‘Something I worked my entire life for:’ Sask. linesman reflects on gold-medal assignment

It wasn’t just the players who were excited to take part in the gold-medal game at the 2023 world junior hockey championship.

Tarrington Wyonzek, a linesman originally from Yorkton who now calls Regina home, was given the assignment for Thursday’s game between Canada and Czechia in Halifax. Canada won 3-2 in overtime to win its second straight gold medal and its 20th in tournament history.

“It’s so intense with every single play and every single puck drop and every single time the puck comes across your blue line. The focus required in a game like that is next level,” Wyonzek said Friday. “The players are excited and there is a lot of intensity on the ice. The players are nervous. It definitely is a different feel.

“It was a real fun tournament and a lot of excitement. I was very, very honoured and excited to be able to skate in the final game.”

While Wyonzek has done a few gold-medal games in the past at other tournaments, it was his first world junior final. He found out he would be getting the assignment after the two semifinal games on Wednesday.

“(I was) just really, really excited and honoured to be out on the ice for that. It’s something I worked my entire life for. I started officiating when I was 11, 12 years old so it’s something that I kind of dreamt of doing my entire life,” Wyonzek said.

“I wasn’t out there as a player at all growing up. I played hockey my whole life and to be able to be out there as an official was incredible.

“With a tournament like that, you just do your absolute best every single time and you want to do everything you can to make the best tournament for all the players and call the game the best that you can so it serves the game properly. That’s our goal every single game as an officiating team and we all came together and that was our goal for the whole tournament.”

During the game, Wyonzek made a close call early on that drew the ire of Canadian fans.

Canada’s Connor Bedard was dangling along the blue line and lost control of the puck, which slid outside the blue line. As Wyonzek blew his whistle to call offside, Bedard put the puck on net — and it went past Czechia goaltender Tomas Suchanek. That elicited cheers from the fans, who weren’t aware the play had been called offside.

“(It was) just one of those plays where the whole officiating team has to be on the ball. Tight plays make a big difference in a lot of the games and it’s something we’ve got to be aware of out there,” Wyonzek said.

With that goal called off, and with a couple of plays that Canadian fans felt should have been penalties, a chant directed at the officials started early in the first period.

Wyonzek said that’s not something that gets to officials.

“You don’t really hear anything from the fans. You are so dialed into the game and so focused and just so in tune with what’s going on out there, you shut out all the noise,” Wyonzek said.

“You can hear the crowd noise and hear the loud chants, but when you’re out there, you don’t listen to any of it or hear it. You’re just kind of so focused and dialed into what’s going on on the ice.”

Wyonzek is set to return to Saskatchewan, where he will return to doing WHL and SJHL games. He’s also to work some AHL games in the coming months as well.

His first world juniors was in the Edmonton bubble in 2021, but the 2023 edition of the tournament is one Wyonzek will cherish.

“Halifax and Moncton are great cities. Even if Canada wasn’t playing in the games, the rinks were pretty well sold out. It was incredible at both venues and (I’m) just really grateful to work such an awesome event and just really happy with how it all played out for myself,” Wyonzek said.