How to Be a NHL Off-Ice Official. Celebrate your love of the sport of ice-hockey by becoming an off-ice official. Off-ice officials are behind the scenes and do not need to know how to skate well, but are still essential to the organized sport of ice-hockey. Take the right steps and you can be a NHL off-ice official.

Start at the bottom of the totem pole. Begin this career by speaking to the president of your local hockey association. They can set you up with a position and lead you down the right path. Most positions are not paid.

Know a lot about the sport. It helps to be a player or ex-player, but it is not essential. You must know all of the rules of hockey, however. You must be able to notice and distinguish goals from assists to penalties on a moment's notice.

Have an adequate attention span. You must be able to immerse yourself into a game, and not take your eyes off of it for even a moment. Referees, coaches, players, newscasters, announcers and fans all have to rely on your information, so it must be accurate.

Know how to record the stats. Some hockey clubs may rely on the old-fashioned pencil and paper way, but many organizations have moved to the computerized stats. No matter how the information is recorded and off-ice official must be efficient with the data recording.

Commit to the hobby whole-heartedly. Most off-ice officials do not get paid, but you still must be responsible enough to show up for each scheduled game, and be on-time. Your efforts are relied on by many people.

Get a college degree in sports management. This is available at many universities, and provides you with the training and contacts needed for a career in sports.

Visit the NHL official website to see open job and internship listings. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Jobs" to apply.