Before a single puck dropped on the 2026-27 NHL season, the referees had something to say…  twice. 

On opening night, two of the league’s veteran officials took center ice before the opening faceoff and addressed the teams directly: Chris Rooney before the Panthers and Hurricanes in Raleigh and Wes McCauley prior to Bruins and Rangers at TD Garden.

Rooney: “The NHL is back. What’s better than this?”

Rooney opened the night – and the season – in the first game of ESPN’s opening tripleheader, Florida at Carolina. Working alongside referee Jake Brenk (#26), Rooney stood at the center-ice dot, welcoming fans and players to the start of the season:

“The NHL is back. What’s better than this?”

A few more goals, probably. The Panthers went on to win 1-0 in overtime.

 

McCauley: “Untuck your jerseys, pull down your visors…”

Three hours later in Boston, McCauley took his turn before the Bruins and Rangers. Working alongside referee Furman South (#13), with linespersons Scott Cherrey (#50) and Julien Fournier (#56), McCauley gathered both teams at center ice for his own pre-faceoff address.

“Welcome to the TD Garden for an Original Six tilt to kickstart this season! Alright, men! Untuck your jerseys, pull down the visor… let’s buckle up. Have a great year!”

Nice job by Wes to throw in the reminder about the league’s new uniform enforcement guidelines, which include jersey tucks and elevated visors. 

 

Pass the Mic

This is becoming a tradition among the league’s senior officials.

Kelly Sutherland – January 13, 2021, Flyers at Penguins. Opening the shortened post-COVID 2020-21 season in an empty Wells Fargo Center, Sutherland delivered what Golf Digest called “an impassioned speech before dropping the puck.” Understandable, coming out of the post-pandemic shutdown.

Chris Rooney – October 11, 2022, Lightning at Rangers. On opening night at Madison Square Garden, Rooney took the mic… with some thoughts that sound rather familiar, looking back.

“To our great players and our great fans, welcome to opening night of the 2022-2023 NHL season. What’s better than this? Good luck to all players and let’s have a great season.”

Rooney was mic’d up throughout the broadcast that night. When Tampa’s Victor Hedman skated over to ask about the speech, Rooney told him he’d been asked to do it, joking that he was still negotiating his fee.

Graham Skilliter – same night, October 11, 2022, Golden Knights at Kings. Skilliter also gave a pre-faceoff speech at Crypto.com Arena, one the Hockey News judged “much more natural” and “didn’t take from the opening faceoff.”

 

You Make The Call!

Love it or leave it? We’re putting up a poll — should referees address the teams before the season-opening faceoff, or should they just drop the puck and get out of the way?