Surprisingly, considering how many games he has officiated, compounded by the fact that he is out on the ice for the entirety of any encounter he oversees, Fraser has had what he describes as no “serious injuries”, but there was one “minor mishap” in Binghamton.

“I took a slapshot in the face and took 16 stitches for that in my forehead.  Marty McSorley, was coaching for Springfield in that game, and he wanted to actually delay the game while I got stitched up, and this was seven minutes left in the first period.  I told the linesman to tell Marty that he’d been yelling at me for the whole game and you can’t do much worse that I have been, so you finish the period and I’ll be out for the second.  The doctor stitched me up, and I came back out at the beginning of the second period and finished the game.”

Fraser, who is technically on the last year of his contract and is generally accepted as one of the best referees in the AHL, has not been so accepted by the NHL, who despite his credentials and pedigree, have never inked him to an NHL deal. 

“I’m not under an NHL contract, and I’ve never have been.  I referee for the AHL on a per-game basis.  We’re independent contractors, so we sign a contract for the year, but it’s basically on a per game basis.”

While the NHL is in the 11^th year of the two-referee system, the AHL continues to utilize the one-referee system, and while that may not seem to be an ideal way of preparing to take the next step, Fraser, who has vast   firsthand knowledge of the situation, offers up an interesting observation, and even admit something that fans have long suspected: referees don’t have eyes in the back of their head.

“The NHL is such a fast league now that it requires two referees.  This level is a very fast league, as well, and sometimes it’s tough for one official; but, at the same time, I think the players and coaches at this level understand that one referee is going to miss some things sometimes. We don’t like to, but occasionally, something may get missed,” he acknowledged.

“I think that to be able to referee in a one-referee system is very important, and this is the level that you get that experience.  This is the hard step.  I think that once you get to the NHL, you do have another set of eyes and three other guys on the ice with you.  You have video replay and if there’s a goal, the phone rings in Toronto.”

“For me, when there’s a goal, the phone doesn’t ring in Hershey; it doesn’t ring in Springfield or anywhere.  The phone is between me and two other guys on the ice.  I think this is the level where you prove yourself and that it’s beneficial from a development officiating standpoint. Two are needed at the NHL level and I’m sure it does take some adjustment, but I’m not there so I wouldn’t know.”

Another person with firsthand knowledge of that topic is Dave Ancharski, a.k.a. “Sharkie”, who is usually manning the Bears’ penalty box when Fraser is working at Giant Center.  While most of the patrons are busy making concession runs during the promotional timeouts, Ancharski is privy to the banter that often goes on between Fraser and the convicted during those stoppages.

“Sitting in the penalty box, you'll really gain respect and understanding of just how difficult the job of a hockey official really is--particularly here in the American League where they only use one ref.  The speed of the game and size of the players makes it nearly impossible to see everything,” said Ancharski of the man he calls “Rhyno”.

"I think the one thing players and coaches want from an official, besides consistency, is communication, and he’s great with that.  He understands the 'heat of the moment' and intensity out there and will let a player have his say and vent without banging a guy for two and a ten, as long as you don't cross the line and make it personal.”

He'll let the player calm down, and many times during a promotional time-out, you'll see him open up the door of the box and he'll explain what he saw and why he made the call he did.  Most of the time, the player understands and I think they respect him for that.”

Most of the venues in the AHL are not up to NHL standards, but two of the newer buildings in the league are close: the Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Giant Center, the Bears’ den. Those two buildings are some of Fraser’s favorite places to work.

“Working in places like Hershey and Wilkes-Barre and their new arenas is great.  They are very classy organizations, from the General Managers to the coaches to the training staff on down.  We’re well taken care of,” reports Fraser.

“Each of those buildings has nice locker rooms, a large ice surface, combined with the bright arena.  They both also have entranceways for each team, so they don’t skate across the ice—it’s the little things that help you control a game.”

“In Hershey, I usually see the same guys every game, and I always get a wave and a handshake.  That is always followed by a ‘how’s the real job going’ kind of question, or ‘the hair’s a little long today’ comment.  They pack them in here and the fans are great. They never hesitate to express their opinion, and I enjoy that.”

With his ultimate hockey career goal of reaching the NHL not yet a reality, Fraser’s career highlight up until now came in the only game that he has even donned the stripes with his dad, back on November 26, 2006, and coincidentally, that game was a contest between the Bears and baby Pens at Giant Center.

I asked Ryan how he would rate his performance in that game. Did it go better than he thought it would?  Was he intimated in some way by his dad’s presence and maybe sat back a little at times and let him make the call?  Was he able to be himself and officiate like he normally does when not sharing the ice with his dad?

“That was a loaded question,” Fraser chuckled, “but I think it was all of the above.  It was definitely the most special moment in my officiating career.   That was always probably my goal, to get to the NHL, because I wanted to work with Dad.  I always thought to be able to do so would be neat.”

“Growing up, there was always the saying “Ryan, you’re only here because of your father”, and the idea of some sort of nepotism.  It was really nice to be able to work with him, and at a venue such as Hershey.”

He continued his answer.  “I thought I sat back with some things and some things I stepped up, and my mind was, at times, in another place.  Not only was I refereeing another game with my father, and the first game I had ever refereed in the four-man system, but also refereeing a game with a future Hall of Fame referee.  It was really special.”

While lining up for the national anthem in what should have been a silent moment, interrupted only by the tones of the Anthem singer, a rather loud fan interrupted the silence, relieving a lot of stress for the younger Fraser.

“The fans here always have something to say before the Anthem is sung.  I was pretty nervous working with my dad.  A fan actually lightened it up because he yelled, ‘Hey Fraser, you suck!’ and my dad laughed and pointed to me.  Right after that, the fan yelled again, ‘Hey Fraser, you suck…both of you!’  It was funny and it lightened things up.”

At any level of hockey, it’s an absolute necessity for a referee to know all of the rules and try to enforce them, but Fraser, with his referee’s genes inherited from his dad and from his own personal experience, seems to have a unique ability to know when to make, or when not to make a call.

“Just like you could call 'holding' on every snap in the NFL, you could call a penalty almost every shift in hockey,” said Ancharski.  “Ryan understands the importance of sometimes not making a call, which you can't teach in any clinic.  He also understands 'game flow', meaning that the younger officials tend to come in and just call the rule book, black-and-white.”

“There's a lot of 'gray' in hockey. To have those instincts is a unique ability he possesses, and that ability makes it easier on the players, and makes for a smoother, more entertaining game for the fans.”

While he seems to be in the prime of his refereeing career, and there is no reason to believe that he is anywhere near hanging up his whistle for the last time, Fraser, who is forced to make split second decisions on the ice every night, thoughtfully paused to consider the type of legacy he hopes to leave behind.

“It’s twofold.  Number one, I want people to remember that I was fair, and that they were able to talk to me, but that I didn’t tolerate any BS after the whistle. 

“Most importantly, though, I want them to say they knew what they were getting day in and day out and for them to be able to say, ‘We’ve got Ryan Fraser tonight and we are going to get a good, consistent game. We’re in good hands, and the game is going to be fair'."