Now that another Olympic Games is over, many across Canada know the stories of our athletes and the various roads they took to get to their ultimate goal. But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. Well, meet Derek Amell, 17-year NHL linesman and now an Olympian. When I turned on the mens hockey gold medal game between Canada and Sweden, I was happy to see that an old acquaintance would be working the lines for the biggest game on the worlds biggest stage. You see, over 25 years ago, Derek and I worked together at a drug store chain in Whitby, Ontario. I was a university student taking a year off school and he was a high school student looking to improve on his first job working the night shift at Burger King for $2.85/hr. There were two things I remembered about Derek back then: he was a lot bigger than me, and he had a very calm personality. Looking back, those are two good attributes for an NHL linesman. For Derek, the dream took off at the age of 24 when he worked his first Ontario Hockey League game. Three years later, he started working American Hockey League games and this is where our paths would cross again. I was an off-ice official with the Hamilton Canucks and Hamilton Bulldogs in the 1990s and we would touch base now and again at Copps Coliseum. I could see then that he was on his way to the NHL. "I felt the NHL was an attainable goal after working the AHLs Calder Cup Final in my first year," said Amell. He wouldnt have to wait long for the big moment. The following year, he found out he would be working NHL games in the upcoming season. In his first NHL season, the league made the decision to return to the Olympics in Nagano, meaning there was now another rung on the ladder of success for NHL players and officials. There would be some career highlights along the way, such as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the 2009 and 2012 Stanley Cup Finals as well as the 2012 NHL All-Star Game. Could the Olympics be next? And then he got the news. Unlike the athletes who are introduced at news conferences, Amell was contacted through e-mail by Stephen Walkom, the NHLs director of officiating. The message was sent on December 1, naming the 13 NHL officials who were chosen to work in Sochi. Of course, when athletes go to the Olympics, they stay in the Athletes Village and invite family and friends to share in the experience. Is it the same for the officials? "The officials stayed together in a hotel right inside the Olympic area. It was great to be together with all the amateur officials," said Amell, who is a married father of two children but did not have any family join him in Sochi. To work the gold medal game, he had to prove himself again. "The gold medal officials were chosen by a panel of supervisors from various countries and it was based on performance during the tournament. We were told by e-mail after the semifinal games," said Amell. When the officials for the gold medal game were announced, former NHL player and Swedish international Peter Forsberg was incensed that Canadians would be working the game but some current Swedish players defended the decision, saying their nationality wouldnt affect their decision-making. "We knew there would be extreme scrutiny on the officiating when it was announced that the officials were Canadian," said Amell. "We knew the players would be comfortable with us since we are all in the NHL. It was more an issue with the media than with the players. "At the end of the game, the entire Swedish team came over and shook our hands and told us we did a great job. That was very satisfying for us." So which was more nerve-racking: the first NHL game or the gold medal game? "Working the gold medal game was the most nerve-racking game I have ever officiated," he admitted. Its been a long road from collecting shopping carts in Whitby to officiating at the gold medal game in Sochi. And while Amells appearance at the Olympics may not have been as celebrated as many of the athletes, or even noticed by most viewers, the accomplishment is no less significant. And just like the athletes, family plays an integral role in the success of officials, offering support and enduring hardships over the years. "Since we only work 6-8 games a year at home, the family sacrifices are large," said Amell. "I miss most of my childrens sports activities and birthdays. They understand the life of an NHL official, but it still can be very difficult on my wife and children," said Amell. As for the hundreds of people who show up at the airport for our returning athletes, how does the return of an official compare? "No one met me at the airport," Amell laughed. "It was like coming home from any other road trip!" The Olympics is a place where dreams can come true. Most people dream of winning a gold medal but dont tell Derek Amell that his accomplishment is anything less. He just achieved his Olympic goal with a lot less fanfare. And, like a linesman who goes unnoticed when he does a good job, thats the way he likes it. Mecole Hardman Jersey . During the furious first few hours of free agency Tuesday, the team agreed to terms with strong safety Donte Whitner, a Cleveland native who cant wait to play in his hometown. Joe Montana Womens Jersey . 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Around the league, teams are starting to take notice and feature Ross more predominately in their pre-game scouting reports but its not just the opposition that hes impressing.All of the trash talk and fan-fuelled rivalry will come to a head on Sunday afternoon when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders meet for the third time this season in the 11th-annual Banjo Bowl. The Blue Bombers (6-4) look to avoid the season sweep, while the Roughriders (7-2) eye an a seventh-straight victory. Here are the main Blue Bombers story lines surrounding Sundays West Division tilt, where Winnipeg will look for just their second win in their last five games: – "No, I will not lose any sleep over this... Because I understand the facts surrounding it." Thats head coach Mike OShea when asked if there was any concern over his clubs 346 total rushing yards allowed to the Riders in their two previous meetings. "The simple things are this," said OShea. "Youve got to be in the right place, and when the ball-carrier comes through your place that youre defending, youve got to make the tackle. So when we have a breakdown of that — if youre not in the right place or you fail to make the tackle... When plays have made yards against us its been a combination of not being in the right place or not making a tackle. So when you see it on film its not something you worry about as a coach. It really isnt. If there was something wrong with your system, you would have to reconfigure that. But its not that. So thats why Im not worried. I have a lot faith in our guys. Im sure Ive been criticized for that, but its OK." – Injuries are riddling the Blue & Gold, as big-ticket offseason acquisition Nick Moore will be an absent target of quarterback Drew Willy for the next few weeks and, "maybe more, well see," according to OShea of Moores left high-ankle sprain suffered in last weeks Labour Day Classic in Regina. Romby Bryant will be expected to step up in place of Moore, while the teams leading receiver, Clarence Denmark, hopes to rebound from his one-catch-for-six-yards-performance and return to the reliable weapon he has become in 2014. – Tackle-machine Ian Wild, who tied the franchise-record with 14 takedowns in Week 9, will be out this week with a shoulder burner. Abe Kromah dresses for the second time since joining the team in mid-July. "One thing it really comes down to is effort," said Kromah. "Effort can really get a lot of things done, even when things go wrong... I believe that philosophy. I feel like we can overcome a lot of mistakes, a lot of run fits and mishaps.dddddddddddd" – Kashawn Fraser, who made his third start of the season in place of the healthy Jason Vega last week, also heads to the one-game injured list with a knee injury and will be out a few weeks. "I think its happened before, so Im not overly concerned about it," said Vega when asked about his healthy-scratch. "Unfortunately, thats above my pay-grade, so thats not a question that I can answer personally. Youd have to ask coach or whoever else and whoever made the decision. All I know is I didnt play, and this week I am." – Fifth-year Bombers halfback Alex Suber was traded to the Toronto Argonauts this week for International defensive end Thaddeus Gibson, who will help supplant the defensive front with the injury to Kashawn Fraser. Gibson will join the team next week. The team also added a pair of International defensive ends to their practice roster in Willie Moseley and Marvin Booker. – Drew Willy went down in a heap in the third quarter last Sunday and put a serious scare into all of Bomberland as he clutched his left ankle and writhed in pain. And while he did return to the game to immediately orchestrate a six-play, 59-yard drive capped by his own keep-and-run up the gut for an 11-yard touchdown, there was some concern this week if the quarterback would be good to go in the rematch. "I think Ill only get better," said Willy after saying he felt OK after practice on Thursday. "I think itll just keep progressing, and every single day Im getting a lot of treatment and stuff like that, so I felt pretty good out here today... I think I just try to pride myself on mental and physical toughness. I think if you have those two things you give yourself a shot every single week (for) your teammates to believe in you. I want to do everything I can to be out there for them because they work so hard... As an offence and as a team you want to pride yourself on being accountable and being reliable to your teammates. Its just one of those things. You just mentally have to toughen through it, and if youre mentally right a lot of times itll take care of the physical part." Blue Bomber Game Day pre-game cov