By George Eichorn
There are many noted on-field officials who made professional sports leagues and hailed from the state of Michigan.
In the NFL, Dean Look comes to mind as do the Paganelli brothers – Carl, Perry and Dino.
In MLB, how about Rocky Roe, Rick Reed, Mike Reilly, Scott Barry, Jeff Kellogg, and Tim and Bill Welke called the Mitten State home. Tim McClelland, Paul Emmel and D.J. Reyburn went to college here.
In the NBA, Jenna Schroeder and Courtney Kirkland hail from Michigan. And in the NHL, Brian Pochmara stands out as a veteran referee.
Born and raised in Detroit Michigan, Pochmara started skating and playing hockey at the age of four. He would go on and play until age 16 dressing up for different teams in the St.Clair Shores Hockey Association.
The former forward made his officiating debut at the young age of 11 in that same hockey association. After several years of working all different levels of minor hockey that was available to him, Brian was hired in 1993 to work the North American Junior Hockey League (NAHL) as a linesman, a league he would work for a few years. He would continue wearing the striped jersey while attending Lake Superior University as a student in the Fire Science program (1994-98), working for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) from 1995 to 1999.
Right after his student years were over, “Pocho” decided to relocate to the city of Des Moines, Iowa to work the United States Hockey League (USHL) as a full time referee. He worked one season in the USHL and worked for a second year in a row at the USA Hockey National Championships. His officiating success was noticed then and he was offered his first minor-pro contract as a full-time referee in the ECHL during the summer of 1999. He would work the ECHL for a total of three seasons, working the 2002 ECHL All-Star Game in Trenton, NJ and also being selected to work the prestigious Kelly’s Cup Finals that same season (2002). During his last season with the ECHL (2001-2002), Pochmara also worked a good share of American Hockey League (AHL) games.
The National Hockey League recognized his potential the following summer (2002) offering him a full-time minor league referee contract at the age of 25.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or @Sandgsports99.
