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It's not only Stanley Cup playoff time for the 16 remaining teams and going-home-time for the teams that did qualify for the postseason. It's also playoff time for 40 officials -- who also get whittled down each round-- while others go home.
The NHL selection process for officials is ostensibly merit based but.... well, I'll leave it at that except to say the league decision-makers, year after year, already more or less have their second-round, third-round and Cup Finals plans laid out before a single playoff game is played. I've said before what's really involved, and I no have intention to cast aspersions on the work anyone who was selected. I'm happy for the guys who make it.
Here are 40 selections, listed alphabetically. An "S" indicates a standby.
Referees: Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Trevor Hanson (S), Jean Hebert, Dave Jackson, Marc Joannette, Steve Kozari, Frederick L’Ecuyer, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Brad Meier, Dan O’Halloran, Dan O’Rourke, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Chris Rooney, Francois St. Laurent, Graham Skilliter (S), Kelly Sutherland, Ian Walsh, and Brad Watson.
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Steve Barton, David Brisebois, Scott Cherrey, Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski, Scott Driscoll, Ryan Galloway, Shane Heyer, Trent Knorr (S), Brad Kovachik, Matt MacPherson, Steve Miller, Kiel Murchison (S), Brian Murphy, Jonny Murray, Derek Nansen, Tim Nowak, Brian Pancich, Pierre Racicot, Jay Sharrers, and Mark Shewchyk.
The NHL did not add any first-time selections to the rotation, although three of the four standbys (Hanson, Skilliter and Knorr) have not yet worked a Stanley Cup playoff game.
What's it like being a standby official? Glad you asked. I've got stories to share.
Last season, during the second period of Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers, linesman Brad Kovachik injured his leg and had to leave the game. After a very brief delay, standby linesman Greg Devorski took the ice in his place.
How Greg got ready so fast? It's simple. He was already in uniform and waiting in the wings. He needed only to put on his skates and he was ready to go. The back-story, though, is an interesting one.
Years ago, Ron Asselstine was the standby official in a playoff game. My old buddy, linesman Pat "Dapper" Dapuzzo, got injured and had to exit the game. As was customary in those days, Ron was in his street clothes up in the press box. Before he could enter the game, Asselstine had to hurry down to officials' room, change into his uniform and then walk out to the ice.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was not pleased by the lengthy delay and ordered a change in the procedure. From then on, standby officials were expected to dressed in full uniform -- minus their skates, of course -- and to be close at hand to minimize the delay.
Honestly, for the good of the teams and the fans, it was a good change to make although it meant a lot of mostly tedious nights for the standbys.
A few nights later, Dapper (sporting a black eye) and I were the standbys for a playoff game in Toronto. We knew the executive chef at the arena, and he'd become a friend of ours. He felt bad for us and sent down one marvelous dish after another -- lobster tail, prime rib, you name it. Before our brother officials returned to the room, we'd hidden the plates. By the midway point of the game, we were stuffed to the gills! It was a good thing we weren't needed on the ice.
Another time as a standby in Montreal, I ordered down some hot dogs -- the Chien Chaud there is famous for good reason; a hot dog like no other. I've heard people say those hot dogs are almost worth the trip to Montreal by itself. I don't know if I'd take it that far, but they are damn good. Even people who don't normally like hot dogs usually enjoy the famous Chien Chaud in Montreal.
Unfortunately, over the course of my 17 years in the NHL -- at least the post-1989 portion following the untimely death of John McCauley -- I got to become all too familiar with the role of standby official. The NHL's director of officiating after McCauley, Bryan Lewis, often used to use standby assignments as a way to taunt and belittle the officials he had no intention of assigning to playoff games.
He'd assign you as a standby in the most geographically inconvenient locale as possible and you'd just sit around all night waiting on the relatively small chance you might get into the game. Meanwhile, his preferred officials got assigned to work the games. We all knew full well that being a round one or two standby was a mean-spirited gesture from our boss, not a vote of confidence in your abilities if needed, but he had the power do it and enjoyed his power.
That's OK, though. I still managed to have a good time even as a standby official. I probably could have gotten further with Lewis way back when if I has suppressed my fun-loving and gregarious personality to appease him but I wouldn't have enjoyed my career nearly as much. Everyone else knew I was all business on the ice.
Anyway, I can't tell you how many games I was a standby in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a lot. It happened so frequently that the other guys took to calling me by the tongue-twisting nickname of Stewy Stanley Standby. Younger readers can just call me Triple S for short, but just remember I had the sobriquet long before the WWE's Paul Levesque had his "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" had his ring name shortened to the punchier and catchier Triple H.
It was not long into Lewis' tenure that I realized -- even before training camp each season -- that I had exactly zero chance of working deep into the playoffs, regardless of how highly most others considered my work. Lewis did not like me personally and that's all that mattered.
That was confirmed to me by two highly placed people in the NHL hierarchy who told me that, in a meeting to discuss playoff assignments, when my folder was the next one in the stack, Lewis simply stood up and threw it in the trash can, saying "I don't want to discuss that guy any further. Next!"
In all the times I served as a standby official, there was one and only time I actually ended up being needed in the game. It was a playoff game in Pittsburgh in a 1997 first-round series between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. Oddly enough, I actually ended up serving as a substitute linesman instead of a referee.
I borrowed a linesman sweater. Since I was a referee by training and experience, NHL Director of Hockey Operations Jim Gregory -- a man that I like and hold in the highest of respect -- told me I should also don a helmet for my own protection. I did as told.
Despite the unfamiliar sweater and the bucket on my head, the Penguins fans instantly recognized me. Boos and "Stewart sucks! Stewart sucks!" chants immediately rained down as my entry was shown on the arenavision screen at the Igloo. I wasn't the least bit angry. It was pretty humorous and I've always been able to laugh at myself.
Anyway, I joked about it later on with Gary Bettman. He could relate as someone who has himself grown quite used to boos, vociferous chants and other assorted crowd pleasantries whenever he appears on the ice.
"Uh, Gary," I said. "I don't think taking the officials' names off our sweaters has worked that well. Those Pittsburgh fans sure seemed to know who I was -- and I was disguised as a linesman."
Gary laughed.
I will check in on Monday with some thoughts on the games to date.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart serves as director of hockey officiating for the ECAC.
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.