NHL Upgrades Refs’ Mics (2024)

FAQs

Who is the toughest NHL linesman? ›

Scapinello, 62, is being honored because he set all the records for NHL linesmen: 33 seasons, 2,500 consecutive games and 426 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He was chosen for the playoffs in only his second season, 1972, and continued every year until he retired in 2004. He never missed an assignment in his career.

As of Jun 3, 2023, the average annual pay for a Hockey Referee in the United States is $34,041 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $16.37 an hour. This is the equivalent of $654/week or $2,836/month.

1998-99The league instituted a two-referee system with each team to play 20 regular-season games with two referees and a pair of linesmen. Goal line moved to 13 feet from end boards.

The NHL requires a standby referee and standby linemen for the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Finals — standby referees earn $1,000 per game, while linesmen make $650 per game.

1. Zdeno Chara. Zdeno Chara doesn't fight much anymore—because he doesn't have to. The Norris Trophy-winning defenseman is much more valuable on the ice than in the penalty box, and his Boston Bruins have plenty of other players who can also administer justice as needed.

Billy Coutu was the first, and to date only, player banned from the NHL for life for violence in 1927; he assaulted referee Jerry Laflamme and tackled referee Billy Bell before starting a bench-clearing brawl during a Stanley Cup game between the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators, apparently on the orders of Bruins ...

The last referee to not wear a helmet was Mick McGeough, who began wearing a helmet in the 2006–07 season and retired after the following season.

One & Done: Referee Dean Morton scored in the only NHL game he played. In the world of sports, athletes often dedicate their entire lives to reaching the pinnacle of their profession, but for many, life at the top can be short-lived.

NHL Zamboni drivers are the top earners, landing in the 90th percentile. They are typically paid in a range from $29,000-$31,000, sometimes earning up to $37,500 annually. Of course, salaries may vary based on skill level, location and years of experience.

The highest paid NBA Referee in 2023 is James Capers who is estimated to earn $550,000 annually, with $9,000 in fees per playoff game. James Capers' NBA career spans over 1,500 games in 28 seasons, starting from his early days of refereeing high school basketball. Before joining the NBA with Xerox, he was a salesman.

Do NHL mascots get paid? ›

In the other leagues, mascots are paid differently. For example, an NBA mascot can earn $48,000 per year, while an MLB mascot can earn $51,600 per year. In the NHL, the average salary for a mascot is $68,000.

The Gretzky rule

In June 1985, as part of a package of five rule changes to be implemented for the 1985–86 season, the NHL Board of Governors decided to introduce offsetting penalties, where neither team lost a man when coincidental penalties were called.

It hasn't happened since 1936, but a reminder that if an NHL game goes to a sixth overtime, they drop...the second puck.

The referee will not normally break up a fight unless the linesmen need assistance, or a fight is occurring where a player has gained a significant advantage over the other player, leading to concerns of significant injury.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $113,000 and as low as $22,500, the majority of Hockey Equipment Manager salaries currently range between $40,500 (25th percentile) to $64,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $99,000 annually across the United States.

The NFL does not release salary figures for referees but, according to Sporting News, the highest paid NFL refs make $250,000 annually. NFL referees on average usually make about $205,000 per year.

In 2020-21 the lowest salary as mandated by the collective bargaining agreement for a player is $700,000 USD. Approximately 14% of the players in the NHL make the league minimum, which will be raised to $750,000 in 2021-22 in the last year of the current collective bargaining agreement.

An acknowledged enforcer, sem*nko was Wayne Gretzky's "on-ice bodyguard" early in Gretzky's career in Edmonton, beginning in the WHA in 1978 and ending when sem*nko was traded to the Hartford Whalers in 1986. sem*nko is considered one of the toughest players ever in the NHL.

At present in the National Hockey League (NHL), teams generally do not carry enforcers on their roster, as their general lack of hockey skills makes them a liability, and the trend away from fighting further reduces their usefulness.

1. Boston Bruins. Sitting atop arguably the toughest division in hockey, the Bruins are the NHL's premier tough-as-nails team.

Is there a black NHL ref? ›

On April 3, 2000, Sharrers returned to the big leagues to referee a game in Philadelphia between the Flyers and the Florida Panthers. Much more attention was paid to his debut as the NHL's first black referee than had been when he first joined the league as an official back in 1990.

Almost all (if not all) officials therefore do wear padding under their uniform. Per the National Hockey League Official's Association website: They are protected by pads that cover the shins, calf muscles, knees, hips, thighs, hamstrings, elbows, lower back, and kidneys.

As the name implies, on-ice officials do their job on the hockey rink. They are traditionally clad in a black hockey helmet, black trousers, and a black-and-white vertically striped shirt.

In 1962, the Toronto Maple Leafs were on top of the hockey world. During the celebratory bonfire, the club mistakenly used the Stanley Cup as fire wood, dropping the hardware into the fire. The Leafs had to pay for the significant damage done to the Cup in the process.

Ryan O'Reilly, 32, Toronto Maple Leafs

Arguably the best player remaining without a visor, O'Reilly is a former winner of the Conn Smythe, Selke, and Lady Byng awards.

Every player in the league had to wear a helmet for 18 years before he could wear it. Craig MacTavish was the last player to retire without one, in 1997. According to Barnett, Gretzky did not wear a helmet for marketing reasons, only to improve his performance or comfort level.

Rule 78.5(I) When the puck has been directed, batted or thrown into the net by an attacking player other than with a stick. When this occurs, if it is deemed to be done deliberately, then the decision shall be NO GOAL.

Though Billy Smith of the New York Islanders is the first NHL goalie to be credited with scoring a goal when the Colorado Rockies backpass the puck into their own net during a delayed penalty on Nov. 28, 1979, Hextall is the first to score by shooting the puck into the net.

Fighting is considered to be part of the game in hockey. The unwritten rules actually provide pretty strict control over what looks to be uncontrolled. The refs always step in and end the fight when one of the players falls to the ice. At that point, the fight is over.

Stanley Cup Finalist - $2.25 million. Stanley Cup Champion - $3.75 million.

How much money did Wayne Gretzky make a year? ›

NHL players do not pay for sticks. Their current team pays for the sticks. Even if certain players are sponsored by a brand, the team still has to buy the sticks from the brand. Some teams pay $300,000 a season to provide sticks for their players.

The NFL does not release salary figures for referees but, according to Sporting News, the highest paid NFL refs make $250,000 annually. NFL referees on average usually make about $205,000 per year.

If a game is played to a full-time duration of 90 minutes, you can expect a referee to run six to eight miles. On average, a player will run seven miles, but they can stay in their allocated area, whereas referees have to stay close to the ball, which is constantly moving around the pitch.

Just like NBA players, there are also great discrepancies in pay among mascots. The highest-paid one is Rocky the Mountain Lion, a representative of the Denver Nuggets, who earns $625,000 a year - you read that right. In case you're wondering, that figure is more than ten times the median salary for the job.

This is a list of current and former National Hockey League (NHL) mascots, sorted alphabetically. The New York Rangers are the only team to have never had a mascot.

In a tik-tok video by @club_app it was revealed United's mascot earns a minimum of £70,000 a year. Manchester City are looking to complete the treble by winning the Champions League against Inter in Instanbul. Check out all you need to know on OneFootball.

Post retirement, Gretzky became part owner of the NHL team, the Phoenix Coyotes. He bought 10% stake back in May 2000 and became the team? s coach from October 2005 to September 2009. In 2016, he also became the vice-chairman and partner of the Oilers Entertainment Group.

There are three more seasons left on Ovechkin's contract and even if he scores at a career-low rate (0.40 goals per game) he'll end up with 920 goals — 26 more than Gretzky.

What if Wayne Gretzky never scored a goal? ›

If Wayne Gretzky never scored a single goal, he would still be the NHL's all-time scoring leader with 1,963 points. It's one of the most incredulous stats in all of sports, one that best exemplifies The Great One's greatness.

In the NHL, goaltenders are not allowed to play the puck over the center red line. In fact, goaltenders are not allowed to interfere with the play by any means across the red line. If they do this, they will be called for a minor penalty and there will be a stoppage in play.

Goaltenders are not allowed to play the puck past center ice. Colorado's Patrick Roy famously tested this rule against the New York Rangers on November 16, 1997. With the Avs trailing 4-1 late in the game, Roy decided to take matters into his own hands and carry the puck up ice.

No, a team can never have less than 3 players on the ice. If a team takes a penalty while they have three players on the ice the penalty will be served at the expiry of the penalty with the least amount of time left.

So, the tradition in hockey is that to applaud, hockey players will tap their sticks on the ice (or against the boards if they're on the bench) to signify approval.

Referee extends his arm above his head to indicate that a penalty has been committed by a player of the team not in possesion of the puck. Call is made when the penalized team gains controll of the puck or upon a stop in play.

The first reason is that it can be dangerous for the referees to bending down and picking up a stick while players are skating around. The second reason is that it can be difficult to tell if a stick is actually broken or just dropped on the ice.

1. Boston Bruins. Sitting atop arguably the toughest division in hockey, the Bruins are the NHL's premier tough-as-nails team. The roster alone is enough to make opponents wet the bed.

Zdeno Chara

Big Zed is a five-time winner of the NHL's hardest shot competition, and his blast of 108.8 mph, accomplished in 2012 at the All-Star Skills Competition in Ottawa, remains the all-time record. There isn't a lot of mystery as to how Chara can get such force on his shot.

Who has the tallest line in NHL history? ›

Söderblom is playing on a line with Michael Rasmussen, who stands at 6-foot-6, and fellow Swede Oskar Sundqvist, who stands at 6-foot-3, creating the biggest line the NHL has ever seen. Their line is not only the largest in NHL history but also producing results, which is what matters.

The Maple Leafs lead all NHL franchises in losses (2,850).

With 2.68 million fans, the Chicago Blackhawks was the National Hockey League (NHL) team account with the greatest number of Facebook likes in April 2023. The Facebook presence of the NHL itself had around 4.65 million fans.

A study conducted on hockey players found that hockey hits are 17% harder than NFL hits. In terms of injuries, the most common sports were football (5.11 per 1,000 players), basketball (12.76), and soccer (2.32).

Defenseman Zdeno Chara holds the NHL Hardest Shot record of 108.8 mph, set in 2012.

Q: Which shot is the hardest for a goalie to stop? A: Generally speaking, it is one that's low and to the stick side. Some goaltenders overplay to the stick side, presenting a more inviting target on the glove side.

sem*nko is considered one of the toughest players ever in the NHL. After Gretzky won a car for being chosen as the MVP of the 1983 NHL All-Star game, he gifted the car to sem*nko to show his appreciation for his on-ice work.

Chris “Knuckles” Nilan saw more fights than almost any other fighter in NHL history. Nilan averaged more penalty minutes per game than any other player in league history and also holds the record for most penalty minutes in a single game (42).

Woodcroft named most handsome coach in NHL

An app has declared that Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft is the most handsome in the NHL.

Who has the fewest games to 1000 points in the NHL? ›

Wayne Gretzky (424 GP), Mario Lemieux (513 GP), Mike Bossy (656 GP) and Peter Stastny (682 GP) are the only players in NHL history to accumulate 1,000 points in 715 games or fewer.

1. January 23, 1944: Detroit 15, New York Rangers 0. The most one-sided game in NHL history took place in Detroit on January 23, 1944, when the Red Wings blanked the New York Rangers, 15-0.

Detroit Red Wings 15 – New York Rangers 0

The 1944 game started explosively, with two goals in the first period, before the floodgates opened. Five goals followed in the second period, with another eight coming in the third. It rubber-stamped by far the worst defeat in NHL history.