Golden Moment

Golden Moment

BY HOLLY DODGE

Chances are, even if you are not a diehard sports fan, you have probably witnessed a crowd slam a referee for a call or even blame a loss on them (think of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Vancouver). For impassioned sports lovers, it’s easy to get heated and play the blame game, especially when they don’t know the countless hours, dedicated discipline, and steadfast qualities required to be a referee.

North Mankato native Andrew Bruggeman knows firsthand the joys and labors of being a professional hockey referee. Beginning as a five-year-old hockey forward with the Mankato Area Hockey Association to refereeing the gold medal game at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Bruggeman has trotted the globe as a humble, dedicated, and awarded official.

Bruggeman began his hockey career as a tot with his twin brother Tyler in Mankato. At 13, Bruggeman began pivoting his energy towards officiating games to get more ice time and earn a little money. “I learned I was pretty decent at it,” Bruggeman laughs. And thank goodness he did.

He kept climbing the ranks. He participated in summer development camps with USA Hockey to focus on officiating. After graduating from Mankato West in 2009, he connected with the Advanced Officiating Development Program when he was 19 years old; the same year he hung up his competitive blades and laserfocused his energy on the new challenges of officiating.

He began working with various junior hockey leagues until he was 26 when he moved up to officiate junior hockey leagues. Soon after, he was assigned to referee international assignments. In 2019, he traveled to Vancouver to work the World Junior Championships — the game was Canada vs. Russia. As most know or can easily assume, Canadians take their hockey pretty gosh-darn seriously. Especially when they have home-ice advantage.

It was New Year’s Eve, and the largest crowd Bruggeman had ever officiated in front of: 19,000+ fans. “During the warm-up lap, my heart was racing, and I had full body chills, but I settled in quickly and remembered I was there for a reason.” Those reasons are determined by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) evaluations. The IIHF defines the expectations around the intensive requirements of being an international game official. They expect selected officials to be prepared mentally and physically for demanding schedules and activities while remaining in excellent mental and physical condition. Selected officials are expected to perform at the “highest level.”

Besides strenuous practice, training, studying, and physical fitness, Bruggeman always defaults to some of the most challenging things to learn: “You just have to be calm under pressure, confident, but you have to maintain some humility. People just want to be heard, and sometimes you must deal with relationships and strong emotions.”

Well, that chill stoicism proved him well. He kept moving forward in officiating, but his next gig in Switzerland in 2021 was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. Eventually, he went to Latvia, where he officiated a game in a quarantined bubble. From 19,000 fans to none.

Bruggeman skated around the unknowns due to the global pandemic and managed to keep on the circuit. He was staying in Germany with a friend and fellow referee when a list of 30 top-evaluated officials was listed. Bruggeman and his friend were among the elite.

“From there, it’s all a bit of a whirlwind,” Bruggeman says. In early January of 2022, he was notified that his ultimate dream was a close reality. He was selected to referee for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. But it wasn’t that simple. Because COVID was still wreaking havoc, Bruggeman had to receive testing from a Chinese-approved laboratory (the closest being Golden Valley or Chicago, Illinois). He and his colleagues were walking on eggshells, trying to ensure their health wasn’t compromised before their departure to the Olympics. Bruggeman made the wise yet difficult decision to quarantine for three weeks before his flight to Beijing.

After being on skates for multiple days every week for several consecutive years, he had to hunker down and remain idle. “You know how you watch a game and the announcers say the players look rusty? Well, it’s the same for officials. Repetition is needed to stay physically and mentally sharp,” Bruggeman shares. Luckily, the age-old adage “like riding a bike” rang true for Bruggeman, although he insists “it’s a bit more slippery.” After three weeks of isolation and days after the Olympic opening ceremonies, he left the US, Beijing-bound with 15 other top referees and 16 linesmen from across the globe.

Though Bruggeman had reached the pinnacle of his career, the experience was unlike anything he had envisioned. Due to anti-COVID protocols, the experience was much different, but the excitement was not. Bruggeman, among the world’s elite, hit the ice as one of the trusted referees to monitor the games. After officiating, he and his cohorts were escorted back to their hotel, where he said they “played a lot of cards and watched a lot of Olympics on TV” because there was not much more they could do.

At the Olympics, Bruggeman worked face-to-face with timekeepers, scorekeepers, coaches, and linemen and aided in calling penalties, awarding goals, and he “was typically yelled at more than anyone else,” he recalls.

While at the Olympics, Bruggeman received notification that he was selected for the most significant honor of his life (thus far): the Olympic gold medal game. “Everyone wants to work the gold medal game. It’s a recognition of our hard work and elite performance. It’s such an honor to be there.”

With his friends, family, and country to represent, Bruggeman hit the ice as one of the top officials in the world officiating the top ice hockey competition: Finland vs. the Russian Olympic Committee—his dedication and hard work apparent with each stride. But Bruggeman is always quick to thank his family and mentors who helped him get to the gold medal game. Bruggeman’s father, Dave, encouraged him to keep climbing the ranks, and his mother, Julie, and twin brother Tyler, always welcome Bruggeman home from his travel-intensive officiating schedule.

So, what’s next for Andrew Bruggeman? “I’ve got my sights set on the NCAA Frozen Four,” Bruggeman says. He also looks forward to paying forward all the knowledge and mentorship he has received through the years by connecting with more youth education opportunities to help inspire and encourage young talent.

And even though Bruggeman’s golden persistence and talent takes him all over the world, North Kato remains home. “North Kato has the best small community feel. It’s just so welcoming and warm,” Bruggeman says. And coming from a guy who spends 28 days out of each winter month on the ice, he definitely knows the value of warmth.