Eastern corridor Travel
Saturday, March 28, 2009
NHL Officials use Train Travel when in the East.
Travel along the crowded east coast corridor can be one giant headache. Traffic between Boston and Washington on I-95 is often at a standstill, with heavy volume in each direction. Flights between those cities, along with New York and Philadelphia, are often delayed because of the limited airspace and enormous amount of flights daily. One of our alternatives in travel is the good old fashioned train. Many of our predecessors rode the rails from city to city, often leaving right after their games. With the high speed trains now run by Amtrak, taking the train up and down the east coast has become a nice, comfortable, relaxing change of pace.
After meeting up with Thor Nelson and Vaughan Rody for a game in Long Island , we made our way to New York City to catch a train to Washington. While the train ride that far is a bit long the morning of a game, it truly is a very relaxing trip. Plenty of time on the train to catch up on league business, check in with a phone call to home, catch a nap or just enjoy the scenery out the window. Our travels take us through Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore and finally arriving in Washington.
Once in Washington, we meet up with our partner for the game, Brad Watson. A team lunch together to discuss the game that night and then off for an afternoon nap. A quick cab ride over to the Verizon Center an hour and a half before the game, where we are greeted by Mike "Ace" Seidler. Ace is one of the many unsung heroes in our business. He is in charge of our room in Washington, providing us with water, juice, energy bars, fruit and other refreshments. We have so many great guys that help make our job easier and Ace is one of the best in the business. The trainers, equipment managers and room attendants throughout the league all do their part in helping the NHL officials with whatever they need and we truly appreciate that.
For me, the next morning is a ride back home on the train. Brad continued on the train to Boston, Thor stayed in Washington and Vaughn headed out to the airport for his next game. Ace prepares the room for the next crew coming into town. We all head our separate ways as we get ready for the final month of the season.
Ian Walsh NHL Referee
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