Bill McCreary (referee)

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Bill McCreary
Hockey Hall of Fame, 2014
Bill McCreary at the 2010 Olympics
Born (1955-11-17) November 17, 1955 (age 68)
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Playing career 1984–2011

William McCreary (born November 17, 1955, in

1998, 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics
, where he officiated the gold medal game each time.

Early life

McCreary was born on November 17, 1955, in Guelph, Ontario.[1] He learned to skate at the age of three years old after beating meningitis, which his sister had died from.[2] McCreary competed with the Buffalo Tondas, Windsor Spitfires, and the Guelph Holody Platers in the SOJHL from 1973-76.[3] After going undrafted out of junior hockey, he accepted a position at a machine shop and worked side jobs as a referee in local minor hockey games.[4]

Career

McCreary was invited to an National Hockey League (NHL) officials training camp in 1981 after officiating for three years.[2] After refereeing one major junior playoff game, he was hired by Scotty Morrison for the NHL.[5] He eventually refereed his first NHL game in 1984 at Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, then home of the Washington Capitals.[6][7] During the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, he officiated the men's hockey gold medal game won by Canada vs USA by the score of 5-2.[8]

During the

kitchen cabinets to make ends meet.[9][10]

In 2007, McCreary was selected to officiate the Stanley Cup Finals for the 13th year in a row.[11] On February 16, 2008, McCreary refereed his 1,500th NHL game in a match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins.[12][11] In 2009, McCreary officiated the Stanley Cup Finals for the 14th time. He was also selected as one of 13 NHL referees to officiate at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver,[13] including the Gold Medal Game.[14]

On December 22, 2009, McCreary officiated when Martin Brodeur broke Terry Sawchuk's career shutout record with his 104th shutout.[15]

Although he had previously announced that he would retire as an NHL referee at the end of the 2009-10 NHL season,[16] he returned for the 2010-11 NHL season.[17] The next year, he was inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame.[18] McCreary officiated his last NHL game on April 2, 2011, in Washington, D.C., between the Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres,[19] a game won by the Capitals 5-4.

On June 23, 2014, the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced that McCreary would be enshrined in the Hall of Fame with the 2014 class of inductees.[20]

Personal life

McCreary and his wife Mary Ann have one daughter together.[21]

References

  1. ^ "Bill McCreary". NHLOfficials.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-08-21.
  2. ^ a b Engel, Erika (December 23, 2018). "A career among legends". collingwoodtoday.ca. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  3. ^ "McCREARY ELECTED TO HHOF". ojhl.pointstreaksites.com. June 23, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Shoalts, David (October 7, 2002). "Taking the bite out of refereeing". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Rory Boylen (October 23, 2013). "INTERVIEW WITH RETIRED OFFICIALS BILL MCCREARY AND DON KOHARSKI". thehockeynews.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Hornby, Lance (November 12, 2014). "Referee Bill McCreary earned his stripes". Toronto Sun. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "Story of the Oilers: Hanging out, hands in pockets, shirts not tucked in, goals against | Edmonton Journal". 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on 2011-08-17. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
  8. ^ "CANADA WINS GOLD, SAKIC NAMED MVP". whl.ca. February 24, 2002. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Longtime NHL referee Bill McCreary built Hall of Fame career on consistency". huffingtonpost.com. November 11, 2014.
  10. ^ CTV.ca | NHL referees anxious to get back to work
  11. ^ a b "National Hockey League Officials Association - Articles". Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  12. ^ Whyno, Stephen (November 23, 2014). "Guelph's Bill McCreary built Hall of Fame referee career on consistency". guelphmercury.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  13. ^ "2010 Olympic ice hockey on-ice officials announced". NHL.com. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  14. ^ "McCreary, O'Halloran for final". 2010-02-28. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  15. ^ "Brodeur breaks shutout record". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. December 21, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  16. ^ LeBrun, Pierre (December 7, 2009). "Ref McCreary honored to earn 2010 spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  17. ^ LeBrun, Pierre (April 6, 2010). "Ref McCreary could come back next season". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  18. ^ "Guelph Sports Hall of Fame announces 2011 inductees". ward2guelph.ca. September 22, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  19. ^ "Referee Bill McCreary ready for career finale". NHL.com. April 2, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Faas, Catherine (June 23, 2014). "2014 HOCKEY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED". nhlpa.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Referee celebrates end of NHL career". guelphmercury.com. April 4, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
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