For Eric Sailor, officiating started as a way to get involved. Over time, it turned into a way of giving back.

That’s why he recently received the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association's New Leader Award, a distinction given out to members of the hockey community who go above and beyond to help improve the sport.

He’s only 28, but Sailor has been working games since he was 12 years old and is now the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League’s referee in chief, helping maintain the standard of officiating in the league and helping others improve in their role.

“It’s kind of cool; it’s never something I did to be recognized or think about that, honestly, it’s just been what my norm has always been now,” Sailor said. “To be involved through reffing games, to stay connected, it started that way, not for any other reason really.”

Like most officials, Sailor grew up playing the sport first, but started working games copying his older brother, who once had a ref toss him a puck during a Philadelphia Flyers game. It started as a way to get extra ice time, to make a little bit of money, and there was something about the role that really connected with Sailor.

As he grew, and he continued to play the sport through high school, he worked his way up as a referee. He also had a family friend that worked as an official in the AHL, which gave Sailor an early appreciation for the craft and how it helped others advance in the sport.

“Being able to see what it was like at the higher levels, to meet people working around [the AHL], that gave me a taste and idea of what it was like,” Sailor said. “That type of stuff sticks with you and you think about it as you work games.”

When Sailor was in college, he would officiate games on the weekends. Once he moved into the business sector, he continued to try and find time in his busy schedule to officiate and eventually connected with the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League for their role as referee in chief.

“I hadn’t been able to be around the sport as much as I wanted for about five years, but this role helped me get back in the rink more, helped me connect a bit more,” Sailor said. “I’ve actually since changed jobs to a role that lets me work from home, so I’m able to better work with all of this.”

For Sailor, giving back to the game and volunteering, he said, has become second nature. It’s not about the hours or time, but rather what it means to help make the sport better for the next person.

“I think about the positive impact the sport had on me and how others helped make it enjoyable for me,” Sailor said. “If I can be part of that, in any role, it feels pretty good to give back that way.”

Sailor said it’s also nice to get the recognition as someone who works as an official, simply because most people don’t recognize them until they make a mistake.

“You don’t need the pat on the back, you know it’s part of the gig,” Sailor said. “But it feels pretty good to have someone bring up the name of a referee without someone yelling because it’s about a call or something like that.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.