Kerry, Have you ever worked the final game of a Stanley Cup Final? If so, what do the officials do after the game? Is it a special night for them, too? And what is involved in the off-season? Thanks, Mark in Edmonton -- Mark: Even though it has been a couple of days since the Cup was hoisted by the Los Angeles Kings in the Staples Center the celebration continues through Monday with a scheduled Stanley Cup Parade for the players and their fans. Vapormax Plus Bílé . Congratulations to the Kings on their success; not only for winning the Cup but for the way they battled through each of the previous series to advance to the final! Their never quit attitude and strength of character was something special to watch. The New York Rangers also deserve tremendous credit for overcoming adversity on different fronts and for their outstanding playoff run. The final game was as intense and exciting as any fan could hope for regardless of who you were cheering for. The officials would have observed the post-series handshake from near the referees crease and most likely remained on the ice as Commissioner Bettman presented the Stanley Cup. This is as close as a referee or linesman can get to being part of the Stanley Cup experience; some 45 feet away as it being presented to the winning team captain. After Dustin Brown received the Cup the officials would skate slowly along the boards, unnoticed as they retreated from the ice at the Zamboni entrance and then enter the safety and solitude of their dressing room. There is certainly an element of relief that the series and their season is over as the officials shake hands and congratulate each other on their work together as a team. The playoff run is a long grind for the officials as well and the thought of going home to their family and not having to pack their equipment bag for at least a couple of months are both welcome thoughts. There might also be some trepidation as to how the crews performance will be regarded and evaluated by their superiors. There is intense pressure surrounding each game and every closely-scrutinized decision that an official is called upon to make. Regardless of the outcome, they give their best and hope that their effort and judgment is perceived as “good enough”. It is also a moment for self-reflection on their personal performance and in the bigger picture of the journey that began at training camp and ended in this pinnacle of the season and perhaps in their career. There is a sense of accomplishment. The referees are required to attend to one last piece of business by scribing their signature on the final game sheet once it is brought into their dressing room by the Official Scorer. Although not required, I always had the linesmen sign the game sheet as well and then asked for copies that each of us could keep as a memento of the final game. After the Officiating and Hockey Operations Department personnel completed their debriefing comments the officials would relax with a cold beverage followed by a hot shower. Food would have been catered in and once the officials were showered and dressed they would open the room to family and friends that might have attended the game. My wife, Kathy attended all but two of the dozen Stanley Cup Final series that I worked, in addition to the 98 Winter Olympics in Nagano and the ‘96 World Cup of Hockey in Europe. Each of our seven children took turns attending Cup Final games and they share wonderful memories of being part of something very special from behind the scenes. I always wanted to share any business success that I enjoyed with my family since they made sacrifices as a result of me being away from home so much during the season. The referees and linesmen returned to their home base the morning after the game in Los Angeles and will attempt to quickly get back into the swing of family life in time for Fathers Day. I hope they plan to get away to relax and reconnect. Kathy and I always planned a vacation; just the two of us to get away for a week or 10 days immediately after the season. It was an important time for me to decompress and for us to enjoy each other as husband and wife. Once school ended for the children we took them on a special family vacation as well. It is very important for an official to try to keep his life in balance and reward the best and sometimes only fans he has; namely his family! Mark, I worked several final games but one of the most memorable was Colorados seven-game victory over the New Jersey Devils in 2001. The primary reason for that is because it was Raymond Bourques first and only time hoisting the Stanley Cup. In his 20 full seasons with Boston, the Bruins had come up short against Edmonton in both 1988 and 1990. At the age of 40, the five-time Norris Trophy winner as the leagues top defenceman led all Avs blue liners in scoring, with 59 points, was named to the First All-Star team, and was runner–up to Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings in the Norris Trophy voting. He also scored the winning goal in Game 3 of the final. As I prepared to work Game 7 of that series, I must tell you the city of Denver was electrified from the moment the sun came up that morning. The only minute of calm I found that day was at 8am, when I went down to the Pepsi Center for a skate before the teams arrived. I skated alone in the empty, dimly lit arena for 30 minutes, while outside the building, television trucks and equipment filled the nearest parking lot. I had never seen so much media coverage for a final, and the big story was Raymond Bourque. The Avalanche won Game 7 that night, and in a remarkable display of class and respect, team captain Joe Sakic, after posing with the Cup, handed it directly to Ray Bourque so that he could be the first to skate a victory lap. My colleagues and I watched Ray skate the Cup around the ice from the Zamboni entrance and then retreated to our dressing room. It was something special to have been part of. The game had gone well for us and there had been no controversy. We felt good about the job we had done and felt peace and contentment as a result. We celebrated the end of our season together as colleagues and then quickly showered and brought our wives and family members into the room to celebrate with us. We went to a fine Denver steakhouse as a close-knit group and held our own “Stanley Cup party;” not because we won anything but because we had done our job well. Kathy and I flew home the next morning feeling joyous in the knowledge that it was, once again family time even though it would only last a month or so until it was time to begin my conditioning program to get ready for training camp. Then it would all begin again! Such is the life for an NHL referee and his family. Thank you for another terrific season on Cmon Ref. Please enjoy a safe and happy summer with your family. I hope to see you back here again next season. Vapormax Plus Dámské . The alley-oop looked easy -- just like everything else after halftime for the Miami Heat. James scored 32 points, Wade added 22 points and eight assists, and the Heat trailed by 11 early in the second half before running away to a 107-88 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Nike Vapormax Plus Levne . -- Among the 31 players at the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, none feels closer to cracking the NHL roster than right winger Aaron Palushaj. http://www.vapormaxlevne.cz/vapormax-flyknit-boty/vapormax-flyknit-damske-sleva.html . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild gave Zach Parise all that money for games like this. Parise signed that megadeal two years ago for games even bigger than this. They forced at least one more with a furious finish. Parise scored early and late on tipped shots, and the Wild tacked on two empty-net goals for a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night that sent the first-round playoff series to a decisive Game 7. "Its one of those nights where you just want to keep touching it and keep having the puck," said Parise, who added two assists for a career-playoff-high four points. The teams will meet in Denver on Wednesday night, with the winner taking on the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference semifinals. "We dont have any time to hang our heads here and feel sorry for ourselves," Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog said. "Were just going to get right back on the horse here and get ready for Game 7." Ah, Game 7. An already-tight series will produce one final dramatic performance. "We didnt sign here to win a first-round game. We look at the big picture," said Parise, who joined close friend Ryan Suter in signing 13-year, $98 million contracts with the Wild two seasons ago. The Wild were in trouble at the second intermission after what Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said might have been his teams best period of the whole series. Parise scored just 49 seconds into the game on a power play and Mikael Granlund made it 2-0 later in the first period, but a costly turnover by Suter at the end of a failed 5-on-3 situation led to a short-handed goal for the Avalanche when Paul Stastny scored for the fourth time in the series. Nick Holden got the tying goal in the second period to stop the power-play skid for the Avalanche, who had been denied by a resurgent Wild penalty-kill unit in 19 of 20 previous opportunities in the series. The Wild stumbled through to the second intermission, lacking the edge they had here throughout Games 3 and 4 and in the first period of this Game 6, and the atmosphere in the building became anxious, with one more goal by the Avalanche holding tthe power to end the home teams season. Nike Vapormax Damske. So Wild coach Mike Yeo gave his team a spark by reuniting Parise on the first line with centre Mikko Koivu, who had two assists. "I think we started to get a little bit of fear in our game. Not necessarily afraid of them, just afraid maybe of what we were losing," Yeo said, adding: "Both of those guys were leading the charge up front and for me, their determination, their kind of get-after-it attitude, I wanted those guys going out together." Parked in the crease with the season on the line, Parise took a shove in the back from goalie Semyon Varlamov and then outmuscled defenceman Erik Johnson for position on Koivus shot from behind the circle that he knocked in with his stick with 6:29 left in the game. Roy pulled Varlamov with 2:44 remaining, and this time the daring move backfired after it led to tying goals for the Avalanche in Games 1 and 5. Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella found the back of the net for the Wild, and the celebration was on. Matt Duchene returned to the Avalanche lineup and notched an assist in extensive time on the power play, after missing the last month due to a left knee injury. The Avalanche leader with 70 points during the regular season, Duchene wasnt cleared for action until minutes before faceoff. "He was flying out there. He was playing well. He was playing hard," Roy said. He wasnt the only one. Ryan OReilly had two assists, and the Avalanche refused to express any frustration afterward, even though theyll be in an elimination situation for the first time in the series. "If thats what its going to need to be, then thats what its going to need to be," Avalanche right wing P.A. Parenteau said. "Its been a battle back and forth with the Wild. Were lucky we have the home ice advantage, but were going to have to be ready." NOTES: The Wild went 18-4-2 when Parise scored a goal in the regular season. ... Duchene said he felt all right: "Youve got to learn to trust an injury like that coming back, and as the game wore on I felt a lot more confident with it. Theres still a long ways to go." ' ' '