Bill McCreary (referee)

William McCreary (born November 17, 1955, in Guelph, Ontario) is a former National Hockey League referee. Before retiring in 2011, McCreary officiated 1,737 regular season games, 297 playoff games, and one NHL All-Star Game. McCreary wore uniform number 7 since the 1994–95 NHL season and wore a helmet for most of his refereeing career. He worked fifteen Stanley Cup Finals, the 1991 Canada Cup, the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, and the 1998, 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics, where he officiated the gold medal game each time.

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

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 2004–05 NHL lockout, McCreary worked building 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. 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. "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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