With the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League celebrating its 50th anniversary, the league has been taking a look back at its history.

Recently, the Q posted their Top 50 All-Time Players in weekly installments.  (They haven’t yet released the Top 10.)

In response, former NHL referee Stephane Auger, now with TVA Sports, offers up the Top 50 QMJHL Officials.

Auger’s list is ‘not scientific’ and in no particular order.  It also excludes active QMJHL officials, some of which would undoubtedly have been included on this list.

Here are the Top 50, by region:

OUTAOUAIS: Éric Charron (referee), Francis Charron (referee), Serge Carpentier (linesman).

LAURENTIDES: Pierre Gibeau (referee). Estrie-Marcel Vaillancourt (referee), Luc Voyer (linesman), Claude Girard (linesman).

MAURICIE: Rosaire Guimond (referee), Denis Morel (referee), Jean-Pierre Desaulniers (referee), Jean-Guy Desrochers (referee), Éric Furlatt (referee), Frédérick L’Écuyer (referee), Louis Pothier (linesman), Michel Cormier (linesman).

SAGUENAY: Lac St-Jean-Phil Desgagné (referee), Justin St-Pierre (referee).

LAVAL: Richard Trottier (referee), Benoit Lapointe (referee), Luc Miville (referee), Jean-Claude Caisse (referee), Benoit Vigneault (JL), Serge Parent (JL).

MONTREAL: Luc Lachapelle (referee), Jean-Paul Bergeron (referee). Richelieu- Normand Caisse (referee), Michel Lemieux (referee), Sylvain Bibeau (referee), François St-Laurent (referee), Pierre Lambert (referee), Jean Morin (linesman), Pierre Tremblay (linesman), Sylvain Cloutier (linesman).

LAC-ST-LOUIS: Dave Jackson (referee), Marc Joannette (referee), Pierre Racicot (linesman), Pierre Champoux (linesman), David Taveroff (linesman).

MARITIMES: Chris Lee (referee), Guy Pellerin (referee), Jean Hébert (referee), Ghislain Hébert (referee), Jon McIsaac (referee), Matt MacPherson (linesman).

BOURASSA: André Duhamel (referee), Stéphane Auger (referee), Stéphane Provost (JL), François Gagnon (JL).

QUEBEC: Jean Maheu (referee), Jonny Murray (linesman).

 

Officiating pioneers Wally Harris, Claude Béchard and Gérard Gauthier were already in the NHL at the start of the QMJHL.

Honorable Mention to Daniel Béchard, Alain Rioux, Stéphane Tremblay, Pierre Lajeunesse, Patrice Normandin, Daniel Chevarie, Christian Lortie, François Larochelle, Marc Rheaume, Richard Phaneuf, and Daniel Cournoyer.

 

Follow Stephane Auger on Twitter: @StephaneAuger15