Many
of you have heard a rumor that the current Referee-in-Chief is quitting !!
While that word seems to have a bad connotation, it is truly what he is
doing. After 23 years as the leader of the officiating program in New England,
Lyman Dimond is stepping down effective July 1, 2005. While he has made
recommendations to the Executive Director of USA Hockey, no decision has been
announced so right now there is no official replacement named. When his replacement is
announced, you can learn all the details here at the New England Officiating
Program's official website.
Just
for the history books, Lyman joined then Amateur Hockey Association of United
States as an official in 1967 because he was the only coach or assistant coach
in Hartford Amateur Hockey Association (HAHA) who did not have a son playing on
one of the teams. In 1973 he was instrumental in the formation of the Northern
Connecticut Hockey Referees Association (now known as IHONC) and became its
first president. In 1975 he was appointed as the State Supervisor of Officials
for Connecticut and served in that position until his appointment to the
district position in August of 1982.
Now
that this is known, maybe finally taking a deserved vacation is more like what
he is doing! His wife Doris will
join him in retirement this coming July and together they will go to the next
step in their lives. "Our children live in Florida and Virginia so we are
looking for something closer to them and equally distant from where they
live." When asked if this means he will no longer be involved in USA
Hockey, Lyman's answer was "most likely not - just somewhere else."
Where
ever he ends up and what ever he is doing, the district can only wish him good
luck and enjoy your free time.
The
replacement for Lyman is to be appointed by the Executive Director of USA Hockey
and requires approval by the Board of Directors. This process has already begun
with Lyman submitting his list of potential replacements to the Executive
Director as part of his letter of resignation. The New England District has been
asked for their recommendation and their list of three contains the person Lyman listed as number one replacement so that should be announced
shortly after the annual congress being held early in June. Once it has been announced at the national level,
it will also be announced with details of interest to the district, right here
on this site. Keep looking for further information.