Hi! I'm Craig. One of the founders of OiO Network. - Printable Version

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Hi! I'm Craig. One of the founders of OiO Network. - craigkendall - 07-03-2022

(NOTE: create your own thread to introduce yourself, but feel free to comment here on my thread about my story.)

Well, let me get things started off here. My name is Craig Kendall. I live in Placitas NM and am the Asst. Director of Off-Ice Officiating (a totally made up title FYI) for our New Mexico Off-Ice Officials group (a loosely formalized group mind you).

My first taste of hockey was as a boy watching Air Force Academy home games.

My second taste was living in Denver in 1996. I came home from a late work meeting and lucked onto the first OT period of the first game of the 1995-96 Stanley Cup finals. I was immediately hooked.

Shortly after the Avalanche won that Cup series, I relocated to the Nashville area just about the time when a new NHL franchise was announced for Nashville. At the same time, my son, who had been playing soccer, decided he wanted to play hockey and started in our area inline league.

He went through his inline phase, transitioned to ice hockey, and played in the Nashville area high school league. He was a goalie before it was cool so teams were delighted to have a player who wanted to be a full time goalie. So dad got involved helping as an assistant coach, head coach, and eventually being the president of my his inline league and the Nashville high school ice hockey league.

When it was announced that there was a new NAHL team forming in the Albuquerque area I jumped at the opportunity to become involved as a volunteer. About to start my fourth year off-ice officiating and coordinating for New Mexico Ice Wolves games in addition to occasionally scorekeeping for one of the adult hockey leagues.

We had little to go on here in ABQ when the Ice Wolves came to town, and what we did have was years old. After three years of searching for a place like this to no avail, it just made sense to reach out to other teams in the NAHL to see if there was any interest in building a community of practice. Now, here we are!

Off-ice Officiating Leagues
NAHL: New Mexico Ice Wolves
NA3HL: New Mexico Ice Wolves (affiliates)
Local: Adult Hockey

Who I Pull For
Colorado Avalanche (since 1996)
Nashville Predators (when they are not playing the Avs)

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