Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 22, 1993 TAG: 9311220074
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
While his fantasy isn't likely to last long, linesman Sam Gowan always will be able to say one thing: He made the big show.
The 1981 Cave Spring High School graduate was one of the pack of amateur and minor-league officials chosen by the NHL to work in place of the 58 striking members of the NHL Officials' Association.
"You betcha this has been a dream come true," said Gowan, who worked his fourth NHL game in six days Sunday night in St. Louis.
"I'm sure a lot of people will say I snuck in the back door [because of the strike]. But when this all came up, I couldn't say no. Face it, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"I figure it like this: Better to make [the NHL] this way than never."
So what if he's being called a "scab." The high of working at pro hockey's highest level outweighs any negative aspects surrounding the situation, Gowan said.
"I've heard the term `scab' once or twice so far . . . I really prefer the term `replacement official.' But, hey, that's just one more thing the fans try and pick at you on. They can't say anything to me I haven't heard before," said Gowan, who worked in the Eastern Hockey League, the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, the All-American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League, not to mention Valley Youth Hockey games during his 15 years in Roanoke.
"I look at it like this: I was asked to help the National [Hockey] League out when this all came up and that's what I'm doing."
Gowan, who during the summer moved to Dallas, where he regularly works games in the Central Hockey League, said he was shocked that the NHL's regular officials walked out after the league's Nov. 21 games. The NHL Officials' Association wants a 60 percent pay raise, while the league is offering 29 percent. First-year referees are paid $50,000 and first-year linesmen $33,000. The two sides were scheduled to resume negotiations Sunday.
"Obviously, they [the regular officials] are not real happy with any of us," Gowan said, speaking for the replacement officials. "But at the same time, they've been real professional about this. They've said nothing publicly against us as far as I know."
Gowan made his NHL debut Wednesday night in Dallas, working the Tampa Bay-Dallas game. Skating onto the Reunion Arena ice for his first stab at the big time was a moment he'll cherish forever.
"It was a wonderful feeling," Gowan said. "Here, I had almost given up all hope of ever working the NHL, and suddenly I'm there, living my dream.
"The other officials and I were so worried about trying to do everything right that we really didn't have time to get nervous on the ice. It was a pretty easy game. It wasn't real intense. The second period was full of fights, but other than that it wasn't a real difficult game to work.
"The biggest difference, of course, is the [NHL] game is a heck of a lot faster. The quality of play is so much better than in the minors. These guys can pass the puck and there's actually somebody waiting at the other end for it."
Gowan's second game was Calgary-St. Louis on Thursday.
"All in all, the players have been extremely good about the whole thing. Obviously, they're pushing us at times to see what they can get away with and what they can't.
"As far as the fans go, you just tune them out, just like any other game in any league I've ever worked."
There is one major difference between the NHL and the other leagues, though. It's the paycheck. Replacement linesmen are being paid $500 per game. Replacement referees make $800. In contrast, Gowan made $75 per game in the ECHL.
"We are treated like kings," Gowan said. "I'm flying to games, stay in nice motels set up by the NHL. Believe me, it's a hell of a lot different than getting in the car in Roanoke, driving to Raleigh [N.C.] to work a game, then driving back the same night."
Gowan, who got hooked on hockey when his family moved from Arkansas to Toronto when he was a youngster, began his officiating career at age 14 in Roanoke. He worked his first pro game - an EHL contest at the Salem Civic Center - at age 16.
"One of the linesmen didn't show up and they brought me in, mainly because of my size," said Gowan, who stands 6 feet 5. "They needed a few bodies to put in if somebody got hurt. I worked one or two games that year as an emergency backup. Within time, I worked my way into the regular rotation."
While major-league baseball kept eight of its replacements after its umpires' strike in the 1970s, Gowan isn't banking on that happening in the NHL.
"Assuming they sign the contract, they've got a full staff waiting to go back to work," he said.
No matter what happens, Gowan's dream has been fulfilled. His name is at the end of an NHL statistical summary.
"I've proven to myself that I could do it, and that's very satisfying," he said. "I'm thankful that the NHL feels comfortable using me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the prettiest of all people on the ice, but I can do the job.
"I don't really know what's going to happen with this. But no matter what, nobody can take that jersey away from me."
by CNB