NHL officials work with locals at Kraft Hockeyville

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- Four NHL officials went back to basics Monday, re-examining what makes a good referee.

Before they drop the puck for the preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN), the veteran officials worked with about a dozen amateur referees from the Johnstown area.

As part of the Kraft Hockeyville USA celebrations, the officials came into Johnstown a day early to run a clinic in the newly improved Cambria County War Memorial, which recently underwent $150,000 worth of renovations.

"The building looks much brighter than I remember, the new seats, it all looks great," official Ian Walsh said. "I've had a lot of great experiences here in Johnstown, so it's great to come back."

Walsh is familiar with what the War Memorial looked like before the hefty remodel. He, along with fellow official Francis Charron, spent time in the ECHL before making it to the NHL, including when the Johnstown Chiefs were part of the league.

Walsh, a 17-year veteran of the NHL, spent four years in the ECHL and remembers the distinctive atmosphere of the War Memorial.

"It's a great little community. I'm from Pennsylvania so it's great to see the state get the first Hockeyville, USA title," Walsh said. "I just remember passionate fans here who loved the Chiefs and loved their team. They have a great hockey history here so it's a great city to get the game."

Charron said he made his professional debut in the ECHL and is excited to be back in Johnstown as part of the celebration.

"I see all the changes, the money that was injected here to rejuvenate the whole arena is great. It's great for the whole city," Charron said. "It's going to benefit the junior teams and at the end of the day, it's just a great thing."

As part of the clinic, the officials did skating drills for an hour, working on positioning, signal calling, dropping the puck and exiting the zone. Then they changed and did an off-ice question and answer session before having dinner together.

"They always ask about fighting. Everyone's always curious about how to handle that and keep the players under control," official Tony Sericolo said.

As an 18-year veteran of the NHL, Sericolo has adjusted to 15,000-plus crowds each night. Even though there are 4,000 seats at the War Memorial, he expects the atmosphere to be equally as electric.

"I think it will be an intense game. Usually when the fans are on top of you like this, the atmosphere is unbelievable," Sericolo said. "It probably will make my job easier, we'll stay in the game and be mentally focused and ready to work. You feed off the crowd's energy."