Full disclosure: this column was written/submitted prior to working the Canada - Czechia quarter-final game Thursday night.

As millions of Canadians know, there is something truly special about the annual tradition that is the World Junior Hockey Championships in this country.

Despite the fact that the excitement and drama of the playoff round still lies ahead, I was reminded several times over, in the days since my arrival in Ottawa on Boxing Day, of just how truly fortunate I am to now be working the event for a third time.

Speaking of Boxing Day: for as much as I have already been prompted a few times over not to ever take this experience for granted, that was honestly not top of mind as I left the house on December 26th at 5:30 a.m. to make my way for a pair of games later that day at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Curtailing family time during the singular stretch of days when the Sudbury sports scene more or less grinds to a halt is simply not possible without the incredible understanding of both my wife and children - and that is something I will always be eternally grateful for.

Still, as I took to the roads early that morning, questions remained.

My schedule called for me to work as a timekeeper for six games, which was very much in my wheelhouse. Not leaving anything to chance, I had taken advantage of an offer from Ottawa Senators' timekeeper Len Lenser to take in some training on the clock at CTC on December 23rd.

As luck would have it, it’s essentially the same model that we use at the Sudbury Wolves games, only newer.

The remainder of my six assignments, however, were to be split between two newly created positions - referee microphone operator and referee camera operator - the details of which were essentially unclear until just a few hours before the start of the tournament last Thursday - at least to those of whom who would be tackling these roles.

As many who know me well can readily attest, technology and I do not necessarily make good bedmates. Thankfully, neither position required a great deal of I.T. knowledge - and with both being positioned in the penalty box area, I would be able to provide a helping hand in a number of areas for which I am far more comfortable.

(for the record, my most recent count of games worked, over the course of my lifetime, as a timekeeper/scorekeeper numbers somewhere between 4000-5000 - and that is not an exaggeration)

With that out of the way, it was on to the games.

I sincerely hope that it doesn’t make me any less Canadian, but to be right in the thick of the monumental Latvian upset of Team Canada was something I will remember for years to come.

Following that up by also being on the clock for the Latvia - USA game as well as the Latvian overtime win over Germany and watching Canadians embrace the underdog darlings of WJC 2025 was something to behold. Simply witnessing the child-like delight of that team at practice on their day off was a testament that for as much as the World Juniors are a media spectacle in our country, this is still a competition of kids playing a kids’ game - all with a great deal of passion.

Outside of game time, however, comes a whole other benefit to these volunteer opportunities that have come my way. Thoughts of the people I have met and stories shared my way likely rival my pure hockey memories in terms of things that spring to mind when I recall these tournaments settling into my elder years.

From connecting with a crew chief whose background both in hockey and business is fascinating, to crossing paths and being introduced to a wonderful group of fellow off-ice officials who share many a similar interest, to finding out so much more about the incredible journey of our penalty box co-hort, the “ghost camera guy”, provides every reason to wake up each morning with a sense of anticipation in the air.

While a small handful of the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) delegation in attendance are folks with whom I have worked at previous competitions around the globe, there are always new friendships to be formed.

Though the data entry and hockey awareness skills of twenty-two year old Denmark native Paw Fonnesbech Christensen merged so incredibly well with the knowledge I bring to the table since the time we first met in Beijing (2022), growing our relationship to include time spent in Ottawa with his parents and IIHF brethren was amazing.

It was during this gathering that I was introduced to a gent by the name of Michael Hicks, a former hockey official who resides in Cardiff (Wales) and now assists the IIHF in an off-ice capacity. Not only did he know of Valley East native Shannon Hope (who played hockey professionally there for quite a stint following his junior career in the NOHA), turns out the two are actually very close friends.

As Claus Christensen (father of Paw and senior official with both the Danish Hockey Union and the IIHF) so accurately reminded me, it is this on-going human interaction that is truly at the heart of what so many of us enjoy in throwing ourselves into the midst of potential chaos.

I have met up with countless other Sudbury natives on hand at the games, some still residing in northern Ontario and some who are not - and many others who have ties to our part of the province.

The New Year’s Eve classic (Canada - USA) contest alone opened the door to discovering the tales of a camera technician from Switzerland and a referee equipment manager from Calgary (working the event for the very first time) - all while being smack dab in the middle of that delightful repartee between Luca Pinelli and Zeev Buium once the puck was dropped.

Yes, the World Junior Hockey Championships are special in so many ways - and I, for one, don’t want to ever forget that.