NHL Mourning the Loss of Linesman who Officiated over 1600 Games
The National Hockey League is mourning the loss of Danny McCourt, a linesman who officiated over 1600 games in his career.
Sadly, in breaking news, reports confirmed the passing of the former referee Danny McCourt.
The NHL's Public Relations account released a statement on X about the tragic passing:
McCourt had an impressive career. He worked as an official in the NHL for 25 years, taking part in just under 1700 games, between 1979 and 2004.
After, he held another important position for the NHL, as the Officiating Manager in the Scouting and Development Department for over 15 years, between 2005 and 2022.
Since then, he has been working as a Consultant to Stephen Walkom, the Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating for the NHL
He was first hired by the NHL after working for a year and a half as an amateur official in Falconbridge, Ontario, and one year in the International Hockey League, in Detroit.
He also had a playing career, which ended with the Windsor Spitfires in the SOJHL�where he won a championship.
He was never drafted by an NHL organization and decided to switch to officiating as he knew nothing about playing hockey in Europe. He considered turning to coaching but thought he could pursue a coaching career when he was older.
When he was asked about the most memorable moments in his NHL career was without a doubt his first regular-season face-off in a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings. The two centers were his brother Dale and Wayne Gretzky. His brother won it.
He and his brother were both inducted in the NAIAHF, the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport and the indigenous people, both members of the Pine Creek Frist Nation.
We extend our condolences to all those affected by this tragic loss.
