One of the longtime referees who officiated many of my senior league games has passed away. Tom Mingle died on September 5th after an undisclosed illness.
I can't say I knew Tom that well. In fact, to identify him in conversations with my teammates I referred to him as "Sonny Bono", as I felt he strongly resembled the late entertainer. And I can NOT say I liked many of his calls. Some night, quite frankly, he pissed me off.
But you know what? Try being in his shoes, making calls using your best judgement, then having to deal with belligerent players bigger in size than you.
I finally got to meet Tom off the ice while working as a communications officer for the old Buffalo Lightning Jr. A. He had worked one of the games as a linesman a few seasons back. Turns out, he was a nice guy off the ice.
And one thing you'll never take away from him; he stuck to his guns. That I will always remember about him. And I respect him for it.
In addition to his many years patrolling the rinks, Tom was also a busy referee in local soccer. In fact, some soccer peers have set up a tribute web site, which I found courtesy of the Buffalo District Soccer League website:
RIP, Tom, and may God comfort you as you head home.
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