a player.
Stewart played eight seasons of professional hockey, much of it in the minors, although he spent parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association. In three of those minor league campaigns he accumulated totals of 273, 232 and 241, respectively in penalty minutes. So you can see he liked to engage members of the opposition on the ice.
Following his retirement as a player, Stewart turned around and became a referee. He finally made his niche in the NHL, seeing action as a ref in 1010 regular season games. Again, he engaged players on the ice, but this time in a much different way.
Along with all of that, Stewart has also recovered from a bout with colon cancer.
Today, at 64, the Dorchester, Mass. native is the Men’s and Women’s League Director of Officiating for ECAC Hockey.
And he has strong connections with New York State hockey. As a player Stewart played for the Broome Dusters, Binghamton Dusters, Binghamton Whalers and Mohawk Valley Stars (Utica). He was a referee who saw NHL action in New York City, Long Island and Buffalo.
In his position today Stewart spends even more time in New York State checking out his officials at men’s and women’s college hockey games at Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Rensselaer, St. Lawrence and Union.
As he has done his entire life, Stewart takes the job he has now very seriously.
“My responsibilities are to find and train the best athletes who have a knack for hockey and a feel for the game,” said Stewart, who wore the number 22 during his entire career as an NHL referee. “It been a bit of a challenge this year with the new NCAA rules.
“It’s a year for the reuniting of our minds and hearts with what has been written and how to apply apply these new concepts of using the rule book to the full extent.”
Stewart is quite aware that there is a shortage of good on-ice officials across the United States. He knows the reasons for that as well.
“There are a lot of reasons, but many point to the disrespect the parents, teams and coaches have to the officials on the ice,” stated Stewart. “USA Hockey has to make it more friendly for the youngsters to come in at ages 12, 13 and 14.
“We also need to get the legislators of hockey in each state to understand that having a young official is different than having a youngster carrying a golf bag out on the golf course.
“It’s not slave labor. It’s a short period of time and usually mentored. And in my book there is zero tolerance for disrespect of young officials.
“I know because I have boys who have been officiating since they were 10. I worked with them and they have managed to make a pretty good living out of it.”
As for his relationship with New York State, there is no doubt that Stewart has a special place in his heart for the Empire State.
“The fountain of hockey life started for me in 1975 with Jim Matthews and the Binghamton Dusters,” remembered Stewart. “I have fond memories of those days.
“I was quite honored to be elected to their Hockey Hall of Fame.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of this State, from one end to the other. It’s been a great and wonderful journey for me.
“I know there will be more to come.”
Until next time,
Randy Schultz
