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I forgot to share one event that stood out in last night's games-- a "NO CALL".   A "no call" is when an official makes a judgement that the contact made between players A1 and B1 was incidental and legal.   This is the hardest call to make because many coaches and almost all parents believe that any contact constitutes a foul.  "No calls" draw jeers and boos by onlookers especially when the contact involves a shooter.

SEP games 3 and 4 took place last night, and what a difference two days make! In addition to absorbing Monday's critiques, I spent hours studying the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) manual - the Bible, so to speak, on officiating rules, mechanics and procedures. It was like studying for a final exam, and the pressure I was putting on myself was enormous.

At the end of the two-game set, I gave myself a B+; a big jump from Monday's grade. Why? Two reasons: partners and confidence.

My dad has been gone for close to twenty years now, yet this Father's Day week he is closer to my heart than he has been in many years.

If he were still alive, II am sure we would have been sharing in the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the past few weeks, culminating in the Bruins' victory over the Vancouver Canucks last night in Game 7. 

It was an excitement we shared 39 years ago when the Bruins last won the Cup.  Since he was born in 1925, he was alive for all of the other Cup victories by the B's in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970 and 1972.

Today I got a call from Adam. He is a former bantam hockey player who recently graduated from Ohio State, where he played baseball. He is now headed to rookie camp for the Milwaukee Brewers. I thought back to his bantam hockey team and realized that, besides Adam, two others currently play in the NFL, one in the NHL and four more are currently or will be playing professional hockey.

Wow, what a crew! One half of the bantam team ended up playing professionally in three dfferent sports. Now how often does that happen? What a thrill to have coached those young men and their teammates. It simply shows that good athletes can play many sports and, to get to the top, one needs to be a good athlete.

USA Hockey continues to expand their American Development Model (ADM) that is intended to provide youth players a better quality of experience in the game, higher skill levels, and a safer environment that will attract and retain more players. The model is tested in other parts of the world, makes lots of sense for kids, and it has the support from many disciplines in the medical field. Hockey associations and clubs around the country are quickly adopting the concepts and ideas although some are fearful of the changes that are required. The interesting part of all of this is that many of these ideas have been around for a long time and only now are they organized into a coherent long term development program for youth players and older athletes.