List of NHL on-ice officials

Summary

In ice hockey, an official is responsible for enforcing the rules and maintaining order. On-ice officials are present on the ice during the game, and traditionally wear a shirt with black and white vertical stripes. The National Hockey League (NHL) currently employs four on-ice officials in each game—two referees and two linesmen. Referees are identified by their red or orange armbands. They are responsible for the general supervision of the game, assess penalties, and conduct face-offs at the beginning of each period and after a goal is scored. When play is stopped for another reason, the face-offs are conducted by the linesmen. The linesmen are primarily responsible for violations involving the centre line and blue lines, such as icing and offside infractions.

Officials, from left to right: Michel Cormier (linesman), Eric Furlatt (referee), Don Koharski (referee), and Scott Driscoll (linesman) stand at centre ice for the national anthem before a game in Madison Square Garden between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers.

All NHL on-ice officials are members of the National Hockey League Officials Association (NHLOA), a labour union founded in 1969. The NHLOA represents its members in matters dealing with working conditions of on-ice officials and acts as their collective bargaining agent.

Current officials edit

Notes:
  • #35 (referee) and #85 (linesman) are spare numbers; they are not issued to anyone, and are only worn in the event that a game-assigned official's equipment is lost in transit.
  • #72 is retired in honor of late linesman Stephane Provost, who died in 2005.
  • #99 was retired league-wide in 2000 to honour Wayne Gretzky.

Former NHL officials edit

Officials in the Hockey Hall of Fame edit

Year inducted Name Nationality
1961 Chaucer Elliott  
1961 Mickey Ion  
1961 Cooper Smeaton  
1962 Mike Rodden  
1963 Bobby Hewitson  
1964 Bill Chadwick  
1967 Red Storey  
1973 Frank Udvari  
1981 John Ashley  
1987 Matt Pavelich  
1988 George Hayes  
1991 Neil Armstrong  
1993 John D'Amico  
1999 Andy Van Hellemond  
2008 Ray Scapinello  
2014 Bill McCreary  

References edit

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External links edit

  • National Hockey League Officials Association
  • Referees/Linesmen – Legends of Hockey
  • NHL Records: Referees and Linesmen