Stephen Walkom
Stephen Walkom
Stephen Walkomcurrently serves as vice president and director of officiating for the National Hockey League. This is second tenure in that position, having previously served from 2005 to 2009. From 1990 to 2004, and from 2009 to 2013, he worked as an on-ice referee for the league...
calls course dictate guys intensity motto players playoff pleased stay whether
Our motto is to stay the course and the playoff intensity will still be there. I don't look at just one game. I'm very pleased at the way the guys have called it all year. The players dictate whether there will be a lot of calls or not.
broken call certain clutch culture difference fall grab guys regardless rule situations
In the old culture, the old way of thinking, a rule broken in certain situations was not called. The difference is our guys see it and they call it, regardless of the situation. Do that, you have consistency; if you don't, you fall back the other way and it's clutch and grab again.
accepted culture longer needs past practices
It's not just the players' culture and coaches' culture that needs to change. It's the officiating culture as well because accepted practices in the past will no longer be accepted.
create desired excitement fans free puck
If we can free up the puck carrier, I think we can create the excitement that the fans have desired for some time.
call game identical regular
The instructions to the referees . . . are identical to that of the regular season. We just want them to go out there and call the game the way they called it in the regular season.
anybody call might missed recognize talks
You've got to know that long before anybody talks to our guys, they recognize and know they might have missed a call in a game.
awareness soap vicious
We have to have awareness for the soap opera. It's a vicious circle, the way it works.
guys
We've had a lot of guys put them on this season, anyway. That was kind of a wake-up call.
exhibition fears hope learning opening players season team
We hope it accelerates the learning curve. That, coupled with the exhibition season each team plays, should alleviate some of the fears of the players come opening night.