Blizzard conditions caused the cancellation of Tuesday’s game between the Sabres and Hurricanes in Buffalo. Bad weather all across the country has also made travel – and game assignments – rough on the officials.
Matt MacPherson
Linesman Matt MacPherson worked Rangers/Blackhawks in Chicago last night. He had no issues flying to the Windy City after back to back games on Long Island and in New Jersey.
MacPherson made his flight. His bags didn’t.
The third-year veteran was forced to suit up in spare gear. That meant different pants, different skates, and a different jersey – he wore the normally-unassigned #85 instead of his usual #83.
Some officials weren’t able to make their trips at all.
Rookie referee Trevor Hanson was slated to work Flyers/Canadiens on Wednesday night. He was coming from officiating an AHL game and was unable to make the trip to Philadelphia.
Instead, veteran Chris Lee, who’d worked in New Jersey the night before, drove down the New Jersey Turnpike to the City of Brotherly Love to work the game with Mike Leggo. Linesman Michael Cormier joined him for the ride. He covered for linesman Brad Kovachik, who was also unable to make the trip to Philadelphia.
Hanson gets the nod tonight; he’ll be working his fourth NHL game in Raleigh as the Hurricanes take on the Maple Leafs. Kovachik’s also back in action, manning the lines tonight at the Prudential Center.
Referee Greg Kimmerly #18
Referee Greg Kimmerly was also grounded by the cold. He was scheduled to work Tuesday night’s game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The weather prevented Kimmerly from making the trek from sunny San Jose into icy Manitoba, where the extreme cold shut down buses and closed schools. The high that day was -24 F.
In his place, rookie Dave Lewis – a native of Whitby, Ontario, who had most recently worked an AHL game in Toronto on January 4 – made the 1000-mile trek. Kimmerly headed to Colorado, where he officiated last night’s game against the Ottawa Senators.
