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Not only do players and coaches from the MnJHL go on to advance
their careers, referees do as well. Brad Sotak, a referee for the
MnJHL from 1995 to 1998, went on to ref for the North American Hockey
League (NAHL), United States Hockey League (USHL), Central
Hockey League (CHL), Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) and
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He also recently got involved with
IIHF inline hockey. The Colorado native started as a goalie at age six,
then moved to Minnesota when he was 12 and continued playing in high
school. He played two seasons with the MnJHL (1994-95) and had short
stints with the USHL, former American Frontier Hockey League (AFHL) and
other junior teams before enrolling in college. Finished with his
playing career, Sotak soon found that refereeing was a great fit for a
part time job: the flexible schedule allowed him to work in the
evening, the pay was good, and he knew the game.
What started from a part time commitment turned into a
lifestyle for Sotak. He started in the MnJHL in 1995, also refereeing
for the NAHL and USHL at this time. In 1998, he moved on to a full time
position with the USHL, still continuing to ref MnJHL games. By 1999 he
continued his full time commitment with the USHL, also adding 10 games
with the United Hockey League (UHL). Following a move to Little Rock,
AR in 2000, Sotak continued to ref full time as a linesman with the CHL
and part time with the WPHL. The following season he moved to Baton
Rouge, LA and worked full time with the ECHL where he stayed for 4
years.
While living in Baton Rouge in 2001, Sotak was called by
another official in the CHL, Alex Brown, to see if he was interested in
refereeing inline hockey part time. "I got to travel the
country and work hockey games. Over the years I did more and more of it
and was lucky enough to get involved with USA Hockey Inline. I did
tournaments for them and did some instructing at clinics. In 2007 I was
asked by USA Hockey to do the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships
in Landshut, Germany. I was also blessed by going to Bratislava,
Slovakia in 2008 and Ingolstadt, Germany in 2009. These tournaments
were the highlights of my officiating career even though they were not
on ice. I was able to do 2 Gold Medal games and Bronze. Many NHL
players played in the tournaments (Karel Rachunek RIP, Ales Hemski,
Lubomir Visnovski, Petr Tenkrat to name a few). Many other minor
league and European elite players make up the bulk of the rosters.
Many of them I knew from my years in the pro ice circuit."
Sotak has many memorable times from his career. He recalls
refereeing in the Jr. B National Championships as a highlight with the
MnJHL, his first pro game in the UHL in 1999 with the Madison Kodiaks vs
Asheville Smoke in Madison, WI, and the three IIHF Inline Hockey World
Championships were a huge honor. "Spending time with the other
officials was also one of the best parts of doing it. The stories
collected over the years could fill a second book and more...some
publishable and some not," he joked.
Sotak describes himself as an approachable referee, one that is
more proactive: "I like to talk to the players a lot to let them know
what I am seeing and if that is good or bad. I like to keep my
attitude light and approachable. I have fun doing the games and want
to smile when appropriate. Sometimes it's hard to look professional
when trying not to laugh." He admits that every referee has their own
style, but the most successful ones have superior communication skills,
patience, calm demeanor, authoritative presence, and fitness. "No one
skill, outside communication, is "better" than another. It's how you
put all the tools together during a certain kind of game that makes the
difference. Some games you can joke and smile, other games it's all
business and a stern voice."
The full time commitment of refereeing took up most of Sotak's
free time during the season. He recalls that with the MnJHL the travel
wasn't too bad and he was able to sleep at home. Once he advanced to
higher leagues "your 'home' was really just a place to store stuff you
weren't travelling with," he says. "As the level of hockey increases
more is on the line and in turn more commitment is required in the way
of physical training, travel, study of rules and how to apply them and
so on. That is not to say that the MNJHL level is not as important as
others. At the higher levels you are under a microscope more. At the
MnJHL level you are just starting to learn what you are doing and
mistakes are expected more. At the higher levels mistakes are far less
forgivable. You are expected to have a mastery of the rules and how to
apply them."
Currently living in Shreveport, LA, Sotak finally made the
decision to retire as a referee and explore other opportunities. "The
biggest challenge I've faced so far as a referee is knowing that my
career is over. This past season the local pro team (Bossier/Shreveport
Mudbugs) won the CHL championship and then folded. After almost 700
pro games worked I was faced with retirement. When this season started
and I had no place to skate it was very hard to close that chapter in my
life. Hockey has been a large part of it since I was 6 years old. It
has truly shaped my adolescence and adult life. Many tears were shed
when the announcement came that the team was folding. As with most
things in life they do not last forever. I just hope that a team will
come back in the next few years and I can do more games and retire on my
own terms in front of my parents and friends. I'd love them to see my
first and last pro game." Brad now works full time as a cop but still
works part time with the CHL.
When he started with the MnJHL, Sotak thought it would just be
another source of income while he was in college, but he soon came to
enjoy refereeing and continued to improve at it. "What I saw and did
during my time in the MnJHL has stayed with me as I moved up as an
official but also as a person and a police officer. Many of the traits
in good officials are found in good cops." He considers the MnJHL an
excellent opportunity to acquire the right 'tools' in your tool box to
progress in hockey. "It [the MnJHL] will help you grow as a person too.
Interpersonal communication is the cornerstone in any relationship
whether it's 10 seconds long or 50 years long. Use what the older,
experienced officials and supervisors teach you and give it all you
got. I would like to thank the MnJHL staff past and present for all you
have offered and I hope I can repay you in some way in the future."
Forging these relationships is what kept Sotak motivated
through his years as a referee: an aggregation of what other officials
have told and shown him.
"I think the thing what I try/tried to do is to put my name on
everything I do. Take pride in associating your name with something
bigger than the individual. Ten years from now nobody will remember if
you missed this call or that call. They will remember if you were
fair. They will know if you acknowledged your mistakes, stood up for
yourself when right, and treated everyone else like a professional.
While I was not perfect I think the players knew that during the games I
was as serious as they were and had a good a time as they did."
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