We have some important developing news on who will be officiating where during the NHL’s 24-team playoff.
According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, 10 referees and 10 linesmen each will be assigned to Toronto and Edmonton to officiate games. If the Eastern Conference’s hub city ends up being Toronto, those teams, which include our dear Washington Capitals, will draw star official Wes McCauley.
Here are the referee assignments per TSN.
Toronto
Referees (10): Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Trevor Hanson, Jean Hebert, Frederick L’Ecuyer, Chris Lee, Wes McCauley, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman
Linesmen (10): Shandor Alphonso, Derek Amell, Steve Barton, Devin Berg, David Brisebois, Michel Cormier, Greg Devorski, Matt MacPherson, Derek Nansen, Bryan Pancich
Edmonton
Referees (10): Marc Joannette, Steve Kozari, TJ Luxmore, Jon McIssac, Brad Meier, Brian Pochmara, Dan O’Rourke, Chris Rooney, Francois St. Laurent, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen (10): Scott Cherrey, Ryan Gibbons, Brad Kovachik, Kiel Murchison, Jonny Murray, Pierre Racicot, Mark Shewchyk, Andrew Smith, Tony Sericolo, Libor Suchnanek
McCauley is widely known as the most entertaining official in the NHL. The former Canadian hockey player utilizes dramatic pauses and body language to announce the result of goal reviews and penalties.
“I try to lighten it up and I try to let them know, [I] like being out there,” McCauley said to Sportsnet’s Chrissy Simpson during an interview.
“Do you get caught up in the moment?” Simpson asked.
“Exactly,” he said.
McCauley has been a full-time NHL referee since 2005. He worked five consecutive Stanley Cup Finals from 2013 to 2018.
The summary of the MOU confirms Toronto and Edmonton are Hub cities and that the Eastern teams play in Toronto in the Western teams in Edmonton. The Conference finals and Cup final will be in a single location for remaining four teams but that location is still TBD.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 8, 2020
