Want To Become a Referee?

2014-15 Registration begins August 1, 2014.

To completely register with USA Hockey as an official you need to complete five steps each year (go to Registration Tips for more information):

1.    USA Hockey Membership Registration:  Go to USAHockey.com. At the homepage you will click on “Register Online” and register as an Ice Official. This is where you will provide us with your personal information for our database and pay your annual membership fee. 

Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation email within 24-hours and a copy of the USA Hockey Playing Rules & Casebook (new officials and Rule Change Seasons only) within a week along with some additional information to help you along with the registration process.

You will also receive an email giving you information (including your USAH Officiating Number) relating to completing your online “Open Book Exam”.

2.    SafeSport Training (if 18+ years old): All officials who are 18 years-of-age or older must complete the United States Olympic Committee SafeSport training program. This online-based program trains coaches, officials, and key volunteers in detecting and preventing detrimental behavior (hazing, abuse, etc.) off the playing surface. Once completed, the training certification is good for two years before recertification is required. This training must be completed in addition to your USA Hockey Local Affiliate Background Checks.

3.    Online Education: Once registered with USA Hockey, you will receive instructions regarding the online Officiating Education module program. These modules are a mixture of required and elective topics that teach fundamental skills of officiating using video examples, animation, and knowledge-based testing. You must complete your required hours of training to receive your card and crest.

4.    Open Book Exam: Go to the “Open Book Exam” page at the Officials section of USAHockey.com and follow the steps to begin your online exam. The exam is designed to allow you to go at your own pace. You may answer all questions at once, or answer ten questions every day until it is completed. Please review all answers before submitting it to the National Office. The exam will be accessible 24-hours after online registration, and we strongly encourage you to wait until you receive your Rulebook and attend your seminar (see below) before attempting to take the test.

5.    In-Class Seminar: All USA Hockey Officials must attend a USA Hockey Officiating Seminar annually. To find one in your area, go to the “Seminars” page at the Officials section of USAHockey.com. You will need a USAHockey.com website profile to access the seminar schedule. Either sign-in to USAHockey.com or to create an online profile:

a)    Click the “Referee Login” link under the OFFICIALS tab, or at the main Seminars page.

b)    Select “Need to create a login profile?”, and follow the instructions and enter the required data-fields to set-up your profile.

Note: This process does not register you as a member with USA Hockey. You will pay no registration fee and your membership information will not be affected.

Note 2: In order for your USA Hockey.com profile to extract accurate information from the Officiating Program membership database, your online profile….

•    First Name
•    Last Name
•    Date-of-Birth
must match your Membership Registration information exactly. If you registered with USA Hockey as Michael, you must create your online profile with the exact same name (not Mike).

c)    After your profile is created and saved, you will automatically be directed to the USAH Online Registration System. You are now ready to sign up for a seminar.

Most seminars are scheduled between late August and early December (the schedules begin to appear online starting in July), and any questions about the seminars should be directed to your USA Hockey District Staff (following the links at the main Directory under Officials Materials). We strongly recommend you make sure you can attend a seminar before you begin the registration process (the fee is non-refundable), and do not wait long to register since some seminars do fill up very quickly.

Once you complete these three steps, and the USA Hockey National Office receives your Registration Fee, Open Book Exam answers, and Seminar Attendance confirmation, you will receive your USA Hockey Officiating Card and Sweater Crest and you are ready to work games. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, I would be glad to help you through the process. 

My Hockey Parent Prayer

As the start date fast approaches for another season of hockey, I wish to share this Facebook posting I cam across this morning. (I have modified it slightly)

My Hockey Parent Prayer

May I find the best route to the hockey arena in rush hour traffic. May there not be any road closures, beginner drivers or other stressed out hockey parents in my path.

May "The Child" have remembered all their equipment. May I hold my incredulous yell of frustration back when we're running late and they tell me that they MIGHT have left their hockey gloves on the floor back home.

May I find the grace not to scream at an opposing player who has just elbowed my child in the head.

May I find a spot in the arena that is actually under a working heater.

May I not get sick of Dunkin’s coffee, bagels, sandwiches and Munchkins in the next eight months.

May I try, for once, to just enjoy the game and not get stressed out and embarrass my child by screaming in the third period "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! SKATE!!!!!!!"

May I have the right words to comfort and encourage them when they have a bad game and the exuberance to celebrate with them when they have a good one.

May I remember that they love this freezing, time-consuming, money-sucking sport and that they are a thing of beauty when they skates.

And, most of all, may I remember that their childhood is passing all too quickly and that one day, I will actually miss all the time we spent in the van hustling back and forth between arenas. One day I will wish for that time back, so let me hold it in my memory as long as I can because it is flying away from me, faster than my child on hockey skates.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

  Congratulations to Matthew Desmond!  

Matthew, a member of our Squirt Major team, represented MRYHA during the AHL Manchester Monarchs unveiling of their new jersey for the 2014 - 2015 season!

MRYHA Memorial Scholarship

As you know, MRYHA was formed 50 years ago.  With any group/organization/family that exists for that length of time, you cannot escape the untimely loss of one of its members.  MRYHA has chosen to honor our lost members with a memorial scholarship.  Over the years the number of recipients, criteria, and even the name has changed.  The essence of the scholarship, however, has not. 

The MRYHA Memorial Scholarship is currently awarded to one or more graduating seniors who, at one time or another, participated in MRYHA and upholds the qualities and community service of those it is named after.

I must admit, until deciding to write this, I did not know about several of the individuals of whom this scholarship is named. It is my hope that after reading this entry, you too will know who each of the individuals that this scholarship is in memory of.

History of the Scholarship

The Marc Boulanger Scholarship was first awarded in late 1989 and awarded annually until 1994. 

The Kevin Charbonneau Scholarship was first awarded in 1992 and awarded annually until 1997.

The Eric Richardson Scholarship was first awarded in 1995 and awarded annually until 1997.   

In 1997, the Board of Directors voted to combine all three and rename them to the MRYHA Memorial Scholarship in memory of Marc, Kevin, and Eric.  At that time they also added Danny Richards and Jack Villemure to the list of names this scholarship is in honor of.

I am saddened yet honored to announce that on Monday July 7th, the Board of Directors unanimously voted in favor of adding Luke Capistran to the MRYHA Memorial Scholarship. 

Honorees

Each of these individuals were dedicated and passionate hockey enthusiast and MRYHA family members.

• Marc Boulanger who at the age of 15 died in an ATV accident in 1988.  
• Danny Richards who at the age of 16 died in a motor vehicle accident in 1989.
• Kevin Charbonneau who at the age of 15 died of heart failure after he was hit in the chest by a puck in the championship game of the MRYHA Bantam House League in 1991.  
• Eric Richardson who at the age of 24 died in a motorcycle accident in 1995.
• Jack Villemure, who coached in the program passed away unexpectedly in 1997.
• Luke Capistran who at the age of 16, died after a courageous battle with Brain Cancer in 2001.

The Board of Directors is currently working on a banner to hang at the West Side Arena so that as each year passes and scholarships are awarded, the memories of Marc, Danny, Kevin, Eric, Jack and Luke are never forgotten.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

  Congratulations to Brady Sufat & Stevan Tempesta Jr. as recipients of the 2014 MRYHA Memorial Scholarship.

L to R: Steve Tempesta Jr., Michael Durant, & Brady Sufat

Brady will be attending Bentley University this fall.

Steve will be attending McGill University this fall.

 Past Recipients

1989 Unknown at this time	1990 Unknown at this time	1991 Unknown at this time	1992 Unknown at this time
1993 Unknown at this time	1994 Unknown at this time	1995 Unknown at this time	1996 Shawn Hunt
1997 Jason Provencher Tracey Mercier	1998 Scott O’Neil Joseph Battistelli	1999 Tim Long Matt Lavoie	2000 Unknown at this time
2001 Unknown at this time	2002  Bryan Marble  Jeff Laurendeau	2003  Derek Russell  Kellen Rattigan	2004  Nate Toth  Nicolas Mirlocca  Ryan Gardner  David Fradette  Nathan Moreau
2005  Jesse Horion  Kenneth Ouellette  Nicholas Poulin  Bryn Doyle  Drew Kazanowski	2006  Jonathan Slebod  Chris Hoerner  Evan Turcotte Jeffrey Anderson	2007  James Paul Fritz Jr  Craig Martin  Nick Blanchette  Kyle Charbonneau  Brian Sowa	2008  Scott Turgeon  Jared Hoerner  Sam Leger  Ben Williamson
2009  Andrew Gardner  Matthew Myers  Kyle Pratte  Michael Trudel  Tom Wickham  Tyler Pratte	2010  Michael Putney  Kyle Tracy  Kyle Pratte  Jared Pellerin   James Dunn	2011  Catherine Putney  Cory Trudel	2012  Easton Dubois  Keith Simpson
2013 Tyler Murry  Mitchell Juneau

What's This "CUP" You Speak Of?

The Stanley Cup was purchased in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Stanley.  Since 1927, the Cup has been awarded to winner of the NHL playoffs. Each team that wins has their team name and the names of the players and coaches engraved on the cup.

There are technically three versions of the Stanley Cup; The original 1892 bowl, the 1963 authenticated "Presentation Cup", and the 1993 "Replica Cup" at the Hall of Fame.

The original 1892 purchased and donated by Lord Stanley, was physically awarded to the Champions until 1970, and is now displayed in the Vault Room at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario.

The authenticated version or "Presentation Cup" was created in 1963 by Montreal silversmith Carl Petersen. NHL president Clarence Campbell felt that the original bowl was becoming too thin and fragile, and thus requested a duplicate trophy as a replacement. The Presentation Cup is authenticated by the seal of the Hockey Hall of Fame on the bottom, which can be seen when winning players lift the Cup over their heads, and it is the one currently awarded to the champions of the playoffs and used for promotions.This version was made in secret, and its production was only revealed three years later.

The replica trophy, called the "Replica Cup", was created in 1993 by Montreal silversmith Louise St. Jacques to be used as a stand-in at the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever the Presentation Cup is not available for display. There are very few differences between the authenticated version and the replica version. The surest way to identify one version from the other is to check the engraving for the 1984 Stanley Cup winning Edmonton Oilers. The authenticated version has x's engraved over Basil Pocklington's name whereas his name is completely missing from the replica version.

Fun Facts

• The current Stanley Cup is made of silver and nickel alloy and is 35.24 inches tall and weighs 34.5 pounds.
• There are more than 2,200 different names engraved on the Stanley Cup, including players, coaches and owners of the Cup-winning teams.
• Every 13 years, a new ring is added to the bottom of the Stanley Cup to add more names of the Cup's winners.
• Twelve women have their names inscribed on the Cup. The first was Marguerite Norris, who was the president of the Detroit Red Wings for their 1954-55 season victory. Sonia Scurfield is the only Canadian woman to have her name inscribed; she was the co-owner of the 1988-89 champion Calgary Flames.
• The Cup is always accompanied by at least one representative of the Hockey Hall of Fame, dubbed the “Keeper of the Cup.” The current Keeper, Philip Pritchard, has held the position since 1991 and even maintains a Twitter account to update followers on where the Cup goes from day to day. 
  

• The Cup is assigned two trustees that have absolute power over all matters regarding the Stanley Cup. The trustees include former NHL Executive Vice President Brian O’Neill and Ian “Scotty” Morrison, longtime NHL referee-in-chief and former president and chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

Thanks to Hubie McDonough!

 

I wish to thank Hubie for bringing the cup to Saint Anselm College and allowing the MRYHA families the opportunity to touch, hug, and photograph the "CUP".

Introductions

I know it is July and hockey season is “officially over” but it’s never too late to pass on information.  At MRYHA’s Annual Meeting in May several changes to our Board of Directors were made.

I (Mike Durant) was fortunate to be elected President.  As a board member for the past 10 years, I am certainly looking forward to the next 2.  I’ll use this blog to pass on information about the program.

Three new members joined our Board at the May meeting.  Jen Cassidy (Scheduler), Kris Rice (Webmaster), and Steve Bellemore (U8/U10 & Mite Director).  We welcome them to the board and hope they know what they have signed-up for! 

I would be in remiss if I did not mention and thank our departing board member, Eric Sylvain (Public Relations).  Eric dedicated countless hours ensuring our website was always up-to-date and communicating news & events to our families and the public.  Eric you will be missed.

Fortunately, our outgoing President will remain on the Board in a newly created role.  Steve Tempesta has dedicated an immeasurable amount of time over the last seven years to enhance and improve all facets of the program!  We cannot thank Steve enough for his continued support and dedication.  

Finally, I’d like to thank the remaining members of the board that will continue their countless hours of volunteer work to help make MRYHA what it is today.  Running a program of this size is no easy task; at times giving more to MRYHA than our job, family or friends, but at the end of the day the reward speaks for itself. The families, friends and memories made are second to none.  Most of us are former MRYHA players and are giving back to the program that gave to us.  

I hope everyone enjoys their summer and I am looking forward to sharing great news in the coming weeks!

Regards,
Michael Durant, President

MRYHA SHOUT OUT

Congratulation to Lauren Calnan!

 Lauren was nominated and accepted to participate in the 2014 Girls Multi-District Goaltender Camp. The purpose of the camp is to provide a developmental experience for the goalies while giving them a chance to compete and develop friendships with other goalies in the Mid Am District and other Districts in USA Hockey. 

Lauren was 1 of 8 goalies in her age group to be selected from across the country! We wish her the best of luck at camp!