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Heading into the final moments of the OHL Trade Deadline, we all knew the London Knights had an open overage spot - and anybody who has seen Knights GM Mark Hunter operate knows he will not leave any stone unturned.

Who were the winners? Who were the losers? Who is going to make a run for the title? Those topics and more were on the table Tuesday during our OHL Trade Deadline Wrap-up Live Chat.

The Windsor Spitfires have traded their first round pick from the 2010 OHL Priority Selection.

The Sudbury Wolves made a last minute move with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

The Erie Otters have acquired a defenceman they hope will help them for the rest of this year, and next season.

The NHL has announced the officials for the 2012 Tim Hortons  NHL All Star Game.

The referees are Eric Furlatt and Tim Peel, the linesmen are Derek Amell and Brad Kovachik.

Every game starts with one and often playoff games hinge on which center won the final faceoff.

Yet winning a faceoff is a thankless task that's vastly underappreciated among the most rabid hockey fans. The leading goal-scorers may get the lucrative contracts and glory, but it's the faceoff kings that get them the puck.

Panthers center Stephen Weiss is fifth in the league with 359 faceoffs won (54.2 percent) and that's why coach Kevin Dineen has him on the power play and penalty kill, as well as on every critical draw in the waning moments of games.

"It's huge," Weiss said before he sustained an upper-body injury in Thursday's game. "Either you start the shift with the puck or without it. When you lose, most of the time you're chasing in the shift. It's very important when you get in key situations in the game."

There's a reason that 15,000 of Hockey Canada's 35,000 registered officials are under the age of 16 -- officiating hockey is a great way for players to see the game with new eyes.

The benefits of youth players learning to officiate are threefold: it gives them a new perspective on the game, it teaches them life skills and it's a way for them to give back to the hockey community.

"The game needs officials, we need good officials, and those are people that often come from a background of playing, and have a desire to have a positive impact in the game," Todd Anderson, Hockey Canada's Manager of Officiating, told NHL.com.

The fact that every hockey game from mini-mites to adult recreational needs officials to oversee it means there is a great need for referees. Thus, the sport of hockey gains in two tangible ways from youth players who both serve as officials and play competitively: the need for quantity and quality of officials is met while the officials themselves expand their skill set in a very unique way.

Edmonton hockey referee Derek Zalaski knows that every time he steps onto the ice he is going to be yelled at, berated, castigated and cursed. He is going to be the most unpopular person in every arena he enters.

And he's fine with it. "It's definitely not a job for everyone," said Zalaski, 36, who has been named as one of the 12 referees for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Calgary, Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. "You have to have a unique personality.

"You get booed all the time. The players are against us. The fans. The coaches. The only ones supporting us are the other officials."

No matter what the sport, what a referee calls - or doesn't call - is either going to be met with mild approval or unrelenting venom. At absolute best, half the people are going to say it was a good call, while the other half will mercilessly voice their displeasure.

"The toughest part is when you go into an environment and people completely disagree with what you've called - even if you are in the right. When you make the right call and people still disagree, it's very difficult," said Zalaski, a veteran of 22 years of officiating. "You can't stand in the middle of the ice and explain why the penalty is called."

And it's not as if he gets to use slowmotion instant replay before making the call.

"It's almost always a split-second decision. Instantaneous. We don't get to go back and scroll frame after frame like they do afterwards."

So, masochists aside, just why would anyone want to be a referee?

"As soon as I tried it, I got hooked," said Zalaski, who will be joined at the junior championship by Edmonton linesman Chris Carlson and referee Devin Klein from Medicine Hat as Hockey Alberta selections.

"It's more fun officiating than playing," he said.

As much as anything, Zalaski likes the challenge: controlling the world's fastest game and applying the rules accordingly.

"We're not always right; we're human like everyone else. I've certainly made my share of mistakes.

"But, I've learned all along that it's all part of the learning process. Mistakes get made. And you learn from them. They make you a better official - as long as you don't make the same mistake twice. As soon as you stop learning, you will stop progressing."

Ironically, referees know they have done their best job when nobody notices them.

"While the accolades go to the players who score the winning goal, we find our success when people don't even know who officiated the game," said Zalaski. "We try and stay out of the limelight."

This will be Zalaski's second world junior tournament. He also worked the 2010 championship in Saskatoon.

He officiated in last year's Asian Winter games in Kazakhstan, the 2009 Spengler Cup and 2009 IIHF World Championship - both held in Switzerland - and the 2006 and 2008 U18 World Championship in Russia and Sweden respectively.

Interestingly, Zalaski's first real international competition was in 2005 at the World Junior Division III championships in Mexico.

"I didn't even know they had a hockey rink in Mexico," said Zalaski, who considers himself "fortunate and honoured" to have had all of these opportunities.

"Each one is very special. To have that officiating resume is something I never even fathomed growing up as a referee."

Zalaski literally did grow up as a referee. He was only 13 when he officiated his first game - a novice contest at the Bill Hunter Arena in west Edmonton.

"I still remember how nervous I was. It was only kids about seven years old, but knowing that the parents and the coaches were going to be looking over your shoulder all the time was intimidating. Especially for a 13-year-old in his first game as an official.

"Back then I felt like it was a personal dislike when I got yelled at."

Now he knows it's just part of the job which he has to let slide.

Skating onto the ice for that first time as a referee, Zalaski wondered if it wouldn't have been a whole lot easier and much less stressful to just take a job at Tim Hortons or Safeway.

But that feeling didn't last long. "I remember in that first game, the first call I had to make was for icing the puck. But I wasn't sure if I was supposed to blow the whistle."

But when Zalaski looked around, everyone was looking at him.

"I learned real quick that I was to take charge out there." Almost immediately Zalaski knew that officiating was for him.

"Being in that pressure situation - I loved it. I really caught the bug. Here was this scrawny kid in what I felt was a really big game with all these adults watching me.

"Now, it's the more pressure the better."

A veteran of 15 years as an official with the Western Hockey League, Zalaski also works games for the Alberta Junior Hockey League and CIS Canadian university hockey. He has twice worked the CIS national championship.

Officiating is much more than a hobby for Zalaski, who works full time as a parts and service manager for Ford of Canada.

"It's my passion - a big part of my life," said Zalaski, who works about 90 games a year.

Married with two young sons - a nine-month-old baby, Matthew, and a two-year-old, Ryan - Zalaski is quick to point out that he has a very understanding wife.

"Danielle makes a tremendous sacrifice for me to chase my dream.

"Just about every weekend in the winter, I'm gone somewhere."

Having officiated about 2,500 games, Zalaski said the way he was going to separate himself from the other 30,000 or so referees in Canada was by being in better shape than any of them.

"I pride myself on my fitness," said Zalaski, who will skate about 15 kilometres every game and who has been chosen as the WHL's Ironman - for top combined fitness and skating - four times.

"I consider myself an athlete and I'm in as good shape - or better - than the players. You have to be."

Having started so young, Zalaski, a Level VI official, said "It's been a wild ride."

But he's not planning on getting off that horse for a long time.

"I want to go as far as I can go. The bug hasn't died down, that's for sure," said Zalaski, who would love to officiate in the NHL or in the Olympics.

Olympics. "Who wouldn't?" he said, although for many people the answer would be, "Who would?"

The NHL has announced the on-ice officials for the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.

Philadelphia  native Ian Walsh (#29) will referee alongside Dennis LaRue (#14.) They will be joined on the lines by Jean Morin (#97) and Pierre Racicot (#65.)

This will mark the first outdoor NHL game for each official.

Sam Gagner was still having trouble Friday believing his name is in the Edmonton Oilers record book alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.

Darryl Sittler knows exactly how Sam Gagner felt.

Jarome Iginla had a goal and an assist to help Calgary Flames beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 Friday night.