“They had me running all over the country, national tournaments and everything else,” Stevens said. “I got a lot of travel in, a lot of travel.”
Stevens has always had a ton of support from his wife, Geri, who he’s been married to for 54 years. She was the treasurer for Washington officials for 27 years, so she knows exactly what he was dealing with for so many years, Stevens noted.
Stevens underwent two back operations prior to him retiring from hockey activities. In 2018, he had a heart attack, and he knew that was a sign for him to slow down.
However, he’s still mentoring young officials.
“Now and then they’ll call me up and say, ‘Hey, we want you to look at this kid,’” Stevens said. “My health hasn’t been all that good, but I take a chance on it.”
It’s been hard for Stevens to step away from the rink, as he’s always kept one foot in the door.
Aside from his daytime profession, hockey has been Stevens’ life for nearly 45 years. He wouldn’t want it any other way.
“For the most part I enjoyed it, I really did,” Stevens joked. “The thing is that, just that travel alone could get you, but I got used to it and kind of liked it.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
