‘An experience you’ll never forget’
How two N.L. officials ended up refereeing the Newfoundland Growlers for the first time
Heading into last weekend, Sheldon Keough and Brian Lambert were only supposed to be on the ice for one Newfoundland Growlers game as linesmen.
Mother Nature had other plans, as a massive winter storm struck the Avalon Peninsula, causing St. John’s to shut down and cancelling flights.
On one of those flights was Tyler Hascall, the scheduled referee for the three-game series between the Growlers and the Idaho Steelheads. He was coming from Dallas but never got in.
That thrust Keough and Lambert into a different role than they originally planned, as they ended up working that first game as referees.
FIRST TIME AS REFS
For both, it was the first time they refereed professional hockey.
Joe Maynard and Jim Vail worked the lines for that first game.
“It’s exciting, obviously,” said Keough.
It was the first time there had been an all-newfoundland and Labrador four-man crew on a Growlers game.
There had been threeperson crews from the province who worked pro hockey, which happened in the 1990s when the NHL officials went on strike and locals were asked to ref AHL games in the city.
There was a chance the league was going to fly in an official from Quebec for the March 11 game, but that didn’t happen.
So, the pair ended up working all three games of the series.
THAT NEW FEELING
For both Lambert and Keough, heading to the rink on Saturday hit them with some familiar feelings.
As a pair, they’ve done every level of hockey in the province, from Herder finals to junior hockey championships.
It felt a little like doing a game at those levels, but the Growlers, however, represented a new achievement for them: it was pro hockey.
“It almost felt like going back to your first game of high school, junior or senior just on a much larger scale,” said Lambert.
“It’s professional hockey.”
CHANGE IN PREPARATION
As you would expect, your game preparation changes when your role changes.
As linesmen, Lambert and Keough would normally be concerned with getting to their spots on the ice and being there to keep any scrums from escalating.
Being a referee, though, means they’re watching the game for penalties and keeping an eye on players during stoppages. They also must know which players could cause trouble as the game progresses.
The Growlers players and coaches — including locals Zach O’brien, James Melindy and Adam Dawe — know them, but that relationship changes when they’re referees.
“All of your sightlines are different,” said Lambert.
THAT FIRST ONE
Both Lambert and Keough are in their late 30s and had thought their window to refereeing professional hockey had closed.
On top of the excitement and the nervousness that comes with that first assignment, it was a bonus to be doing it at home at the Mary Brown’s Centre.
“We were grateful for the opportunity,” said Keough. “It’s something to be proud of.”
After that first game, they each got a puck to commemorate that first pro game to go along with the memories they built across the entire weekend.
“It’s an experience you’ll never forget,” said Lambert. “It adds to the list of firsts and pucks on the wall.”