We hate them, we love to hate them, and sometimes we actually agree with them, but without NHL referees, there wouldn’t be NHL games. Rarely do we get to look at the game from their perspective.
Tuesday night, the Wild hosted Officials Appreciation Night, geared towards fans who work at the youth, high school or college level as referees or linesman. Along with an on-ice photo session, the night featured a Q-and-A with the four officials working the Wild/Jets game: referees Tim Peel and Eric Furlatt, and linesmen Vaughan Rody and Trent Knorr.
As a current youth referee, I was able to attend and get some insight into what NHL referees see, think and feel about the NHL, it’s players and coaches, and the game they love.