Ice Hockey Tartan Army style

So…I have decided, in my infinite wisdom, to continue my officiating career…but for the time being that will have to be here in Scotland. I have my first game on Saturday afternoon in Kilmarnock, but it’s really been quite the process to get to this point.

My tribulations began back in the summer when I contacted the Scottish Ice Hockey league about refereeing. I was given the email for the ref in chief…I emailed him…and waited. I had almost given up hope when I sent one more email in August and was rewarded with success. I got a reply saying that the SIHL needed me to go and get a transfer form filled out from my referee in chief back in Canada, fill out a registration form, pay my fees, write an exam, and get my gear. These are all quite normal procedures and things I fully expected, but they just take a long time to do.

Steve Sleigh wrote me a very kind transfer letter that suitably impressed the RIC over here, and UPS kindly overcharged me for my own belongings (next time I think I’ll hire flying monkeys…it might be cheaper), but finally everything is set. We had our meeting last night and everything sounds really good.

I sat down and discussed my expectations with the referee in chief and he was keen to see me on the ice very soon…to gauge my abilities. I figured this was fair and was shocked when he told me I was on this Saturday. It’s what they call the Scottish National League and is basically competitive men’s hockey played between the various cities in Scotland…thimk Superjunior…or bad Cornwall Comets…just not professionals. It should be quite ugly. He said that, provided I do well there, I might find myself with lots of opportunities. Even if I do poorly on Saturday I’m sure I will get quite a number of games because they only had 20 guys show up to the meeting…and only a few others didn’t make…so I figure the entire ref staff is about 40 guys. That means I might be able to slip into games…so long as I can get to them. So, after we discussed that little arrangement I was hit with a 150 question IIHF exam. Dear God. The thing was huge…and they have some weird interpretations over here. I scored 122 out of 150…3rd or 4th best in the room despite not knowing all the IIHF rules. I was quite pleased with myself even thought I should have scored better. After the meeting I got a lift back into Glasgow from another ref who lives nearby. It was much appreciated because otherwise I was taking the train back into town.

Anyway, boys back home in the ODHA, keep your eyes and ears peeled for stories from Scottish rinks. It’s gonna start getting interesting. I’m warming up the old OFS…you never know when it might come in handy.

Anyway, that’s all from Scotland for today…stay tuned.

Bruce