Hockey Officiating

Quinn began reffing at 12 years old. Despite the cold, crazy-yelling coaches, some off-the-hook fans, and early mornings and late evenings, Quinn rarely complained about going to ref. He worked hard at being a good ref, but made sure to enjoy himself and the friendships he made while reffing. I think his love and passion for reffing was formed early on in his reffing career at the tournaments he reffed with more senior officials. They would give him a hard time about the lunches and snacks his mom prepared. They would also tell him that the 'junior guy' had to bring coffee and donuts the next morning. He did it without complaint. Most importantly, those senior refs welcomed Quinn into their brotherhood, and gave him the security that they always had his back on the ice. That security helped form his confidence, which is something you certainly need as a ref.

As I mentioned, refs are all part of the brotherhood, and seeing all the stripes up in the bleachers at Quinn's Celebration made it clear to us that Quinn was accepted into that brotherhood.

This is a proud dad and mom talking here, but Quinn was a good ref. He had been was selected for Sask First this last spring and was asked to attend the Notre Camp a few weeks before his accident. This indicated that his peers also thought the same of Quinn's ability as a ref. I would not be shocked to have know that Quinn was a WHL linesman if he was still with us today.

Probably the best way to honor Quinn as a ref would be to quote the messages we received upon Quinn's passing regarding him as a referee. I will keep these anonymous as it is not important who said them as much as what was said:

"Over the many years I have done this (21) I have dealt with many, many Minor Hockey Officials and I can honestly say Quinn was most definitely one of my "FAVORITES!!!!" Quinn was a fine Young Man, an excellent official and I can say he was a Friend of Mine!" as well as an official. I was devastated when informed of the news of Quinn's most unfortunate death."

"---h right away made mention of Quinn being the best ref he ever had and wanted me to tell you he will miss his leadership."

"We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Quinn. He was a great young man and will surely be missed in this community. He was always a pleasure to see at the rink , and always did a fantastic job as a referee , never giving an inch no matter how hard I tried, just a laugh and a skate in the other direction. This is how I will always remember Quinn !!!"

"I have dealt with a lot of young men over the years and quinn is without a doubt one of my favorites. I never had the chance to coach him, but as an official in both sports he was with out question the referee or umpire that I had the most respect for."

"When Quinn was just starting out referring – he was always our go to guy who we counted on when we needed someone to help out with a tournament. For a young referee - he was very reliable and he approached things very fairly. We knew we could count on him. He soon became difficult to line up because he was always in demand. We were lucky to often have him assigned to our league games in the past few years – we always knew we were in good hands when he was on the ice."

"He was a great kid...always polite and did a great job reffing and woulda been a hell of a broadcaster!"

"I always enjoyed watching Quinn ref. I remember back when he started we would have him come and ref our one day tournaments....always with a smile! Over the past few years I always picked him out with the stripes on...I'm not sure how are why but I would notice him right away when a game started...he was fun to watch and did a fabulous job! I will think of him always when I think about who is wearing the stripes for a game."

"Although I only knew Quinn in his role as a referee, I was always happy to see him in games I was coaching. He was very capable and you knew the game would be a good one when he was in charge. Although only two years older than our son who also referees, Quinn was a good role model for him and someone he learned a lot from."

"Quinn was always a comforting face to see at the rink as he carried and conducted himself far beyond his years. He will be missed."

"Quinn made a lasting impression on me and it was always nice to see him "all grown up" at ref meetings the last couple of years. As a former teacher I was proud of Quinn and the wonderful young man he became."

"Please know that even strangers share your grief and pain. We remember Quinn as a referee and a mutual friend of friends."

"We will miss the funny stories that ----n would always have after officiating or just spending time with Quinn."

"Although Neil and I didn't know Quinn very well, our son Steven did, and has nothing but great things to say about him. He always knew that if he worked a game with Quinn, it was going to be a fun/good night, and looked forward to those games."

"I was always very happy, when at the start of the game, I saw Quinn skate on to the ice to officiate our game. He was a true gentleman, always showing confidence and integrity."