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Be kind to the Ref tonight ... he's a hometown boy

Stephen Walkom (r) talks with NHL staff member Dave Keon.

Stephen Walkom (r) talks with NHL staff member Dave Keon.

One of the many positive outcomes of hosting the Kraft Hockeyville event is the return of familiar faces, and in a sea of NHL alumni, executives and officials no one stands out more than hometown boy Stephen Walkom.

Walkom, who worked his way up the officiating ladder and is now the Director of Officiating for the NHL, held an intense skills development workshop Sunday on the ice where his career started ‘Pete Palangio Arena’.

Before leaving the ice for the director’s chair, Walkom officiated games the AHL, IHL, NOHA, OHA, and OHL and had some choice assignments including the Memorial Cup (1990); Stanley Cup Finals (2002, 2004); Winter Olympic Games (2002); and the World Cup (2004), but never forgot his roots.

“I was one of you,” he says during the question and answer period of the clinic.

“Everything for me started in these rinks … it’s a real special day.”

“I never dreamed when I graduated from time keeping to refing that I would make it to the NHL.”

But making it to the NHL was not an easy climb and Walkom stressed that it took a great deal of hard work and a true love of the game to make it and not the position title that kept him going.

Walkom, who holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce from Laurentian University, told the up and coming referees that he worked for companies, opened his own business and continued to ref because he loves it.

He told the up and coming refs that it's important to go to school and get an education while pursuing a career in hockey.

“It was never easy to have this dream … it’s surreal yet … who am I kidding ... the NHL was always a long way away from North Bay,” he says of his career.

“I never went to an NHL game till I worked for the league.”

“I got in it by chance to get pin money.”

He credits his parents for all the successes he had in life as they taught him that nothing is handed to anyone that it has to be earned.

Hockeyville Chair Chris Dawson points out that even getting Walkom home to ref the exhibition game was hard work.

“We had to do a lot of wrangling to get Steve up here,” states Dawson.

“But it was his connection to the Bay and Northern Ontario that won out in the end.”

Walkom said that he is off the ice and felt it would be selfish to just assign himself to the game.

“I love coming to North Bay my mom and dad are here. North Bay is one of the best places to live in the world.”

“I had to make sure the team (NHL Referees) were okay with it.”

Walkom says although his job is now off the ice he still spends a great deal of time coaching and running clinics. He also says he would like to see some changes made in hockey in order for players to have an appreciation of what the job of a ref is all about.

“I would like to see a program where bantam players have to officiate games,” he explains.

“No player says ‘man I want to be a ref,’ but it will give them a better understanding.”

Walkom also sees such a program as an opportunity to take some of the intensity that parents display in the stands away.

“They will be less likely to strike out at officials because it’s their children.”

Although Walkom is happy to be home, he admitted he is a bit nervous about tonight’s game.

“I hope that I don’t trip on the mat!”