Don Adam balances careers as hockey referee, police officer

I found this little news nugget on line today that college hockey  fans might find interesting. When he is not on the ice 'making up stuff as he goes,' Don Adam is a City of Louisville,Colorado police officer.

Mike Chambers, Denver Post --- On the streets or inside an ice arena, excitement and drama seem to follow Don Adam, a genuine Front Range-raised cop. The hockey referee and Louisville police officer is one of the state's most versatile law-enforcement officers, often conducting his business in a heated college game between rivals or a civil dispute in the small city east of Boulder.

The one-time NHL referee has been a police officer for nine years and is approaching his 24th year with the Denver-based Western Collegiate Hockey Association. He is no stranger to the intense University of Denver-Colorado College rivalry, and he wore the orange referee stripes during the 1992 and 1998 Winter Olympics, five world championships and the 1993 NHL preseason.

He was the first NHL video replay official at Avalanche games, which he did from 1995 until the league began to rule on all its replays from its home office in Toronto at the start of the 2003-04 season.

"In hockey, we work from the rule book, and as a cop we work from the Colorado Revised Statutes, but to interpret those things in the two respective jobs, there's a lot of similarities," Adam said from his patrol car. "Both professions require a lot of quick decisions in pressure-filled situations. Experience, judgment and common sense are a huge part in how you apply it all."

It will be interesting to see who the officials in the NCHC are going to be when the conference starts play during the 2013-14 season. One of the questions on fan’s mind is are the WCHA officials going to officiate games in the NCHC.

I also know that a lot of fans would rather not have the conga line of questionable officials that are currently officiating in the WCHA. Most fans that I have talked to on line or in person would rather be done with them and start fresh with the new league with a different set of officials and linesmen.

When the NCHC commissioner Jim Scherr was interviewed this past winter at the REA, Scherr was asked about who was going to be officiating hockey games in the NCHC and he said that there is going to be a competition for officials because there are now three leagues instead of two. Scherr also had said that a lot of officials had reached out to the commissioner to inquire about officiating for the new league.

You Make the Call:

Thanks to the Whistler for him posting this video

The call in question happened during Thursday nights NCAA semi final game. I believe this play should have never resulted in a penalty. If you watch the replay you will see that Barry Melrose agrees with this analysis by saying that Finley kept his elbow down and it was probably the difference in the size of the players.

I will say that I don't blame the loss on the officials the B.C. Eagles deserved to win this game and the Sioux took some untimely and undisciplined penalties that were legitimate penalties, this was a blown call and should have never been a penalty. The ref also missed a few other penalties; add the checking from behind on Duncan at center ice right in front of the players bench, the bush league interference call against Porter in the first period. It is my opinion that the ref has got to get those calls right. Apparently Shegos is the CCHA's version of Don Adam or Don Champion.

Derrick Sheppard is reffing the National Championship game with in itself is laughable, however, that being said at least you know what your going to get with Derrick.