Plenty of fans get frustrated with officials. We hear calls for them to be demoted, suspended, or even terminated.  It’s not that easy.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the National Hockey League and the NHL Officials’ Association specifically outlines the terms under which an official can be released in Section 13: 

The NHL may release an official at any time for the reason of:

    • substandard performance,
    • substandard conditioning,
    • insubordinate conduct and/ or attitude,
    • wilful non-compliance with established League rules or policy,
    • and/ or for any other reason permitted by law

 

The agreement goes on to separate the full-time officials – and their potential release – into three distinct categories: Junior, Veteran, and Senior officials.  (There are also minor league officials, but we’ll stick with the full-timers for now.)

  • Junior-Level Officials
    • Less than six years of NHL service
    • Can be released for ‘failing to make an adequate transition to the NHL level’ 
  • Veteran Officials
    • Six to 16 years of NHL service
    • May not be released for ‘substandard performance’ unless they have not been named to the playoffs as an official or on standby for the past two consecutive seasons 
  • Senior-Level Officials
    • More than 16 years of NHL service
    • May also be released for ‘material diminution of skills over either a period of years or on a year-to-year basis.’
    • Offered opportunity to retire before being released for performance-related reasons

 

So, how does that work?  Glad you asked!

Timing of Release

Officials can be released at any time for insubordination or non-compliance with league policies. Some of the other categories only allow for release during the offseason.

[For substandard performance or conditioning, failure to make an adequate transition to the NHL level, or material diminution of skills], then the notice of release may only be given between the end of the regular season and prior to June 15 .

Basically, if you can’t cut it, you’re not getting cut until after the season.

 

How Many Officials Can Go?

No more than four full-time officials can be let go in any year. If there are already scheduled retirements planned, the league can only terminate up to three officials.

The maximum number of full-time NHL officials who may be released in any year shall be four (not including minor league officials), except for those years in which one or more officials have retired voluntarily, in which case the maximum number of releases for that year shall be three.

NHL retirements are a long-term project. Officials work with the league and the NHLOA to plan out retirements and succession planning years before the refs or linesmen in question hang up their skates.

The League may approach any official at any time (with confidential notice to the Executive Director of lhe NHLOA) to discuss career/ succession planning issues and/ or to plan a binding schedule for the official’s retirement. Succession planning agreements as between the NHL and individual officials may not amend or expand upon the existing and applicable terms of this Agreement.

This allows the league to plan accordingly, knowing exactly when they expect to lose veteran officials

 

Calling for Backup

Another thing the NHL officials have going for them is their union: the National Hockey League Officials’ Association. The NHLOA was founded in 1969.  The union protects the officials when it comes to negotiating the Collective Bargaining Agreement and defending them in potential cases of termination. 

One major win for the union came in 2004 when an arbitrator ruled that referee Mark Faucette and linesman Darren Gibbs were wrongfully terminated by then-director of officiating Andy Van Hellemond. Gibbs was reinstated and worked an additional 17 seasons.  

The last full-time referee to be released was Dean Warren, who was let go in 2008.  Warren claimed his termination was due to his work on behalf of the officials’ union.

Referee Tim Peel may have been the latest to be ‘fired’ based on media reports, but even he was officially deemed to have retired, as officials are given the option to do as noted above.  Peel was scheduled to retire at the end of the 2020-21 season; his hot-mic incident merely kept him off the officiating schedule until the end of the season. 

Fine, we can’t fire them – at least not easily.  What about a demotion?

 

Demoting Officials to Lower Leagues

Demotion isn’t an option.  Full-time NHL officials can’t be sent to the minors.  Contractually speaking, they’re obligatied to work at least 73 regular season NHL games (74 for linesmen).

 

Minor League Officials (AHL/NHL)

The NHL has a handful of officials on minor league contracts. They split their time between the AHL and NHL. Linesmen typically work 40 games in each league; referees tend to work more than half their games in the AHL.

Those officials are more easily released if things aren’t working out.  From the CBA:

Minor league officials are considered to be probationary employees of the NHL, and shall be subject to release for any reason pursuant to, and in accordance with, the procedures set forth in section 13 above, provided that a minor league official shall not be entitled to the right to appeal his release in any manner or forum.

There shall be no limitation on the number of releases of minor league officials in any given year, provided that the League remains in compliance with [maintaining a minimum of five minor league officials]. 

 

Coming into this season, the NHL cut ties with two minor-league officials: Reid Anderson and Conor O’Donnell. No information was provided regarding the terms of or reasons for their departure.  Linesman Kory Nagy was the lone departure one year prior.

 

Severance

For the guys who do get terminated by the league, it’s not like they leave empty-handed.  The league offeres severance based on the schedule below.

  • 1-4 years of service: 12 months salary, excluding those who voluntarily resign
  • 5-9 years: 15 months salary
  • 10-14 years: 18 months salary, plus one additional month for each year over 10
  • 15+ years: 24 months salary, plus an additional 1/2-month’s salary for each year over 15

 

 

 

(All CBA details based on NHLOA CBA effective 2019-2023; article will be updated based on changes in the latest agreement.)