List of NHL on-ice officials

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.

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.

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

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.

Former NHL officials

Officials in the Hockey Hall of Fame

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

This page was last updated at 2024-01-02 09:58 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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