The votes have been counted. Now it’s time to hand out the hardware.
Referee of the Year – The Bill Chadwick Trophy
Awarded to the NHL referee adjudged to be the best at his position, with regards to skating, positioning, penalty selection, game control, in-arena announcements, and Coach’s Challenge reviews, as judged by the readers of Scouting the Refs.
Winner: Wes McCauley
Runners-up: Ian Walsh, Marc Joannette, Dean Morton, Dan O’Halloran, Kelly Sutherland
Of course, you’d have to think this helped:
Linesman of the Year – The Ray Scapinello Trophy
Awarded to the NHL linesmen determined to be the best at his position, based on skating, positioning, offsides, icings, and Coach’s Challenge reviews, as determined by the readers of Scouting the Refs.
Winner: Greg Devorski
Runners-up: Pierre Racicot, Brian Murphy, Derek Nansen, Derek Amell, Brian Mach, Jay Sharrers.
Rookie of the Year
Awarded to the best first-year official – referee or linesman:
Winner: Ryan Gibbons
Runners-up: Devin Berg, Brandon Gawryletz, Jake Brenk
Thanks to the thousands who submitted their picks, and congratulations to our winners!