Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Shawn Garrett and his family moved to Mississauga, Ontario before he could remember. The long-time official remembers vividly how influential the sport of hockey was growing up in Mississauga.
“I had friends that played hockey, so I wanted to play as well.”
Growing up just west of Toronto, hockey was everything for many kids. The passion in the community and at school was the main reason Garrett was first interested in the sport. His father grew up in Venezuela, unexposed to the sport, while his mom didn’t play growing up.
“He lived [in Venezuela] until he was a teenager. Back then, girls didn’t play hockey. There was no background for my parents to go about playing,” Garrett said.
The enthusiasm within the community led Garrett’s parents to put him in skating lessons at Port Credit Arena. A year after that, they signed him up for House League with Lorne Park Clarkson Hockey Association. For Garrett’s parents, there was never any hesitation to get him involved in hockey.
“It was obviously much different back then. I don’t know how they found out, but in Lorne Park there was a community hall,” Garrett explained. “You’d show up and that’s how you would sign up.”
Garrett expresses his appreciation for many individuals in his hockey journey, but his parents signed him up without hesitancy. As expected, there was a learning curve for his parents ensuring the proper equipment was used starting his first season.
“I showed up [to] the first practice with one of those plastic blades that goes on a broken stick. My father had no clue about hockey,” Garrett shared.
From the start, Garrett had love for the game and continued to play through his teenage years. He finished playing hockey as a late teenager before starting post-secondary school. Needing a part-time job, officiating seemed like an ideal schedule as he went to school during the week. When he first started to officiate, it was a way to be around the game he still loved.
“I think I was 19 when I started to ref. I was looking for a part-time job. It was a way for me to stay in the game,” Garrett said.
Garrett started his officiating in the Mississauga Hockey League [MHL] and then continued to the Metropolitan Toronto Hockey League (MTHL – now known as the GTHL) after a few years. After graduating and becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) as his full-time profession, his days were chalked full of work. He started his work at an accounting firm in Oakville, while simultaneously working a serving job in downtown Toronto and still officiating on the ice around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
“I’ve always been able to work hockey into my schedule. In the CPA environment, there are busy seasons which conflict with hockey, especially the playoffs, but I was always able to manage my schedule and be able to officiate.”
There was an inexplainable drive to be on the ice and continue to stay around the game for Garrett. He wanted to be out there, contributing to the game.
“You want to be out there. You want to have that opportunity to be on the ice and be a part of that game,” Garrett shared. “There were times that I skated 10 to 12 nights in a row.”
At first glance, being an on-ice official and CPA seem like completely different worlds. However, there may be more similarities than one would think at first glance.
“In the CPA world, the excise tax act is the rule book for sales tax. In officiating, you have the rulebook. It’s similar in that regard,” Garrett explained.
Although there are rulebooks for each of his professions, Garrett explained that the difference between officiating is the interpretation of plays throughout a game.
“In hockey, we’re not usually debating with players and coaches about what the law is. It’s the judgement of the play,” Garrett said. “You always have to keep in mind another person’s perspective.”
Garrett has been in other fragments of the hockey world where he has continued to keep a dynamic perspective. A few years ago, he was approached to officiate Blind Hockey between Canada and the United States, in their annual rivalry series. This stream of hockey has brought him to Pittsburgh, Ottawa, St. Louis, and at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto to officiate.
“It’s very competitive and they take it very seriously,” Garrett shared.
He also noted that submerging yourself into a new community and a new version of the game like Blind Hockey is learning the foundation and rules that are comprised within it. Although there are many different rules, pieces of equipment, and parameters for Blind Hockey, the rules regarding goaltenders stuck out the most to the GTHL official.
“We have some special rules that cause you to think more,” Garrett said. “The goaltenders are not allowed to stay on the ice in a butterfly position. Most goaltenders are completely blind, but regardless, they must be blindfolded.”
Garrett found ways to educate people to make them recognize trends for officials in hockey. He was recently assigned at his full-time job to create a presentation outside of the CPA scope of topics. Garrett chose to do a presentation about officiating in Canada and research what it looks like across the country. He found compelling data.
“I found out that 50 per cent of the on-ice officials in Canada are under the age of 18 and the average years of service is 2.6 years. It leads a huge attrition rate.”
For upcoming officials, Garrett left some words of advice to ensure their experience is as fruitful as his over the last 30 years – in what can be a demanding work environment on the ice.
“Emotions in a hockey game can run high. I would say don’t take things personally and try to control your emotions when the other party cannot,” Garrett shared. “There are many good people involved in this great sport and a few bad apples can ruin it if you let them. Do your part to know the rules, work hard, be the best you can be out there, and you will be successful like in any aspect of life.”
