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Stephen Walkom | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1963-08-08)August 8, 1963 (age 61) |
| Occupation | Director of Officiating for theNational Hockey League |
Stephen Walkom (born August 8, 1963) currently serves asvice president anddirector of officiating for theNational Hockey League (NHL).[1] This is his second stint in that position, having previously served from 2005 to 2009. From 1990 to 2004, and from 2009 to 2013, he worked as anon-ice referee for the league.
He is married to Annie and together they have three children. They reside in thePittsburgh suburb ofMoon Township,Pennsylvania.
Walkom worked as areferee, until retiring on August 3, 2005, when he was elevated to the management position. Walkom succeededAndy Van Hellemond as director of officiating, who resigned under controversy in mid-July 2004.
He has abachelor's degree incommerce fromLaurentian University.[2]
As a referee, he was hired in 1990 after a successful amateur career that included obtaining Level VI certification - the highest inHockey Canada's Officiating Program - and refereeing in theMemorial Cup tournament. In the NHL (where he wore uniform number 24 from the1994–95 NHL season until his retirement), he officiated more than 600regular season games, 84Stanley Cupplayoff games, the2002 Winter Olympic Games,2004 World Cup of Hockey, and twoStanley Cup Finals. Walkom was also president of theNational Hockey League Officials Association, thelabor union that represents NHL referees andlinesmen.
He was also the director and owner of theNorth American School of Officiating, a summer development camp for aspiring hockey officials inGuelph,Ontario,Canada.[3]
TheSports Business Journal released Walkom's annual salary in July, 2010, to beUS$488,736 per year.[citation needed]
On August 25, 2009, he announced his decision to step down from his position as the NHL's Director of Officiating to attempt a comeback at on-ice officiating as a referee. His first game back as an NHL Referee was October 21, 2009, when Florida hosted Buffalo. Since his return, he has officiated in twoStanley Cup Finals (2010 and 2011).
On August 7, 2013, he returned to the position of the NHL's Director of Officiating.[1]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Preceded by | Director of Officiating 2005 - 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Director of Officiating 2013 - present | Succeeded by Incumbent |