The Airports

As all of the officials on staff can attest to, travelling through the airports in North American is one of the most daunting tasks of our jobs. We spend hours on top of hours at the airports, flying from city to city on our assignments. Countless hours of the year are spent checking in, checking luggage, clearing customs, passing through security lines, enduring delays and boarding flights. It's a mental grind, dealing with flight travel day in and day out.

Once we have cleared the necessarry security lines, a little relaxation time is in order. Time to grab a coffee and read a newspaper for some. Catch up with friends or family on the phone for others. Booking travel for the next set of games or catching up on travel expenses is another way to pass the time. It can be tedious to say the least.

It's always nice to have a partner to travel with, as sometimes happens on the road. Working as a team together on the ice is a factor in our success, that goes the same for teamwork off the ice. When flying with a partner, after the plane lands, one guy is off to the rental agency to pick up a car while the other guy is at the baggage carousel picking up the luggage. A simple, yet effective, show of teamwork.

An NHL officials will usually fly in the neighborhood of 100,000 miles a year. Some more, some less. An eastern based official usually flys less, as more teams are located on the eastern seaboard. A western based official has to endure many coast to coast trips throughout the season. Travelling on a recent road trip found some NHL officials on a typical day at the airport.