| QUOTE |
| Let me share one last thought for consideration as we move forward. It comes from an arrangement I made with NY Islanders Hall of Fame goalie Billy Smith from the time I was a rookie referee. Smitty was known for using his stick for more than stopping shots or clearing away pucks. He was a scary individual and never hesitated to take law and order into his own hands; something I wanted him to avoid when I was working Islander games. The first time Smitty whacked a guy in his crease I approached him and said, "I want to make a deal with you. I promise to penalize every player that interferes with you when you are in your goal crease. If you touch them with your stick though, I guarantee that you will get the penalty. Do we have a deal?" Billy Smith said, "Deal. That's all I want, is to be able to stop the puck without being interfered with." I wasn't finished negotiating yet and wanted to cover all the bases with this guy. I then asked him what "protection" he expected when he was "outside of his crease." Smitty grinned as he pointed his 'hatchet' into the end zone and said, "Don't worry about me when I'm out there, I'll take care of myself --then you can give me a penalty!" Goalies of today are looking for the "Right of Way"… Billy Smith cleared his own path; straight to The Hockey Hall of Fame. |
| QUOTE (Sab31 @ Jun 6 2011, 05:56 AM) |
| Love that article....I idolized Smitty when I was a young goalie...getting myself in trouble and various suspensions using my stick to clear my crease and beyond.....and then became a ref...go f'n figure! lol SAB |
