On-Ice Officials assigned to work NHL Conference Semi-Finals

The following is the list of officials assigned to work the conference quarter-finals released by the NHL Wednesday. As in the opening quarter-finals round, officials will work throughout the round as assigned pairs. NHL News Release

Referee Combos (Playoff games officiated), Total NHL years experience

#7 -Bill McCreary (270), 26yrs
#27-Eric Furlatt (31), 10yrs

#10-Paul Devorski (155), 21yrs
#14-Dennis LaRue (41), 19yrs

#11-Kelly Sutherland (34), 9yrs
#25-Marc Joannette (59), 15yrs

#8 -Dave Jackson (59), 19yrs
#33-Kevin Pollock (86), 11yrs

#20-Tim Peel (29), 13yrs
#23-Brad Watson (99), 15yrs

#3 -Mike Leggo (29), 12yrs
#13-Dan O’Halloran (67), 16yrs

Linesmen Combos (Playoff games worked), Total NHL years experience

#68-Scott Driscoll (116), 16yrs
#89-Steve Miller (37), 8yrs

#54-Greg Devorski (104), 15yrs
#74-Lonnie Cameron (39), 12yrs

#57-Jay Sharrers (120), 18yrs
#86-Brad Lazarowich (169), 22yrs

#80-Thor Nelson (20), 14yrs
#97-Jean Morin (142), 17yrs

#65-Pierre Racicot (92), 15yrs
#75-Derek Amell (54), 11yrs

#55-Shane Heyer (104), 20yrs too many
#93-Brian Murphy (181), 20yrs


-- Dismissed from duty after serving as referees in the opening round (with their partner still active in the second parenthesis):

#21-Don VanMassenhoven, 16yrs exp – Sorry to say about a guy who returned after taking such a horrific shot to the face a couple years ago, but CanMassenhoven had an awful year.
#30-Mike Hasenfratz, 8yrs exp
(these two worked together in the 1st round)

#4-Wes McCauley, 7yrs exp (Furlatt)
(I was somewhat surprised at this. McCauley has been one ref officiating head Stephen Walkom has been very high on in the past and with McCreary out after next year he must have done something wrong I missed in the first round)

#5-Chris Rooney, 12yrs exp (Watson)

#28-Chris Lee, 9yrs exp (O’Halloran)

#29-Ian Walsh, 12yrs exp (Devorski)

#34-Brad Meier, 14yrs exp (McCreary)

#42-Dan O’Rourke, 9yrs exp (Joannette)

-- Referees not working as on-ice officials this playoff. Some have served as the extra, emergency official on call for games in round one. (NHL experience in parenthesis)

Stephane Auger (14), David Banfield (1), Chris Ciamaga (2), Gord Dwyer (5), Kerry Fraser (35), Greg Kimmerly (15), Don Koharski (31), Tom Kowal (10), Steve Kozari (5), Frederick L’Ecuyer (2), Dan Marouelli (26), Rob Martell (16), Dean Morton (9), Brian Pochmara (6), Kyle Rehman (1), Rob Shick (24), Francois St. Laurent (5), Justin St. Pierre (5)

Don Koharski is now officially retired. This was Shick’s last year as an on-ice official. Actually last year was supposed to be but they persuaded him to come back one more year. He’s working for the league these playoffs as a supervising official in the arena video booth and such.

Next year is the last for Kerry Fraser, Dan Marouelli and Bill McCreary.

Adam Gretz at AOL Fanhouse posted a first round referee report Wednesday night. Notice only two (Anaheim, Vancouver) of the eight teams on the wrong side of the PP/SH differential are still around. But looking at their second round opponents numbers and considering how those two teams (Detroit, Chicago) power plays are going right now, they may not be for long.

Also notice from that article three of the four referees responsible for calling the most first-round penalties (Hassenfratz, VanMassenhoven and Rooney) are now gone.