Former AHL referee Chris Rumble has filed a lawsuit against the National Hockey League for age discrimination after he was not offered an officiating job
Rumble alleged that he was disqualified for an officiating job with the NHL due to his age despite receiving positive feedback from league managers. He claims that multiple members of the NHL’s officiating staff advised him that his age was a concern regarding his possible hiring. Rumble is 35.
The former defenseman – who suited up for the AHL’s Binghamton Senators as well as the ECHL’s Evansville IceMen and Wichita Thunder – wrapped up his professional playing career in 2022. That offseason, he attended the NHL’s annual Exposure Combine, a program designed to identify potential NHL officials. After a successful showing, he was assigned to work the USHL for the 2022-23 season. The following season, he was moved up to the American Hockey League.
In the AHL, Rumble missed the cut for the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. He was told it was because it was his first season in the league, despite the fact that another first-year official – one over a year younger – had advanced. He was then not offered a position in the NHL, who hired 30-year-old Ben Betker to fill their lone AHL/NHL referee opening, prior to the 2025-26 season.
From Rumble’s suit, filed in New York County Court:
After Mr. Rumble’s professional hockey playing career ended, he aspired to become an NHL official, an aspiration he shared in July 2022 with David Smith, the former Director of Fitness for Game Officials. Mr. Smith then contacted Al Kimmel, Director of Scouting and Development, and Stephen Walkom, Executive VP and Director of Officiating, to discuss Mr. Rumble’s career aspirations. Text messages exchanged among Mr. Smith, Mr. Kimmel, and Mr. Walkom show that Mr. Rumble’s age was discussed as a point of concern; he was thirty-two years old at the time.
Mr. Rumble was invited to the NHL Exposure Combine (the Combine) but was told by Mr. Kimmel that he was getting started later in life than the NHL usually prefers. Mr. Rumble then officiated at the NHL Rookie Tournament (the Rookie Tournament) in September of 2022 under the supervision of Chris Edwards, Scouting and Development Officiating Manager. Following the Rookie Tournament, Mr. Rumble was placed in the United States Hockey League (“USHL”), the NHL’s development league.
In 2023, Mr. Rumble was denied admission to the Combine but was invited to work the 2023 Rookie Tournament by Mr. Edwards.
In September of 2023, after Mr. Walkom attended a game Mr. Rumble was officiating, Mr. Rumble was invited to join the American Hockey League (AHL) officiating staff. During the 2023-2024 AHL season, Mr. Rumble received positive feedback from multiple supervisors: Mr. Edwards, Mr. Kimmel, Mike Leggo, Pierre Racicot, Ken Wheler, and Mark Faucette. When Mr. Rumble would ask for constructive feedback, in hopes of identifying areas in which he could improve, he was always given positive feedback and told to “keep doing what he was doing.”
Mr. Rumble was excluded from the 2023-2024 playoffs and was told this was due to the fact it was his first season in the AHL. However, another AHL first-year referee, Brody Sutter, was chosen for the playoffs, and Mr. Sutter is a year and a half younger than Mr. Rumble. This led Mr. Rumble to call Mr. Edwards and Mr. Racicot to discuss the apparent age discrimination he was facing; Mr. Edwards stated that age discrimination is illegal and whoever told Mr. Rumble that he was too old, was incorrect.
The response from Mr. Edwards contradicted Mr. Racicot, who told Mr. Rumble that he has one last kick at the can here, meaning the upcoming 2024-2025 season was his last chance to make it in the NHL because of his age.
Mr. Rumble, having been discouraged, did not initially RSVP to the 2024 Combine but, after receiving a message from Mr. Edwards telling him to respond to the invitation, he did eventually commit to attending the Combine.
In August 2024, at the Combine, Mr. Rumble performed at a high level. During the weekend of the Combine, Mr. Walkom and Mr. Kimmel pulled Mr. Rumble aside to discuss his performance and noted their concerns with his age. During this conversation, Mr. Kimmel reiterated that Mr. Rumble got started later in life than the NHL would prefer.
During the regular season, Mr. Rumble often officiated contentious games with playoff implications while also being paired with inexperienced referee partners; he was subsequently selected to work the 2024 Rookie Tournament. Mr. Racicot told Mr. Rumble that the regular season games he was working were not by coincidence, and that he was being chosen to officiate important games with real implications because the NHL trusted his abilities.
Mr. Rumble then worked the 2024-2025 regular season, and was cut after officiating two playoff games, which led Mr. Rumble to reach out to Mr. Racicot to ask if there was any information that he could share regarding his hiring prospects. Mr. Racicot told Mr. Rumble that the NHL Officiating Managers all had concerns about his age; Mr. Rumble was thirty-five years old at the time.
In June 2025, Mr. Rumble became aware that another referee had been hired by the NHL which led him to call Mr. Edwards. On the phone call, Mr. Edwards stated that Mr. Rumble couldn’t have done anything different, other than maybe be five years younger.”
Mr. Rumble also had a conversation with Mr. Kimmel, who stated that there was a logjam of older guys and the NHL needs fresh blood, some younger guys.” Mr. Kimmel told Mr. Rumble that there was nothing else he could have done, and this decision was made because he just didnt fit into [their] cycle.
The concerns regarding Mr. Rumble’s age contradicted with the positive performance feedback he continuously received and was led to believe he would eventually be hired by the NHL.
Rumble is seeking damages based on lost wages and benefits, including back pay, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. He has requested a jury trial.
With his officiating career unexpectedly sidelined, Rumble has moved off the ice and behind the bench. He’s signed on as an assistant coach of the ECHL’s Worcester Railers for the 2025-26 season.
