Brad Howard receives Hockey Canada award

Brad Howard won the Officiating Award for outstanding contribution to officiating at the branch and national levels.

Howard (Regina) has literally helped write the book on officiating. In recognition of his 40 years of on- and off-ice leadership and dedication to improving officiating, Hockey Canada is pleased to present Brad with its 2015 Officiating Award.

Brad’s contributions to the game have come in a trifecta of roles: active official, administrator and supervisor. Over the past four decades he’s worked local assignments in rinks in Regina, held the highest administrative level in Saskatchewan and supervised Level 6 officials on the national stage.

In 1974 Brad earned his certification stripes. Five short years later he was a Level 6 official and calling games in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey League. His work didn’t go unnoticed by those at the national level. Brad got the call to work the Air Canada Cup in 1985 as well as a pair of Canada West university finals and the CIS championship a few years later.

All the while Brad was making his mark – and a difference – behind the scenes. His involvement with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association – as a clinic instructor and branch supervisor – began in 1983 and continues to this day. He added executive responsibilities to his plate in 1996, first in a pair of coordinator roles for five years, then as the Southern Representative of Officials for the next eight.

Looking to do his part to develop the sport he loves, Brad also served as a supervisor not only for the Saskatchewan Hockey Association, but also for Level 4 and 5 officials. Fifteen years later he still supervises his home province’s elite officials, as well as acts as a clinic instructor.

Brad was elected referee-in-chief for the Saskatchewan Hockey Association in 2010, a post he held for three seasons.

Brad has also worked tirelessly for his hometown. The same year he started serving off the ice provincially, he became actively involved with the Regina Officials Association as a supervisor, a post that for 18 years – plus four more as the group’s president – has allowed him to mentor his fellow officials.

Involvement on the national stage for Brad first came in 1997, as one of the committee members who helped create “Speak Out,” a program designed to educate and prevent bullying, abuse and harassment in hockey.

He continued to lay the foundation for officiating with his role in the development and creation of the first Junior Workbook, as well as the Intermediate and Senior Workbooks.

A national supervisor for Hockey Canada since 2000, Brad has been appointed to numerous national events. He was selected as referee-in-chief for the 1999 Royal Bank Cup and has been called upon three times for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, twice as a referee-in-chief and once as a supervisor.

Brad continues to do his part to train future generations of officials as a facilitator at Hockey Canada’s Master Course Conductor Seminars, sharing what he’s learned about effective communication, penalty selection and positioning.