The NHL season is a gruelling one as training camps begin in September with the Stanley Cup being hoisted nine months later. While players are flown around the North America on charter flights or in first class, NHL officials slog it out from city to city on commercial airliners and on the highways. They don’t make anywhere near the 2021-22 NHL minimum player salary of $750,000, but are still quite well paid.
NHL referees make between $200,000 and $490,000 USD per season, depending on years of service. They work 73 games during the season. This works out to approximately $2,700 to $6,750 per game. They also earn $27,000 per playoff round and receive dental, medical, and life insurance as well as a pension, travel expenses, and career counseling if needed.
Do Referees Make More than Linesmen?
NHL referees are paid more than linesmen as an NHL linesman’s average salary is between $137,485 and $284,904 for 74 games in 2021-22 for an average of between $1,858 and $3,850 per contest. The yearly wage then rises to between $141,291 and $292,027 in 2022-23. They’re also paid $17,250 for each playoff round worked.
What are the Differences Between a Hockey Referee and a Linesman?
Other than the pay scale, the major difference between referees and linesmen are their on-ice duties. The NHL uses two referees and two linesmen per game with the referee’s main job being to call penalties and generally control the game while the linesmen drop the puck for most faceoffs, make offside and icing calls and break up altercations.
For certain playoff games there is either one or two standby referees and linesmen for each game in case of illness or injury. A standby referee is paid $2,750 per game and a linesman makes $1,775 if called into service. If they aren’t required, the standby referee is paid $1,000 and the linesman $650.
How Much Do Off-Ice Officials Make? (and what they do)
The NHL also utilizes a host of off-ice officials for each game who perform advisory and administrative duties. These include video goal judges, a game timekeeper, an official scorer, a penalty timekeeper and statisticians.
The video goal judge reviews replays to decide if a goal has been scored legally. The judge decides if a puck has completely crossed the goal line, if the goal was scored before time expired, if the puck was kicked in or directed in by hand, and if the goal was scored by a high stick etc. All goals in the NHL are reviewed either by a video goal judge in the arena or at the NHL’s control room in Toronto.
The official scorer takes care of checking the teams’ rosters and awards goals and assists to players with their decision final. However, they sometimes change a goal or assist after reviewing the play on video.
The penalty timekeeper keeps an official record of penalties assessed during a game and makes sure the correct penalty time is posted on the score clock. He or she also makes sure the players don’t leave the penalty box before their time has been served.
The official game timekeeper is in charge of stopping and starting the game clock and the correct moment and is aided by a stopwatch in case of a malfunction in the clock.
The statisticians record all of the individual and team statistics such as time on ice per player, shots on net and saves etc.
Can NHL Referees get Fired?
Yes, NHL referees and linesmen can be fired for subpar performance and other serious infractions and have 15 days to appeal the decision. They also receive severance pay if fired. According to former long-time NHL official Paul Stewart, hockey officials are evaluated by supervisors and league officiating directors on a regular basis. These supervisors have the power to reward, fine or suspend, and fire officials.
The most recent incident occurred in March, 2021 when 22-year veteran referee Tim Peel was let go after being caught on microphone stating that he wanted to call a penalty against the Nashville Predators during a game against the Detroit Red Wings.
What is the NHL Officials Association?
The National Hockey League Officials’ Association (NHLOA) was formed in 1969 to help improve the salaries, benefits and working conditions of the league’s officials. The association consists of active officials who have signed a contract with the NHL and are working in the NHL or a designated minor league. This union negotiates a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league with the current one running until 2023.
In November, 1993 the NHLOA went on a 17-day strike while the NHL used replacement officials for the league’s games. This wasn’t a successful solution and it resulted in a new collective bargaining agreement for NHL officials which saw them receive improved playoff, pension, retirement and severance payments.
How Can You Become an NHL Referee?
According to the NHLOA, the best way to become an NHL referee or linesman is to contact your nearest officiating governing body such as USA Hockey or Hockey Canada. Any and all types of officiating experience will help so it’s a good idea to sign on with local minor hockey or recreational leagues as an official if possible.
It’s recommended that you also attend official training camps and schools and take power skating lessons if needed to help in your development. These training camps concentrate on penalty calls, on-ice positioning, and off-ice theory classes. The camps are attended by representatives of professional leagues such as the NHL, American Hockey League (AHL), East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) Canadian Major Junior Hockey Leagues (CHL), and USA Hockey associations.
The NHL requires referees to have a high-school diploma or foreign equivalent as well as five years of experience officiating junior and/or minor pro hockey. The league also asks its potential referees to have three years of playing experience at an elite high-school, collegiate, junior or other amateur or pro level.
Also, each summer the NHL holds the NHL Officiating Exposure Combine for current and former players who are interested in becoming officials. This event is aimed towards high-level players and former players who have competed at the college, university, and/or junior hockey level but have no pro experience. If hired, officials typically work their way up the ranks until reaching the pro level. For more information please visit https://secure.nhl.com/nhlexposurecombine
How Many NHL Referees and Linesmen are Hired Each Season?
The NHLOA stated they have 35 full-time referees signed to contracts as well as 35 full-time linesmen. There were also 9 minor-league referees and 6 minor-league linesmen under contract who split their time between AHL and NHL.
The NHL doesn’t hire many officials on a yearly basis since most of them enjoy relatively long careers in the league. However, when an official retires or suffers a long-term injury a replacement is needed. An official or two may also be hired when the league has expanded to include a new franchise. However, in 2021, three referees and five linesmen were promoted from being AHL/NHL officials to full-time NHL officials and 11 new officials were hired to replace them.
Learn how much NHL players make here.
Ian is an experienced ice hockey writer with a passion for the game. He has been covering hockey for over 25 years and has contributed to various publications. He covers all aspects of the sport, from NHL rules to in-depth analysis of the game as well as previews. Ian is also an avid fan who attends numerous games and has played hockey regularly since moving to Canada at the age of 10.