NHL referee Bill McCreary is working his last regular-season game tonight when the Caps play the Sabres at Verizon Center. McCreary began his NHL career on Nov. 3, 1984 with a Caps-Devils game at Landover, Md. This will be his 1,737th career game. No one has worked more playoff games (297) or Stanley Cup finals games (44). Only one NHL official has refereed more NHL contests. McCreary also worked the gold-medal games at the Winter Olympics in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
“I am honored to have worked in the NHL for so many years and have been privileged to be assigned to so many important games,” McCreary said in a statement released by the NHL. “My family always has been very supportive of my career and I’m very fortunate that they will be in attendance and able to share in my final game in Washington. I have worked with an incredible group of people both on and off the ice and I am looking forward to my next adventure.”
Caps coach Bruce Boudreau has a long history with McCreary dating to his days as a player in the AHL.
“We used to argue quite a lot in the American League,” Boudreau said. “I’ve known Bill half my life. It’s a real honor for us that he chose to finish his career in Washington. Been one of the best referees – if not the best referee – in this league for many years. It’s going to be tough for the next guys because the standard has been set by him. He deserves all the accolades he’s going to get.”
Boudreau wasn’t dishing out any specific stories. My guess is they aren’t for a family blog. But he did praise McCreary’s ability to communicate with the coaches – the best way for any referee to keep coaches from losing their minds.
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