Hockey official hits the ice ... literally
Sioux Cityan thankful for rapid response, care
By Tim Gallaghertgallagher@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Thursday, November 27, 2008
Hockey official Chad Stewart of Sioux City drops the puck before a Dordt Blades game in Sioux Center, Iowa. (Photo submitted)
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Chad Stewart is thankful for an EMT named Karen. He's thankful for six Dordt College hockey players. Doesn't know their last names either. Or, their first names.
He's thankful for the coaches at Dordt, the doctors at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City and his fellow officials.
Stewart, 31, was knocked out Saturday night when a hockey player in the game he officiated swept him off his feet.
Not romantically. Violently. And accidentally.
It happens from time to time in a sport where powerful athletes move at break-neck speed across a sheet of glaze ice.
"I was told my feet were swept out and I was blind-sided," said Stewart, a veteran official and a skater since he was 4. "Officials get injured once in a while. I never had anything quite like Saturday night."
Stewart's head crashed on the ice, knocking him out. He went into convulsions for six minutes. He remembers little.
"My last memory of Saturday is the routine of the game," Stewart said. "I was calling the lines that night and the next thing I know I'm strapped to the flat side of a gurney looking up at a helicopter. My first coherent memory is an EMT named Karen. I remember being lifted into the chopper and then being worked on by EMTs en route to Sioux City."
Doctors in Sioux City saw him for whiplash and a severe concussion. Fellow hockey officials Bob Batcheller, Rob Casper and Eric Rapp met Stewart at the emergency room. When he was dismissed at 2 a.m. Sunday, his fellow officiating crew members that night, Rick Chartier and Brett Swanson, were there. They drove south just after the game at Dordt ended.
"Our officiating team in Sioux City is like a fraternity," Stewart said. It meant a lot to see those faces upon his dismissal.
Stewart, who works in inventory management and service dispatch for Executive Technologies in Sioux City, took Monday and Tuesday off from work to rest and recuperate. His neck and head still ached, but both were improving, he said.
He plans to hit the ice again (with his skates, not his head) Dec. 5-6 as Dordt plays host for a couple of games. "As soon as possible, I'll get back on the ice," Stewart said.
Despite the speed and sometimes vicious contact in this sport, Stewart said the ice is a great place to be, surrounded by folks who obviously care. For that, he's thankful.
E-mail from official
Here is the e-mail Chad Stewart sent to Dordt College on Monday, after suffering whiplash and a severe concussion in a collision while officiating a hockey game Saturday night.
"Dear Sir,
My name is Chad Stewart and I am a hockey official who regularly works Dordt Blades hockey. I am from Sioux City, and I was injured during a Dordt game on Saturday night.
"I am writing this because I want the Dordt Blades coaching staff as well as each and every player on campus to be recognized for their concern, compassion, and their quick response in making sure I was cared for by the medical staff. Six players in particular were responsible for carrying me off the ice on a backboard.
"As I was unconscious, I am not able to single them out over the rest of the team, but I think that Dordt College should be proud of each and every one of them. They all exuded the value system of your school and your religion's way of life.
"From the bottom of my heart I am extremely grateful and impressed by the Blades hockey team. I got a personal phone call today from the Blades coach who was calling on behalf of himself and the team. He told me that all of the team was extremely concerned for my well-being and that all of the boys had asked about me today.
"If there is any special recognition that could come of this, I would be forever indebted to yourself as well as your school. This is the kind of act that does not regularly happen in this day and age as we have become somewhat of a callous society. The compassion expressed by the Dordt Blades hockey team and even the fans (most of whom are students at the school) is the kind of thing that you and your staff should be extremely proud of.
"I thank you for your time."
Sincerely,
Chad Stewart
He's thankful for the coaches at Dordt, the doctors at Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City and his fellow officials.
Stewart, 31, was knocked out Saturday night when a hockey player in the game he officiated swept him off his feet.
Not romantically. Violently. And accidentally.
It happens from time to time in a sport where powerful athletes move at break-neck speed across a sheet of glaze ice.
"I was told my feet were swept out and I was blind-sided," said Stewart, a veteran official and a skater since he was 4. "Officials get injured once in a while. I never had anything quite like Saturday night."
Stewart's head crashed on the ice, knocking him out. He went into convulsions for six minutes. He remembers little.
"My last memory of Saturday is the routine of the game," Stewart said. "I was calling the lines that night and the next thing I know I'm strapped to the flat side of a gurney looking up at a helicopter. My first coherent memory is an EMT named Karen. I remember being lifted into the chopper and then being worked on by EMTs en route to Sioux City."
Doctors in Sioux City saw him for whiplash and a severe concussion. Fellow hockey officials Bob Batcheller, Rob Casper and Eric Rapp met Stewart at the emergency room. When he was dismissed at 2 a.m. Sunday, his fellow officiating crew members that night, Rick Chartier and Brett Swanson, were there. They drove south just after the game at Dordt ended.
"Our officiating team in Sioux City is like a fraternity," Stewart said. It meant a lot to see those faces upon his dismissal.
Stewart, who works in inventory management and service dispatch for Executive Technologies in Sioux City, took Monday and Tuesday off from work to rest and recuperate. His neck and head still ached, but both were improving, he said.
He plans to hit the ice again (with his skates, not his head) Dec. 5-6 as Dordt plays host for a couple of games. "As soon as possible, I'll get back on the ice," Stewart said.
Despite the speed and sometimes vicious contact in this sport, Stewart said the ice is a great place to be, surrounded by folks who obviously care. For that, he's thankful.
E-mail from official
Here is the e-mail Chad Stewart sent to Dordt College on Monday, after suffering whiplash and a severe concussion in a collision while officiating a hockey game Saturday night.
"Dear Sir,
My name is Chad Stewart and I am a hockey official who regularly works Dordt Blades hockey. I am from Sioux City, and I was injured during a Dordt game on Saturday night.
"I am writing this because I want the Dordt Blades coaching staff as well as each and every player on campus to be recognized for their concern, compassion, and their quick response in making sure I was cared for by the medical staff. Six players in particular were responsible for carrying me off the ice on a backboard.
"As I was unconscious, I am not able to single them out over the rest of the team, but I think that Dordt College should be proud of each and every one of them. They all exuded the value system of your school and your religion's way of life.
"From the bottom of my heart I am extremely grateful and impressed by the Blades hockey team. I got a personal phone call today from the Blades coach who was calling on behalf of himself and the team. He told me that all of the team was extremely concerned for my well-being and that all of the boys had asked about me today.
"If there is any special recognition that could come of this, I would be forever indebted to yourself as well as your school. This is the kind of act that does not regularly happen in this day and age as we have become somewhat of a callous society. The compassion expressed by the Dordt Blades hockey team and even the fans (most of whom are students at the school) is the kind of thing that you and your staff should be extremely proud of.
"I thank you for your time."
Sincerely,
Chad Stewart
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Flanman wrote on Nov 27, 2008 11:17 AM: