from Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun,

When Mike Leggo goes to work, it means being jeered and taunted and endlessly second-guessed by critics so infuriated by his decisions they sometimes even resort to pelting him with garbage.

And he misses it dearly.

Maybe not those cups of beer hurled in anger from the 20th row, but he certainly longs for the action and adrenalin that has lit up his winters for as long as he can remember.

Until now.

"I miss the camaraderie and the game itself, being out there, having players mad at me, the frenetic pace of the game," the veteran NHL referee said. "Sweat in my eyes, trying to stay out of the way of the puck, getting good sight lines, I miss that challenge of it."

You're not alive until 16,000 people tell you that you suck.

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