Referee Justin St-Pierre has worked his last National Hockey League game.  St. Pierre opted to retire after a lengthy rehab following a leg operation.

I’ve had knee surgery, I think that helps my decision a little bit too, but yes, I’m ready [to retire], I’m there, said St-Pierre in an interview with Téléjournal Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.

His final NHL game  – unbeknownst to him at the time – came on April 13, 2023, when the Dallas Stars hosted the St. Louis Blues.  St-Pierre worked the game alongside referee Kelly Sutherland and linesmen Scott Cherrey and Brad Kovachik.  He worked the game without incident, finishing up the regular season; he was not selected to officiate the postseason.

He never expected that would be his last time on the ice as an NHL official. 

 

 

St-Pierre underwent surgery to address a long-term knee issue on October 10, 2023. 

His rehab did not go as planned. 

“It’s just that I thought that after the knee operation it would go a little faster,” St-Pierre said in an interview on 95.7 KYL. “It’s going less quickly than expected.”

St-Pierre was sidelined for the entire 2023-24 season.  As the upcoming campaign approached, the veteran official was still not at 100%. 

“In a way, it was hard [to make the decision] because I didn’t want to stop; I still loved my job. But I couldn’t jump on the ice with the best players in the world anymore,” St-Pierre told La Presse. “I didn’t want to risk it… If you get hit in the leg, it’s not the knee that’s going to blow, it’s the leg.”

“I would have had more to give, but at that point, there is life after refereeing.”
 

 

St-Pierre may be leaving the NHL, but he’s not exactly giving up his stripes.  He’ll continue to work with young officials in Quebec, as well as continue with his refereeing school.

“I signed up with Hockey Sag-Lac, two or three years ago, and this year, I spoke with Serge Carpentier, the head supervisor of referees at the provincial level,” St-Pierre told Radio-Canada. “I will do D1 college, junior AAA, midget AAA, I will supervise in Quebec. Then I will take care of the North American League (LNAH) with Mathieu Caron, who is the head of referees. I am kind of his right-hand man, so I will not be idle.”

The native of Dolbeau, Quebec, finished his 18-year National Hockey League career having officiated 1,197 regular season games – hitting the 1000-game mark in 2020 – along with eight playoff matches.  He was also tapped to wear the stripes for the 2020 NHL All-Star Game in St. Louis.
 


 

All the best to Justin St-Pierre in retirement!