By Brady Lang

Hockey world mourns loss of McGeough

Nov 26, 2018 | 11:00 AM

It was a sad day in the hockey world on Friday, following the death of a former long-time official.

Michael “Mick” McGeough died peacefully at 11:39 p.m. after being flown to Saskatoon earlier in the week after showing signs of a stroke. A neurosurgeon determined the blood clots in the 62-year-old’s brain could not be removed.

Former SJHL Referee-In-Chief Tracy Cook went to camps and officiated with McGeough in the 80s. He remembers McGeough as a guy with a great attitude, and how he was one of the last referees that officiated with personalities, following the adoption of the four-official system shortly after McGeough’s rise to the NHL.

“He was the life of the world back then. He was a bit older, and so after (the camp) he was up to the NHL,” he said. “It seemed like something was always going on around him.”

McGeough was one of the last NHL officials to officiate games without a helmet on the ice. That changed in 2006-07 with the NHL mandate, but his career began in 1987, and ran until 2008 when he retired following the season. McGeough officiated 1,083 NHL regular season games, 63 playoff games and the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals between Edmonton and Carolina.

Provincial oversight

Lack of municipal CAO contributed to Sandy Bay financial woes

16h ago

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

RCMP investigate suspicious death of a 65-year-old woman in Battleford

18h ago

infrastructure

Province invests in urban highway upgrades across Saskatchewan

18h ago

Cook said it was McGeough’s love for life and the game that made him so special.

“He loved the game, he absolutely loved it and he liked reffing,” he said. “His attitude was everything, he loved it, and he showed it.”

McGeough was born in Regina in 1956, and following his retirement, he began helping out new referee recruits in the American Hockey League, passing his knowledge down the ranks. He was named to the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.

Cook said he believes every young official can learn something from the long-time official, but it starts at the top.

“The effort you put in, that’s the biggest one,” he said. “Take a good attitude into the game, and have fun.”

The McGeough family started a GoFundMe campaign earlier in the week to cover the medical expenses, and by the time the news of his death became public, it already met its $10,000 goal, and continued to rise.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB

by Brady Lang

Hockey world mourns loss of McGeough

What's Trending