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FRASER: SOME SUPERSTAR MOMENTS – AND FINALLY LETTING GO

KERRY FRASER, TSN.CA, March 9 2012

From the time that I arrived in the NHL in 1980, it was plain to see that the Edmonton Oilers were Wayne Gretzky's team. In his rookie season, 1979–80, Wayne tied Marcel Dionne for the scoring lead with 137 points… The next year, it was Gretzky's turn, as his 164 points outpaced Dionne by 29. Wayne was a 19-year-old sophomore in 1980–81, while I was a 28-year-old rookie!…I can tell you without hesitation or reservation that Gretzky was the very best player I ever skated on NHL ice with over my 30 seasons in the league. What may come as a shock is that, in the early going, we clashed on more than one occasion.

Wayne Gretzky did not enter the NHL and become a phenom; he arrived fully formed. In many ways he was mature well beyond his years, but at times he was still just a kid, not unlike those who followed him – Super Mario, "Sid the Kid," and others. All needed to scale a learning curve and endure some growing pains; some completed the process more quickly than others.

The same is true of officials. Even though I was a man with a family, I was a long way from possessing the maturity I now know is required to handle the pressure and abuse that often came my way. Unfortunately, when I was challenged on the ice, I did not always respond appropriately. I too had a lot to learn…

What infuriated me most was when a player, especially in his home rink, would take a dive in an attempt not only to draw a penalty but to unleash the wrath of the crowd against me…

Wayne's young Oilers were playing host to Bobby Clarke and the Philadelphia Flyers in Northlands Coliseum. It had been a close-checking, hard-fought game from the very beginning and Gretz had, in my judgment, fallen down a couple of times in an attempt to trick me into calling a penalty and give Edmonton the man advantage… The dead giveaway when a player is trying to draw a penalty is that they look at the referee before they hit the ice…. There was no penalty on the books for embellishment back then… With under a minute to play, the Oilers were down by one goal. They were attacking hard in the Flyers zone, and at that stage of the game their very best option was to get on the power play and try to tie it up. Wayne was positioned in "his office" behind the goal line and to the side of the Flyers net as Pelle Lindbergh caught the puck and I whistled the play dead. With no one around him, Wayne leaped into the air, threw his hands forward, his feet stretched out behind him, and executed a belly flop worthy of a perfect score. Bobby Clarke skated up to Wayne and said, "Get up, you effin' baby."

I was on the scene and said, "Wayne, what are you doing? There was nobody within 10 feet of you." Wayne hit the boiling point as he responded, "You wouldn't have called it anyway; you haven't called an effin' thing all night!"

I said, "You're right, and I'm going to start right now: you've got two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct." As Wayne stormed past me on the way to his dressing room, he shouted, "Good! It's about effin' time you called something!" That was the first, but not last, time a player would thank me for giving him a penalty…

While Wayne Gretzky's exploits on the ice are legendary, what he contributed off the ice can never be accurately measured or, as we have come to realize, truly appreciated. "The Trade" from Edmonton to Los Angeles on August 9, 1988, rocked Canada. The New Democratic Party even put forward a motion in Parliament to block the trade, declaring Gretzky a national treasure. The popularity that the NHL enjoys in the United States today would not have been possible had it not been for Wayne's move south…

I want to share just one story of the kindness that this man displayed to a child in need at a time when some might not have bothered. Prior to leaving from my home in New Jersey for Calgary, my wife, Kathy, learned of a young boy who was suffering from a serious illness. The youngster had asked if it would be possible to get an autograph from Wayne Gretzky. On that night in Calgary, the Kings were being beaten badly once again. Wayne looked physically drained. His eyes were sunk back in his head and he had beard stubble that gave him an unkempt appearance I had never seen on him before. This trip had obviously beaten him up pretty good. [The previous season 1987-88, Mario Lemieux won the scoring title by 19 points over Gretzky. When I caught up with Gretz in Calgary Mario was on a real tear. Wayne was questioned by the press after every game if Super Mario was the new "King" in the NHL.] During the final commercial timeout, I approached Wayne as he came out to take the faceoff. I apologized for bothering him at a time like this, but quickly explained about the little boy and asked him, if he thought of it after the game, to just sign a piece of paper and I would make sure he got it.

Wayne nodded and dragged himself over for the faceoff. The game ended and I hadn't even untied my skates when there was a knock at the door. It was David Courtney, the Kings' travelling secretary, who said, "Wayne asked me to give you this and to wish the little boy well for him." [It was Wayne Gretzky's signed game stick.] …

What makes Wayne exceptional off the ice is that he never puts himself above anyone. He is a compassionate, quiet gentleman who often said, "Nobody is above the game."…

Mario [Lemieux] was beyond the real deal; he was the saviour of the franchise – as it would turn out, on more than one occasion. His immediate impact as a player was felt on the ice, at the gate, and in the buzz he created throughout the hockey community.

He was a giant of a man who was unique in that he had the hands of a surgeon, the wingspan of an albatross, and he always knew where the net was. Much like Mike Bossy, he always knew where to shoot the puck and could thread a needle with his passes… As an extremely skilled player, Mario was way ahead of the curve. And he didn't have much patience for the clutch-and-grab style that prevailed at that time. And why should he? People pay to see skill and grace, especially the type that Mario—and few other players of the time—possessed… [I describe, (in detail) a feud with Mario that boiled over on April 5, 1994 when Lemieux charged out of the penalty box after me.]

While several failed attempts were made to crack down on obstruction, real change wouldn't occur until 2005–06, the first season after the lockout, and Mario's last in the NHL… After his playing career, he was called upon again to save the franchise, this time as the owner, and then to acquire the next-generation superstar, the next saviour of the Penguins and the new face of the game: Sidney Crosby… Sidney brings intensity to every game, has a tremendous work ethic, and competes hard night in and night out. He's a leader.

He and I experienced some initial growing pains as we tried to build a working relationship, not unlike my experience with his boss and landlord (Sidney moved into Mario's house with his family when he arrived as a rookie in 2005)…

Sid the Kid came into the league with a little bit of an edge to him. For budding superstars like Sidney, their celebrity status is thrust upon them at a very early age… We had moments of confrontation during his rookie season… One night in Toronto, he felt he had been fouled and he retaliated with a slash to the ankle of a Leaf player. I whistled him for the infraction, and on the way to the penalty box he gave me the kind of grief that I deemed inappropriate. ..[Even though Malkin scored a short-handed goal Sid continued to rail on me over the penalty] At the next commercial break, I decided we needed to have a "father–son" chat. I asked his permission to talk, which he granted. We huddled near the penalty box, and I told him: "You are the face of the game. You are a superstar."

To which he responded, "No, I'm not." Perhaps he thought I was chiding him.

"No, I'm serious," I said. "You are the new face of the NHL. And I say that with the utmost respect for your skill and ability. With that comes huge responsibility, and I'd just like you to be aware of the impression you will leave on youngsters who are watching your every move, and that they will turn around and emulate everything you do. So I recommend that you use that responsibility wisely"…

There was a game the next season in Philadelphia when he approached me after a play on which he thought he might have been fouled. Now the captain, he skated over with a different, more kindly demeanour and said, "I know you're not my number-one fan. I just want you to know the guy brought his stick up and caught me."

"I really am a fan," I assured him. "I've always been a fan of excellence. Concerning your question, I didn't think the stick had contacted you. If it did, I apologize. I missed it."

He said, "Okay, no problem," and skated away.

Over the years, I've been blessed to watch at close hand some of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Mario and Sidney, bookend superstars for the Pittsburgh Penguins, certainly fall into that category…

While my final call as an NHL referee may have been made on Sunday, April 11, 2010 in Philadelphia, the future for me appears to be anything but final—in fact, it's wide open. The game of hockey is still the greatest on earth and one of the fastest-growing professional sports in North America. TSN, Hockey Night in Canada, Comcast, and NBC and their affiliated networks, provides you, the fan, the most exciting and extensive coverage of this sport we all love. I'm proud to be part of that and to help clarify (and occasionally vindicate) the role of the referee. While I'm still unsure about what my future holds, I can only hope it will continue to involve the sport I've dedicated my life to. The whistle and jersey may have gone away, but my love of the game remains. Hope to see you at ice level!

[Letting go is not an option for me at this point of my second career. After writing that last line for my update in the paperback edition of The Final Call, my exciting work with TSN and C'mon Ref continues to expand. Recently I also joined NBC Sports Network as a hockey analyst. I obviously cannot condense an entire book into a five day blog. I've left much more for you to read in "The Final Call;" stories about the greatest on-ice captain/leader ("Captain Courageous," Mark Messier), about the "Legion of Doom" and how they put me down one night (literally onto the ice) and the hilarious story of how Brian Burke, VP of Hockey Ops had to dress me and send me back onto the ice following an injury I suffered during the opening face-off. Read about zany lines of defense employed by Tiger Williams and Chris "Knuckles" Nilan in hearings with Brian O'Neill following match penalties I had assessed them. And for the Leaf Nation, I dedicated a whole chapter on the infamous "Missed Call!" Come, join me at ice level. I return to my regular column on Monday, so get your questions ready.]

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
"Great education depends on great teaching."