Retired NHL-er Back on Ice to Answer Call - By Making Them
By
Rob Kaminski
MHSAA benchmarks editor
March 16, 2023
The most accomplished skater on the ice during Friday’s triple-overtime MHSAA Division 1 Semifinal hockey thriller between Hartland and Brighton was not wearing the school colors of either team.
In front of a packed house at Plymouth’s USA Hockey Arena, referee Bryan Smolinski was in stripes, just like the rest of his officiating crew.
In his former life, he pulled on plenty of sweaters before lacing up the skates. That happens when one logs more than 1,000 games, tallies nearly 300 goals (274) and close to 400 assists (377) with eight teams spanning a 15-year playing career in the National Hockey League.
So, how did the 52-year-old former star player find himself on the ice last weekend as one of the referees for the pinnacle weekend of this high school season? Good question, even for the man known as “Smoke” during his playing days.
“I was working in youth development programs a few years back and reached out to some Michigan guys I had connections with about other ways to help the game,” Smolinski said. “I called Kevin May just to chat and asked, ‘Hey, how’s your reffing going?’ He said, ‘You know, we’re down a little bit,’ then said, ‘Why don’t you do it?’ I said, ‘Not a chance,’” Smolinski laughed.
Never Say Never
May persisted, imploring his friend to skate with him during a Fall league at Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills. After eight weeks, once a week, Smolinski had a revelation.
“I’m like, ‘I’m kind of diggin’ this,’” Smolinski said “So, I did all the testing, and the educational part of it, and I really enjoyed it. I got with Danny (DiCristofaro) and his group, and he put me in as much as he could, and I really started to get my feet wet.”
DiCristofaro is the assigner and referee-in-chief for the MHSAA’s Northeast Hockey Referees Association, and he has seen Smolinski’s growth first-hand.
“Obviously he’s got great instincts and a feel for the game, along with a wealth of experience, all of which has allowed him to climb the ladder quickly,” said DiCristofaro. “It’s been a joy to watch his growth as an official.”
Fast forward to last Friday, and there were Smolinski and May sharing duties as referees during the MHSAA Semifinal with linesmen Michael Andrews and Thomas Robbins.
In between, there has been a learning curve that still continues, but the jump to officiating was not quite as daunting as his introduction to the NHL.
“I was scared to death. My first game was against Mario Lemieux. I’m in the old Boston Garden and now I’m playing against these guys and it’s their job, and they’re out there trying to make a living,” Smolinski recalled.
The emotions were not running nearly as frenzied for his first game as an MHSAA official, obviously, yet respect came in a different form.
“I couldn’t pick the puck up, I was breathing heavily; it was Kevin and me doing a two-man game in Brighton,” Smolinski recalled. “There were a few high-end kids playing, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m dying here.’ You know, there’s no training for that first time.”
What that experience did, however, was revitalize Smolinski in a new way. His playing career is well documented, not only in the NHL, but around Michigan. He enjoyed an honor-laden career at Michigan State University from 1989-93 before joining the Boston Bruins (who had drafted him three years earlier) at the end of the ’93 NHL campaign. Even after his final season, with Montreal in 2007-08, he stayed in the game via men’s leagues, or coaching his son, Max.
Smolinski and his wife, Julie, have three daughters: Ashtyn (22), Jojo (16) and Rylen (12), along with Max, whom dad coached for seven years including during a national championship run with a Little Caesars U15 team in 2019. Max, 19, is now playing collegiately at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
So, for Smolinski, officiating offers a new chapter.
“Reffing brought back ... I wouldn’t say love of the game, because that’s always been there; it’s a different side of enjoying the game now. I have no horse in the race, my son’s off to college, my daughters are doing their thing; I wanted to find something new in the game,” Smolinski said. “I’ve coached, and I don’t want to do that. I found this, and I’ve stuck with it.”
Old College Ties
One of the great benefits of athletics at any level are the friendships made. For two kids who met in their first years on the MSU campus and forged a bond that lasts to this day, it’s amazing how their careers reached the pinnacle and have now come full circle.
Wes McCauley, an MSU teammate, is one of Smolinski’s best friends. After numerous years in the minor leagues, McCauley, like his friend, made it to the NHL. But McCauley made it as an official, working his first NHL game in 2003, when Smolinski was nearing the end of his playing career.
Their games lined up on just a few occasions in the NHL, and the two lobbied hard to have McCauley work Smolinski’s 1,000th career game in his final season with the Canadiens in 2007-08. The request, sadly, was denied by the league.
On the rare occasions when the friends did share the same ice, less than a handful by Smolinski’s count, it was McCauley who was forced to rebuff any attempts at fraternization. It’s just part of an official’s edict.
“For both of us, it was amazing; it was just great,” Smolinski said. “I’d say, ‘Hey man what’s up?’ and he says, ‘Can’t talk.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean, we talk all the time.’ Again, he’s like, ‘Can’t talk, get away from me.’ You know, it was just business.”
McCauley then reached the 1,000-game plateau himself in 2018 and is still going strong as a regular selection for playoff duties with nine Stanley Cup Finals assignments, including last year.
So, it should have been natural for Smolinski to go to his old friend immediately for officiating pointers once he joined the ranks, right? Well, maybe not immediately.
“I talk to Wes all the time, but I actually hid it from him right out of the gate because I didn’t want to take his razzing. Eventually it got out, and he was loving it. He started sending me whistles and visors and pants,” Smolinski said, grinning. “And none of it fit, you know, because I’m older and fatter, and he’s so damn skinny. So, I still had to go out and get all new gear.”
Both Sides Now
Having been to the top of his profession, now moving to the other side of that same mountain that his friend McCauley scaled, the respect has grown for those blowing the whistle.
“The preparation for officiating is much more mental,” Smolinski said. “Way more rules oriented. You’re always trying to get away with things that you can as a player; now you have to police that.”
Smolinski has a distinct advantage.
“I know everything they’re trying to do because I’ve done it. I know where you’re going with the puck, I know what kind of breakout you’re trying to do,” Smolinski said. “I have all the instincts, now I just try to stay out of the way and not ruin their game. The most fun is watching the game develop and the ups and downs. For me to be out there and enjoy it with them, that’s the fun part.”
Those who have played hockey at any level have a built-in advantage should they consider the officiating avocation: the ability to skate. Unlike officiating in any other sport, skating is a prerequisite. This makes the pool limited, and almost solely composed of former players. Smolinski offers this advice.
“I prefer sticking with high school because I think there’s more decorum, more administrative structure. Kids are playing for their schools, there’s loyalty there,” said Smolinski. “And there is more accountability. People need report to athletic directors and supervisors. Other levels can be more loosely governed, or a bit more maverick in nature. Moms and dads get involved more, coaches maybe know a little less,” said Smolinski.
He has, in fact, worked a handful of non-school games, and there’s a stark difference.
“I wanted to see what was going on, and I see it first-hand,” Smolinski said. “There are some crazy people and parents out there, and these guys are getting absolutely tortured. I’ve been tortured. There has to be a level of respect for what officials do. I think schools can rein that in a little more. All the guys I’ve met give up a lot of time and work hard because they love to do it and love the game.”
All sports need an assist from school administration and from those who once played the games to keep the officials recruitment moving in the right direction. People like Smolinski can help.
“He clearly doesn’t need to do this, and that’s what makes it so fantastic,” DiCristofaro said. “We need more people who have played – at any level – to do what he’s done and stay in the game as officials.”
Smolinski continues to promote the game in other ways as well. Currently, he is involved in the NHL’s Learn To Play initiative, which aims to inspire youth and welcome more families into the hockey community.
“We work hand-in-hand with the NHL Players Association for player development and industry growth,” Smolinski said. “Ages 5 to 9 are introduced to hockey, get head-to-toe gear and instruction, and meet some former players.”
The idea is to have fun first, which can translate into years and maybe even a lifetime in the sport. It’s a lifetime that has given Smolinski so much and continues to do so as he watches it unfold for others from his new vantage point.
PHOTOS (Top) MHSAA official Bryan Smolinski signals during Friday's Division 1 Semifinal between Brighton and Hartland. (2) Smolinski, a retired NHL standout, communicates with the Bulldogs' bench. (3) Smolinski keeps watch during game play. (4) Smolinski, third from left, with his crew: Michael Andrews, Kevin May and Thomas Robbins.
Differing Paths Led East Kentwood Stars to Olympics, but All Included Finals Titles
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
August 19, 2026
When one of his eighth-grade teachers trotted out an assignment to write down an ultimate goal, Brian Hyde didn't even flinch.
Even then, Hyde knew that one day he badly wanted to be an Olympian.
Eight years later, that's exactly what happened for the former East Kentwood distance runner. One of three Falcons to become Olympians, Hyde wound up starring at East Kentwood and William & Mary University before performing in the 1,500-meter run during 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.
"I was in middle school when I first wrote that as a goal," said Hyde, now a pilot for the Utah-based Sky West Airlines. "Like a lot of people, I grew up watching the Olympics, and it was always a dream for me to run there. It was a long-term goal and there are a lot of things you have to go through to make that happen.
"But I think it's good to have goals for things you really want to do. You don't really have to share them, but it's good to have those goals."
Hyde, a 1991 East Kentwood grad, joins hockey player Mike Knuble, who graduated in 1990, and shot putter Tia Brooks-Wannamacher, a 2008 graduate, as former Falcons who went on to the Olympics. What's unique about their stories isn't that they all became Olympians, but the radically different routes all three took to the Games.
All had major success in high school as Hyde won the 1991 Lower Peninsula Division 1 1,600-meter run (4:12.74), Brooks captured the 2008 shot put with a toss of 48-0.5 and Knuble scored 115 goals in 57 career games while helping the Falcons to the 1990 Class A title.
All landed in the Olympics in different ways. For instance, Hyde said his No. 1 goal growing up was always to run in the Olympics. He trained fiercely with that in mind from an early age. While Brooks had designs of becoming a sprinter like her idol Marion Jones, East Kentwood coaches convinced the 6-foot Brooks that her track & field future was more likely as a thrower. A 34-year-old Knuble was on the backside of a 16-year NHL career when he finally earned the opportunity to skate in the 2006 Torino Winter Games in Italy.
Knuble said he had a "stick-to-it-ness" that led to his Olympic participation, Hyde said he grinded out long, solitary hours running on a track, and Brooks credits her Olympic story to a combination of natural athleticism and astute coaches who correctly saw her future more clearly than she did.
All took major steps toward the Olympics post-East Kentwood. Hyde went on to become the school record holder in the 1,500 and 1,000-meter runs at William & Mary, Brooks was a two-time NCAA champ in the shot at Oklahoma and Knuble tallied 96 goals over 114 games at Michigan before becoming the 76th player taken in the 1991 NHL draft.
Knuble said dates, age and even past resumes cannot define an athlete.
"Most Olympic athletes would be in their 20s," said Knuble, who would play 34 games with USA Hockey and scored a goal and had an assist in the Torino Games. "But there was a stick-to-it-ness for me. Guys can get written off – that's how I looked at it. You can get passed over when you're 30, and I didn't want to get written off. I wanted that door to stay open for me. I had kind of a career resurgence in my thirties."
Brooks, who retired from competitive track & field when she was 27, had exactly zero thoughts of becoming an Olympian until the January before the 2012 Summer Games in London. But after winning an NCAA shot put title in 2011 along with placing sixth at the Moscow World Cup and 13th in the world at Beijing's World Games, Brooks began considering London qualification.
"The coaches saw something in me and pushed me," said Brooks-Wannemacher, now a projects manager for the Grand Rapids-based Marvelous Style Outreach program. "They thought I had the potential of being an Olympian. I don't want to say it was happenstance, but I really didn't know much about the Olympics. I was competitive and grew up playing all sports and had a sibling rivalry with my brother where we would make up games to play."
Hyde said he became an Olympian through sheer hard work, dedication and sacrifice. He would miss Friday night Falcons football games, for example, because he was in bed making sure he had enough energy for a Saturday meet. Combine that sacrifice with a burning desire to make the Games and the talent he had as a runner, and Hyde said he was able to meet his personal goals.
"I loved to compete and trying to win," he said. "Sometimes there is a grind to it, but in running you're the only one out there. I would tell myself I'm doing this because I have a meet on Saturday and I want to win. You work, have these long-term goals because you tell yourself, 'I can do this.'
"I have no regrets for my career. You control the things you can control. You tell yourself no one is going to outrace you. It's not like you're not having fun, but I'd never miss a workout. Six days a week with Sunday being my rest day."
Knuble, Hyde and Brooks-Wannemacher agree that it's that work, dedication and looking big picture are keys. Lose sight of one, and it can have a domino effect.
"There are times when you're out there working and no one is watching, no one is paying attention," Knuble said. "But you have to put that work in. It's all about figuring out what you did wrong and then getting back at it."
Brooks-Wannemacher called the desire to become an elite athlete "watering a seed." In her case, the seed was the knowledge that the only way a young girl from a one-parent family was going to college was through an athletic scholarship. Places like Michigan and Michigan State had no interest, and the only offers came from Oklahoma and Central Michigan. While the dream was to emulate Marion Jones, Brooks bowed to the suggestions of East Kentwood coaches who said shot put was a ticket to a free education.
"I had a long talk with my mother and coaches, and they said this is the only way to college," she said. "So I started throwing the shot, broke the freshman record at Kentwood, became a Regional and state champ and I kept going. But people had to believe in me.
"It got so that I enjoyed the process. I had a natural talent, but I would push my body to the limit. But for me, the motivation was going to school for free."
Success aside, all overcame major hurdles to achieve it. Hyde suffered a swelling of the spine and terrible pain caused by a tightening of back muscles and wasn't able to finish a race five months before the summer Olympics. Brooks at one point suffered from a narrowing of the spine and bulging discs in her back amid suggestions from doctors she give up throwing a shot. Knuble was physically healthy, but he had to overcome the life-altering experience of dealing with the death of his father when he was 15.
But all say the dedication to athletics, the people they met along the way, great teammates and the will to succeed helped them to greater things.
"There are moments when it's just you and nobody else," Knuble said. "There's no person out there with you, no teammates telling you what to do, how to act, what to eat. For me, being on a team was structure.
"Timing for all of us is huge. You want to be at your peak when you're competing. You want to beat your best for that one race, that one throw, that one game. For me, I had a body of work to work from. I think the others did, too."
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: East Kentwood’s Tia Brooks-Wannamacher prepares to launch the shot. Brian Hyde (front) takes a relay handoff for William & Mary. Mike Knuble holds up one of the many trophies the Falcons earned during his time on the ice. (Middle) Brooks-Wannamacher as a high school senior. (Knuble and Hyde photos courtesy of those individuals. Brooks-Wannamacher photo from MHSAA archives.)