At a professional hockey game, it’s not just the players on the ice who are hard at work.
Hidden out of view from fans watching the game, people like Gerald Andrews are working just as hard as the teams to make sure every shot, goal, assist, and penalty gets properly recorded.
Andrews heads up a crew of American Hockey League off-ice officials who intently watch every Manitoba Moose game, entering live stats that get updated to the league’s website in real-time — stats that are then pored over by fans and team staff alike.
“That includes the goals, the penalties, the shots, where the shots are taken from,” explained Andrews of the job he’s been doing for the Moose for more than 20 years.
“As more and more people hear about statistics being part of the game, they certainly are interested in seeing the statistics of the players as the game is progressing — that’s why the real-time stats have become a big part of hockey.
Most games, Andrews can be found in front of a computer in a booth tucked away in the rafters at Bell MTS Place, on a headset talking to the other 12 off-ice officials working in Winnipeg.
Those officials include one in charge of calling who gets goals and assists, two goal judges, and officials who make sure shots are recorded on the official game clock.
There’s also five officials closer to the action on the ice, including two penalty box attendants, a game timekeeper, a penalty timekeeper, and a time-out coordinator.
“We work as a team, much as the players on a hockey team,” said Andrews.
“People don’t always understand how many officials are required to work the game.”
It’s a job Andrews comes to naturally, having started playing hockey as soon as he could walk, with dreams of one day playing professionally.
But when that dream came to an end in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League, Andrews stayed with the game, working as a ref before becoming an off-ice official.
It’s allowed him to keep fuelling his passion for hockey and to develop close relationships with others who love the game as much as he does.
He says he looks on with pride when he sees those he’s both worked beside and watched play eventually make their way to the National Hockey League.
“The referees are much like the players working their way up to be a one day work in the NHL,” he said.
“So to meet them here working the American Hockey League and then seeing the work NHL games afterwards, it is nice to see.”
And while he’s seen many people come and go over the years, Andrews said he has no plans on hanging up his headset any time soon.
“I don’t really consider it a job because I do enjoy it so much, working with a great team,” he said.
“Everybody enjoys the game, so coming to the rink is certainly exciting.”
— With files from Marek Tkach and Dan Turnbull
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