Steve Emery has officiated his share of prestigious hockey tournaments during his career.
But the Port Huron Township resident experienced a first last month.
Emery, 45, traveled more than 8,500 miles to join former Port Huron official Mike Lashbrook for the "Land of Smiles Classic" Oct. 26-30 in Bangkok, Thailand.
"The thing I will remember the most about the tournament was the sportsmanship of the players," said Emery, a Port Huron High graduate. "The players saluted the fans and shook hands with the referees after every game.
"That's what recreation hockey should be about."
Lashbrook and his wife, Junko, live in Bangkok. The 1993 Port Huron Northern graduate works for General Motors and has returned home each January to officiate the annual Silver Stick hockey tournament.
Emery worked 19 games in four days at the Imperial World Ice Rink in Bangkok. The Olympic-size rink is on the fifth floor of a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok.
The tournament, which featured teams from Russia, Finland, Germany and across Asia, consisted of an 18-and-under division along with two 35-and-older divisions.
"I was really surprised by the level of play," Emery said. "Many of the local players in the tournament were from the United States or Canada and moved over there for work.
"The tournament has been going 17 years, and it keeps getting bigger and better every year.
"One of the 35-and-over divisions was very competitive, and the other was more of a recreation league."
Emery, who works at Huron Inc. in Lexington, was on the ice for the championship game in both of the 35-and-older divisions.
Emery received a call from Lashbrook in September about working the tournament. A month later, he was on a flight out of Detroit.
The trip included layovers in San Francisco and Taiwan.
"It was basically a day and a half of traveling both ways," said Emery, who began his refereeing career at 18. "It was the first time I had been out of North America.
"I wasn't nervous about the trip because I've done a lot of traveling. But you're going to a foreign country, and you just never know how Americans are taken in some places.
"I'm glad I did it. It was a great experience."
Away from the rink, Emery had plenty of time for sightseeing and had a tour guide in Lashbrook.
The main concern during Emery's stay was flooding problems throughout Thailand. There was a chance the weather, which was the worst it has been in 50 years, could wipe out the tournament.
"When I went sightseeing, there was a lot of water around," Emery said. "I saw streets that were flooded and other areas that had flood damage.
"The worst of the flooding in Bangkok went on after I left."
Emery made the trip to Thailand alone, as his wife, Jill, stayed at home with their daughters, Haley, 16, and Emma, 15, a junior and sophomore, respectively, at Port Huron High.
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