NHL Officials Training Camp

 The Westin Trillium House

 Royal Majesty Espresso Bakery

Center of the Ski Village at Blue Mountain

 BBQ hosted by the Georgian Shores Minor Hockey Association 

 NHL Officials getting ready for Q&A

 The Stanley Cup!

What a week this has been! I was invited to Blue Mountain where the NHL held their on-ice officials training camp! I have never been in a room with so many officials before and it was a great experience. The stories they shared and the wealth of knowledge they possess about the game was astonishing! They really had me laughing the entire time!

A treat for me was the location. I was at Blue Mountain Resort that had everything from restaurants, ski shops, cafes and art galleries. I stayed at the Westin Trillium House and the ski chalet décor was quite lovely. My favorite spot was the Royal Majesty Espresso Bakery, which had delicious homemade apple crisp (and where I could get my Chi Tea each day). The atmosphere was quiet in town but the locals assured me that it was soon to pick up, as winter is only a few months away. It seems this is a favorite spot for people in Toronto as it's only a 2 1/2 hour drive from the city!

During my stay, the NHL officials held a ‘Community Day’ in the local town hall. There was a Q&A session moderated by ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ commentator Elliotte Friedman. The panel included Terry Gregson (NHL’s Senior VP and Director of Officiating), Mick McGeough and other current NHL on-ice officials. They also held a BBQ hosted by the Georgian Shores Minor Hockey Association with the officials on the grill! Many families came out for this fun event and kids were even able to play floorball against the officials in an outdoor game that had many cheering from the sidelines. 

It was also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with recently retired NHL referee Bill McCreary- who is quite the legend in the field. His “NHL career spans almost three decades and includes an incredible 1,737 games, 297 playoff games, 15 final rounds, including 13 consecutive final games…which includes the 1991 and 1994 Canada Cups, the 1994 All-Star Game in New York, the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, and the gold medal game between Russia and the Czech Republic. Then there’s the Stanley Cup Finals between 1994 and 2007; and the final round, including game 7, in 2009. By working the Final in 2010, he set the record for the most games worked in the Stanley Cup Finals with 44. He also worked the 2005 Spengler Cup in Switzerland; the last game played in Maple Leaf Gardens, and Wayne Gretzky’s last game as a player. In addition, the gold medal game between Canada and the United States during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Gold Medal game". Whew, what a career right?! It was an honor to be invited into his home and meet his wonderful family and wife Mary Anne.  

The next treat for me was to see the Stanley Cup! I have never before seen it in person but I was in awe once I got up close. Noticeably dented from an accidental drop in Newfoundland- it was still beautiful and bigger than I anticipated. I was also able to see the Hart, Calder, Lady Byng and Rocket Richard trophies on display. This was quite an "official" treat week! 

Source: http://www.nhlofficials.com/display_news.asp?articleID=529