Welcome to the IHJUK Forum
|
IHJUK FORUM
|
|
| Search For Similar Forums · Return to Website | ||
 First |
 Prev |
 Reply |
 Forum |
Next  |
Last  |
| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 5) |
| Author | Comment |
Tony Allen
Apr 29, 04 - 9:46 PM |
Moray Hanson interview
There is an interesting feature on British referee and former netminder Moray Hanson in today's IIHF coverage of the World Championships. Go to: http://www.ihwc.net |
|
Stewart Roberts
May 1st, 2004 - 4:03 PM |
Re: Moray Hanson interview
Tony, The page isn't indicated anywhere on the IIHF site that I could see. Can you post a copy into this Forum? |
|
Tony Allen
May 1st, 2004 - 7:02 PM |
Re: Re: Moray Hanson interview
Here it is (sans photograph, which showed Moray in referee's kit but carrying a goalie stick' To see the original, go to www.ihwc.net and click on 30 April 2004 on the archive calendar. Quite simple really! Moray Hanson's amazing career transition From masked man to zebra, Moray Hanson has had quite a run in the last 10 years At age 39, Great Britain's Moray Hanson has finally made it to the IIHF World ChampionshipsSalthough tenyears ago not even he would have believed his current role at the tournament. Back then, Hanson was in net stopping pucks for Great Britain's national team. Today, he's one of the 10 referees selected to officiate at the 68th IIHF World Championships. Hanson formerly played with the Murrayfield Racers and was consistently one of the top three goaltenders in the British Premier League. He also earned his international stars as the netminder for the Great Britain national team. The peak of his career occurred when he was the starting goalie for Great Britain in the 1994 IIHF World Championships in Italy. Hanson was named Great Britain's top player in his last appearance with the squad, but his exploits could not save the Brits, who were relegated. Then in 1996, Hanson decided to go from being the man behind the mask to the man in the stripes. The change came after the British League decided to restructure in 1996, and Hanson thought it was a natural time to put the pads to rest and give officiating a chance. "It was never my plan to become an referee," Hanson said. "But it seemed like a good way at the time to stay involved with the game." Making that move is a big jump for any player to make, but not nearly as big as the huge leaps and bounds Hanson has made since becoming an official. In the eight-year span, Hanson has gone from being a linesman working youth games around Scotland and England to being the man making the calls at the World Championships. Hanson earned his stripes in the British Premier League where he spent three years as a linesman. Next, Hanson decided to try things out as a referee where he once again moved up the ranks quickly. Most referees take several years before they are invited to officiate at the international level, but after his first season of officiating in the British Premier League, Hanson was approached by Ice Hockey UK to be one of their international representatives. "I was pretty stunned when I got the phone call from them," Hanson said. "I knew that they had a ranking system and that only the top three or so got such a call." As a Member Association, Ice Hockey UK can nominate referees such as Hanson to join the pool of IIHF referees. Once referees are 'in the system,' they start in the lower division World Championship events and work their way up, depending on their evaluations from the referee supervisors. In Hanson's case, that meant officiating the Division II World Championships in Madrid and Yugoslavia, and then the Division I Championships in Hungary last year. This year he got another phone call that stunned him. "When they told me that I had been assigned to work the World Championships here in Czech, I was amazed," Hanson said. "It was my goal as both a player and an official to be at the highest level possible, and here I am near the top." The feat of being invited to this year's tournament is rare not only because Hanson is a former goaltender, but also because he hails from a nation that has not played at the top World Championship level in ten years. But being at the top doesn't mean that any of the referees and linesmen can relax. Instead, the group of 26 men (10 referees, 16 linesmen) have daily practices at 7:45 every morning, where they work mostly on conditioning. "We're like a 17th team here at the championship," Hanson said. "We have to be in shape just like the players. We canlt relax just because we made it to this level. The goal once you're here has to be to get asked back again and again." While he's not surprised that fans are often critical of referees, Hanson says there are several misconceptions that people have about the officials on the ice. "We're just normal people who love the game," Hanson explains. "We don't have favorites. We're here to do a job and have bosses that watch us just like everyone else. We're here to enforce not only the rules of the game, but also the IIHF motto of fair play and respect." Still, he admits there is no such thing as a perfect game. "If you ask and referee, or even any coach, I think they would tell you that there are mistakes in every game," Hanson said. "But obviously if you want to keep moving up, you have to minimize those mistakes." If Hanson practices what he preaches, he hopes that next stunning phone call will come in 2006 just a few months before the world goes to Torino. Jenny Wiede |
|
Tony Allen
May 1st, 2004 - 8:33 PM |
Sorry......
....it's in the archive under 29 April! |
|
Stewart Roberts
May 2nd, 2004 - 5:41 PM |
Re: Re: Re: Moray Hanson interview
Thanks, Tony. I s'pose I could have guessed the date of the article but..... 
|
| First |
Prev |
Reply |
Forum |
Next |
Last |
bravenet.com