Wes Smith

Builder (2006)

Hockey

Wes Smith has spent an active career as a hockey referee and organizer, with his officiating days primarily between 1971 and 1992 and his organizational days continuing to the present moment.

Wes grew up in a family of six boys and two girls in Nokomis and the boys were always involved in hockey. He and his brothers, Barry, Morris and Doug, all played on teams where their father, Lorne, was the manager. Playing since he was eight years old, Wes had the good fortune to play on four Nokomis teams, which won provincial C championships, the first, two with midget teams and one with a juvenile team. Virtually all the players moved up together and formed the Chiefs senior team, which won the provincial C title in 1967.

After Wes quit playing, he turned to officiating and this collection of crests signified the roles he played as a referee in some major tournaments.

Governor-General Ray Hnatyshyn presented him with the Olympic torch medal for his volunteerism in athletics. He was a referee at the 1987 Centennial Cup playoffs at Humboldt and the two others, Brad Meier and Mark Wheeler, are working in the National Hockey League today. Wes was a member of the organizational committee when the Memorial Cup finals were held in Saskatoon in 1989. Two years later, he was recognized for his work as an organizer of the world junior championships, which were also played at Saskatchewan Place.

One of his longest associations was with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, where he logged 32 years in total, both as referee and supervisor. He was also on the tournament directorate when the Royal Bank Cup playoffs were held in Weyburn in 2005. His collection of accreditation tags is a reflection of the national tournaments Wes has worked as referee supervisor, embracing junior, senior and university finals.

His son, Al, is currently a referee and the two hold the distinction of being the only father-and-son in Canada who have achieved the Level 6 status as officials.