By Jeff D'Andrea

After 46 years, James Mays hangs up his referee whistle

Dec 16, 2018 | 8:04 PM

When James Mays was growing up, he would go to the rink with his father to catch a hockey game. Like many fans have been, Mays was especially tough on the officials calling the game. One day, Mays had a conversation that would help shape the rest of his life. 

“He was taking me to games and he got sick of me yelling at the refs. So he basically said, ‘if you can do any better, you should go out and try it.’ So I did,” recalled Mays.

That conversation happened about 50 years ago, but it had a lasting impact. Mays worked his way to the top of the country’s officiating world, as he serves as Hockey Canada’s referee-in-chief from 2010-14. He went on to ref 2,810 games, with his first coming back in November of 1972 at the Kinsmen Arena. 

Mays decided on Sunday that it was time to hang up his skates and his whistle forever. Barring some kind of comeback in the future, the final game Mays will do will be a Pee Wee Tier 2 game between the Shellbrook Elks and the Genes Sports Canadians at the Art Hauser Centre.  

“Every year, once you get past the elite level of doing junior hockey, you see the guys out there at the start of the year and you get that feeling that ‘I wish I was out there.’ Now, I don’t have that anymore,” Mays said. “I’m too busy doing other things, and my knees hurt. So, it’s time.”

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Along the way in his officiating career, Mays had the chance to call games with all three of his kids, Diamond, Shane and Andrew. Andrew was able to skate another side his father on Sunday in his last game.

Reflecting on his career, Mays looks back at all the people he got to know through officiating the game.

“I was thinking today of all the memories and some of the great games I did. It just comes around to the hundreds and hundreds of people I’ve met all over the country. I have a lot of really good friends, and the best of those friends are probably guys I refereed with.”

Mays is still very much ingrained in the hockey community. He’s the technical director of the Prince Albert Minor Hockey Association, and runs coaches and referee clinics. Mays also keeps busy with committee work both the Saskatchewan Hockey Association and Hockey Canada.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW