Former Oiler trades sweater for stripes

TULSA, Okla. – What started as a recreational game for an eight year-old has turned into a career for a former Tulsa Oiler. That career, however, was not exactly something that Kai Magnussen envisioned as a youngster in Okotoks, Alberta.

Magnussen worked his way up through the hockey ranks, moving from the midget level all the way to the Central Hockey League where he split time with the Oilers and Rocky Mountain Rage through two seasons. After a year away from the game, Magnussen returned to the CHL this past fall in a role that the former winger was not accustomed to. The 26-year-old traded in his stick for a whistle, and sweater for black and white stripes. Magnussen now earns his money as a full-time linesman for the league that he once called home as a player. According to Magnussen, the notion to become an official first entered his mind while skating with some NHL officials during the summer months.
 
“One of them suggested that they have this program I should look into called NHL Exposure,” Magnussen said. “Before that, I had never really considered it.” NHL Exposure, according to Magnussen, is a recruitment program that helps convert former players into officials. After attending the camp that was held last August in Toronto, Magnussen was offered a contract by CHL Supervisor of Officials Wayne Bonney. Bonney said that part of his job is working with the NHL to develop young officials. “My goal is to find young officials that the national league is interested in,” Bonney said. After developing a short-list, Bonney contacts the NHL to gauge their interest in the young prospects. “I’ll phone the National Hockey League in the summer time and say I’m looking at these four or five guys, are you interested in them?” If the NHL expresses interest, Bonney then begins his recruitment.
 
“If I’m lucky enough, they come,” he said. Magnussen was one of the young prospects that Bonney set his sights on for the 2010-11 season.
 
“Kai came into the league via recommendation of Lyle Seitz out of the NHL,” Bonney said. “Kai had played in our league for a few years and he’s a good skater.” “This was one situation where the National Hockey League says this young guy can skate and maybe has pretty good potential to be a pretty good linesman or referee,” Bonney added. “He’s doing a pretty good job for us right now,” he added. As with any job change, Magnussen has had to get used to his new role. He admits the pre-game butterflies were there for the first couple of games, but there were some on-ice differences from his playing days. The game play seems to be the same to Magnussen, only now he has a different viewpoint. “Looking at it as an official, I find that I watch a hockey game a lot differently now than I did as a player,” he said. Magnussen now has to maintain control of games featuring former teammates and people he has played against. He thinks though, that the familiarity with the players has helped him during games.
 
“A new official has to get to know the players on the ice and I think I have a bit of an advantage since I already know quite a few of them, either from playing with them or playing against them,” he said. One such example was the first fight he jumped in to break up.
 
“I remember the one guy because I used to play with him in junior,” he said. “It was a little funny that I had played with the guy and now I was breaking up his fight,” he said with a laugh. “I guess the biggest difference is no practice, just games,” he said while adding that officiating has been different than what he expected it would be. “We have a real team mentality with the officials on the ice, and I never expected that,” he said. “The three guys working out there, we’ve got to work as a team and we really are a team – just with a different goal than the teams playing on the ice.”The teamwork extends off the ice and according to Magnussen, has helped him through his transition into officiating. “The first six games games I did three with one guy and three with another guy that were experienced and some of the top officials in the league,” he said.
 
“Along with video clips that Wayne’s sent to me, the places I’ve learned the most have been from working with guys that really know what they’re doing and given me pointers and helping me get better as an official,” Magnussen said. One of the highlights of the early season for Magnussen was returning to Tulsa to officiate his first game in the BOK Center.
 
“It was definitely something I was looking forward to, before the game – getting out, skating around and just looking at the building, it was definitely a cool experience,” he said. “I was a little nervous, but I got over that and I look forward to working in that building again.” So now that he’s got time under his belt, what is his next move? “Just like anyone else doing this, the point is to move to a higher level and continue on,” Magnussen said. He says that he wouldn’t mind trying to become a referee at some point, but for now he’s focused on improving as a linesman. “For now I’m going to work on being a better linesman, but I would like to try refereeing and maybe in the future it will be something to get into,” he said. According to Bonney, the CHL has seen four to five officials, including referees Gord Dwyer and Frederick L’Ecuyer move up to the NHL. Only time will tell if Magnussen will join their ranks, but with his willingness to improve and the CHL’s commitment to developing young officials, the sky is the limit. Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com