Now that another Olympic Games is over, many across Canada know the stories of our athletes and the various roads they took to get to their ultimate goal. Steve Weatherford Jersey For Sale . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Well, meet Derek Amell, 17-year NHL linesman and now an Olympian. When I turned on the mens hockey gold medal game between Canada and Sweden, I was happy to see that an old acquaintance would be working the lines for the biggest game on the worlds biggest stage. You see, over 25 years ago, Derek and I worked together at a drug store chain in Whitby, Ontario. I was a university student taking a year off school and he was a high school student looking to improve on his first job working the night shift at Burger King for $2.85/hr. There were two things I remembered about Derek back then: he was a lot bigger than me, and he had a very calm personality. Looking back, those are two good attributes for an NHL linesman. For Derek, the dream took off at the age of 24 when he worked his first Ontario Hockey League game. Three years later, he started working American Hockey League games and this is where our paths would cross again. I was an off-ice official with the Hamilton Canucks and Hamilton Bulldogs in the 1990s and we would touch base now and again at Copps Coliseum. I could see then that he was on his way to the NHL. "I felt the NHL was an attainable goal after working the AHLs Calder Cup Final in my first year," said Amell. He wouldnt have to wait long for the big moment. The following year, he found out he would be working NHL games in the upcoming season. In his first NHL season, the league made the decision to return to the Olympics in Nagano, meaning there was now another rung on the ladder of success for NHL players and officials. There would be some career highlights along the way, such as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the 2009 and 2012 Stanley Cup Finals as well as the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Could the Olympics be next? And then he got the news. Unlike the athletes who are introduced at news conferences, Amell was contacted through e-mail by Stephen Walkom, the NHLs director of officiating. The message was sent on December 1, naming the 13 NHL officials who were chosen to work in Sochi. Of course, when athletes go to the Olympics, they stay in the Athletes Village and invite family and friends to share in the experience. Is it the same for the officials? "The officials stayed together in a hotel right inside the Olympic area. It was great to be together with all the amateur officials," said Amell, who is a married father of two children but did not have any family join him in Sochi. To work the gold medal game, he had to prove himself again. "The gold medal officials were chosen by a panel of supervisors from various countries and it was based on performance during the tournament. We were told by e-mail after the semifinal games," said Amell. When the officials for the gold medal game were announced, former NHL player and Swedish international Peter Forsberg was incensed that Canadians would be working the game but some current Swedish players defended the decision, saying their nationality wouldnt affect their decision-making. "We knew there would be extreme scrutiny on the officiating when it was announced that the officials were Canadian," said Amell. "We knew the players would be comfortable with us since we are all in the NHL. It was more an issue with the media than with the players. "At the end of the game, the entire Swedish team came over and shook our hands and told us we did a great job. That was very satisfying for us." So which was more nerve-racking: the first NHL game or the gold medal game? "Working the gold medal game was the most nerve-racking game I have ever officiated," he admitted. Its been a long road from collecting shopping carts in Whitby to officiating at the gold medal game in Sochi. And while Amells appearance at the Olympics may not have been as celebrated as many of the athletes, or even noticed by most viewers, the accomplishment is no less significant. And just like the athletes, family plays an integral role in the success of officials, offering support and enduring hardships over the years. "Since we only work 6-8 games a year at home, the family sacrifices are large," said Amell. "I miss most of my childrens sports activities and birthdays. They understand the life of an NHL official, but it still can be very difficult on my wife and children," said Amell. As for the hundreds of people who show up at the airport for our returning athletes, how does the return of an official compare? "No one met me at the airport," Amell laughed. "It was like coming home from any other road trip!" The Olympics is a place where dreams can come true. Most people dream of winning a gold medal but dont tell Derek Amell that his accomplishment is anything less. He just achieved his Olympic goal with a lot less fanfare. And, like a linesman who goes unnoticed when he does a good job, thats the way he likes it. Odell Beckham Jr Jersey For Sale . Though the Jets have not confirmed any updates to Scheifeles status, TSN Hockey Analyst Aaron Ward says early reports indicate he suffered an MCL injury and will likely out 6-8 weeks. Phil McConkey White Jersey . The new Romo deal, which is being reported by the Dallas Morning News, will save the team another $10 million. According to the report, the new deal drops Romos salary-cap figure from $21.The Vancouver Canucks aim to stay perfect on their current homestand and extend their longest winning streak of the season on Friday night as they play host to the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks have taken the first three contests of their five-game residency that wraps on Saturday versus Boston. That success at home has pushed Vancouvers overall winning streak to five in a row, the longest for the club since it took six straight from March 19-28 of last season. The Canucks got solid goaltending in winning games on back-to-back nights earlier this week. Roberto Luongo posted 28 saves in Sundays 3-1 victory over Colorado and backup Eddie Lack followed up with a 31-save shutout the following night to best Carolina 2-0. Lack, a 25-year-old rookie, was making his first career start at home and improved to 4-2-0 with a 2.08 goals against average in eight games (6 starts) following his first NHL shutout. "I was real excited going into tonights game, playing my first home game and everything. Just tried to do whatever I could to make the team come out with a W here," said Lack. "The guys did an unbelievable job." Christopher Tanev scored 3:35 into the game, but the Canucks didnt find the back of the net again until Jannik Hansens empty-net tally with 1:14 to play. The tight score, though, didnt get to Lack and left coach John Tortorella praising his composure. "The thing I like most about Eddie is just his presence. I think he settles the team down," Tortorella said. "Theres not a lot of extra movement in his game. He moves the puck really well. ... He doesnt get rattled." Despite the shutout, Tortorella is expected to go back to Luongo tonight. Vancouvers No. 1 netminder is 24-11-3 with a tie, three shutouts and a 2.37 GAA in 40 career meetings with the Oilers, all but one of those starts. Luongo made 21 saves in a 6-2 home victory over Edmonton on Oct. 5 in the first of five meetings this season between the Pacific Division residents. Michael Strahan White Jersey. The victory was the Canucks eighth in the past 12 meetings overall and 10th in the last 12 encounters in Vancouver. The Oilers kick off a four-game road trip tonight after falling 4-2 to the Boston Bruins on Thursday. The defeat gave Edmonton a 2-2-1 mark on a five- game homestand. It was a rough night for Devan Dubnyk, who gave up the first of three first- period goals to the Bruins on a long shot from the blue line. Dubnyk stopped 15 shots in the frame, but was replaced by Jason LaBarera to start the second and he halted all 12 shots faced in relief. "I dont know if we won a battle in the first period," Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. "I dont know if we were, Jeez, the Bruins are in town. Theyre one of the top teams in the League. We need to play cautious. You cant play cautious against anybody. Youll get killed if you give them too much time and space. "But even though we werent winning the battles, I didnt think the first period was as bad as the shot clock showed or the score was. I still felt we had a chance if we could get a goal." David Perron got the Oilers back into the game with two goals in the second period, but Edmontons offense was silenced from there and Boston iced the game with an empty-net tally. Perron now has 14 goals and 27 points on the season, getting six goals and nine points in his past seven games. It is unknown if Eakins will go back to Dubnyk tonight or give LaBarbera his first start since Oct. 26. Dubnyk is 5-5-3 with a 2.48 GAA and two shutouts in 14 games (12 starts) versus Vancouver, but was lifted early in the loss on Oct. 5 after allowing five goals on 31 shots faced in just under 34 minutes of work. Like he did last night, LaBarbera stopped all 12 shots faced in relief and is 4-2-1 with a 2.14 GAA in nine games against Vancouver with six starts. cheap jerseys ' ' '
