Kahnawake ref at the Chevy Cup

Kahnawake was all over the ice throughout the two weeks of the Chevrolet Cup hockey tournament - and not just on the two teams facing off at a time.

Adam Dailleboust returned as a referee to the Chevrolet Cup for the second time, his first being in 2023. He and the rest of his officiating crew were chosen for one of the U13 AA boys’ semifinals, where Regroupement des Monts/St. Jerome beat the Laval Senators 3-0.

It was Dailleboust who was chosen to be in charge of the game as the referee, with two others joining as linespeople.

“I’ve had the great privilege of refereeing, and I had the chance to get a medal too - it’s quite an accomplishment,” said Dailleboust.

“Obviously, the tournament was pretty intense. They were really playing for their spot in the finals.”

Adding to the intensity was the crowd, which had parents with drums to cheer on the two teams playing for a finals berth.

Dailleboust said that staying in the zone as an official in that kind of environment comes from experience.

“You get used to it,” said Dailleboust.

The referees prepare before the game by discussing what to expect with the others in the crew, as well as watching other games and seeing how other referees work. That involves arriving much earlier than the start time of the game - Dailleboust was two hours early for the semifinals game on Sunday.

“You have to be prepared for the game. You do your best, and you make sure that you work as a team. The teamwork is obviously the most important thing. If you don’t work as a team, it’s not going to work properly,” said Dailleboust.

Getting his start as a referee in 2021, he has already steadily climbed the ranks from refereeing single-letter minor hockey inside the Suroit zone (communities like Kahnawake, Chateauguay, and others around them) to getting a chance to do so at the regional level as part of what he called an “elite” staff of referees.

“It’s been quite a journey,” said Dailleboust.

Next would be doing high-level games at the U17 level before moving up to Junior and the professional level after that - Dailleboust hopes to at least reach the American Hockey League level as a referee, the second-highest level of professional hockey in North America and, arguably, the world.

Although he is a few years away from reaching that level, he is working hard to make his goals a reality.

“He’s doing extremely well. Honestly, he’s one of my top officials. He’s a quick learner,” said Robert Hurtubise, the referee-in-chief for the Suroit zone, whom Dailleboust credits for mentoring him and pushing him to get to the level he is at now.

“He’s been progressing every year. He’s a perfectionist. He takes his job seriously, and he keeps climbing the ladder - the corporate ladder, like we say - and who knows? The sky is the limit.”

Much like Hurtubise has been an example to follow for Dailleboust, he can also be that for younger referees at the lower levels, even if Dailleboust is just 19 years old.

“They can’t ever forget where they came from. So even if they keep moving up, they still will referee with us and with the younger guys, and then they end up being a role model for the younger guys,” said Hurtubise.

“I hope he will become a role model. He already is for the younger kids.”

Hurtubise hopes Dailleboust might inspire others who might want to referee, too, with Dailleboust being the only one currently active in the Suroit zone from Kahnawake.

“I think that’s a good way to represent the community, too,” said Dailleboust.

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