A longtime Jasper hockey official has been recognized for his outstanding commitment to the game.

When Glen Leitch moved to Jasper in 1997, joined a recreational hockey team (RIP JPL S**thawks) and was eventually recruited to referee the local men’s commercial league, the then 42-year-old had no idea of where the path would take him.

“I was greener than grass,” Leitch recalled. “And once I got on the ice, I was terrified.”

It was intimidating to have to blow the whistle on hot-headed friends and foes from the teams he was used to suiting up with, and against. Even with the support of fellow officials Blair Wood, Mike Wasuita and Lex Switzer, in those early days, Leitch said it was easy to get overwhelmed—by the speed of the game, by the intensity of the participants and by the responsibilities he was suddenly burdened with.

“It was a huge learning curve,” he said.  

But learn he did. While his skin thickened to the chirps and temper tantrums of his fellow over-agers, it was in a different hockey setting where the bulk of his on-ice education came: minor sports. Soon, Leitch was packing his whistle around the region—Hinton, Edson, Drayton Valley and Whitecourt, at the infamous “Shell,” an arena that would get so cold “the ice would crack right down the middle,” Leitch recalled with a shudder. 

Despite the winter roads and the freezing mornings, Leitch was warming to the idea of being a referee. He found a companionship with his fellow stripes.

“There’s a camaraderie among referees,” he said. “Whether you have a good game or not, you always have their support.”

While some refs shun the idea of officiating for the mini-est of minor leaguers, Leitch loved being on the ice with the tykes. Inadvertently, he was becoming a role model—for his junior officials, but also for the young players who watched his conduct with their coaches and parents.

“You’ve got all these little bodies listening to conflict resolution between adults,” he said. “If you go over there and lose it, that’s going to stay with them.”

Not that Leitch always knew how to keep his cool. That took time, he said. But 26 years after donning the orange arm band for the first time, he’s matured, he said. He’s adapted with the game of hockey and has learned to not “hold on so tight”—in other words, to keep the whistle in his pocket. 

“Players want to play,” he says. “No one comes to the rink wanting to get a penalty.”

After two decades of dropping the puck, he’s a better ref, but Leitch is also more apt to admit he occasionally drops the ball.

“I mess up at some point every game—we all do. But now I have the humility to say so,” the 69-year-old laughed.

Are there calls he wished he could have back? Of course there are. Back in the “Shell,” during an Atom Provincial tournament in Whitecourt, he remembers vividly when he made the wrong call on a puck he thought had crossed the goal line. 

“I thought I saw a goal. I think it’s a goal. I call it a goal,” he said.

Then he noticed his friends and colleagues who were watching from a spectator area behind the net. They were adamant the puck hadn’t gone in. Leitch had to take his lumps. 

“I was pouty after that,” he said.

A missed call is understandable. Much more important than the numbers on the scoreboard, however, is the safety of the players. Leitch said his first priority, always, is to do everything in his power to make the game safe and fair for the kids on the ice. And if he has to remove a parent or a coach from the rink to do so, he’s 100 percent prepared to do that.

“You’re reacting to an action and have that much time to decide,” he said, snapping his fingers. “As much time as it takes to take a breath. That can be hard to appreciate for some people.”

On May 29, Leitch’s longstanding efforts were appreciated by Hockey Alberta. His nominator for the 2024 North Region Officials Award was fellow Jasper referee, Fred Kreiner.

“Glen has done a great job as a referee for a long time, all across west central Alberta,” Kreiner said. “I think we need to recognize our community members who are doing good things for the kids and for sports.”

Make no mistake: this isn’t a retirement award. Hockey keeps Leitch fit, it keeps him motivated and it keeps him involved. He’s excited for next season, when Jasper will have a renovated arena and the level of hockey—both for those shooting and passing the puck, and also for those dropping it—will be elevated.

“I’m proud of hockey in Jasper,” he said. “I guess that makes me a homer.”

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com