Standby officials are only present in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean a fellow zebra might not be in the building.
Linesperson Steve Barton was injured during the first period of Saturday’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs. After he headed off, the game continued with a three-man crew of referees Steve Kozari and Dan O’Rourke, with Tyson Baker the lone linesperson.
Typically, they would’ve worked the remainder of the game that way.
Luckily, the NHL had an unintentional Emergency Back Up Official in the building on Saturday.
Linesperson Mark Shewchyk happened to be in attendance. After Barton failed to return to the ice for the start of the second period, Shewcyk headed to the officials’ room to lend a hand.
Without his gear, Shewchyk had to get creative. He borrowed some equipment, including Tyson Baker’s backup jersey, resulting in both lineys sporting #88.
Update: While there was no official update on Barton, he is scheduled to work on Tuesday, so it appears he’s made a full recovery.
