Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

NHL announces that Terry Gregson's semi-retired and Stephen Walkom's now director of officiating

08/07/2013 at 12:42pm EDT

The NHL's Public Relations Department posited an intriguing set of Tweets regarding a shake-up at the top of the NHL's refereeing hierarchy:

The NHL's confirming in article from with quips from Colin Campbell...

Gregson, who joined the League's front office in 2005 after a 25-year career as a referee, will serve as a consultant to the NHL on officiating matters, including the League's participation in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Consistently ranked among the League's top officials, Gregson worked 1,427 regular-season games and 158 playoff games, including appearances in eight Stanley Cup Final series. He also served as an executive with the NHL Officials’ Association from 1982 to 2000. In 2012, Gregson was honored by the National Association of Sports Officials with the Gold Whistle Award for outstanding contributions to sports officiating in North America.

"Terry had the unique ability to expertly manage the 78-man NHL officiating team," said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. "His tireless efforts behind the scenes to ensure that NHL officiating was the best it could be on a nightly basis were seldom recognized publicly, but we greatly appreciate his dedication to the game both on and off the ice for the past 33 years. We are also pleased that he has agreed to continue to work with the Officiating Department on various projects."

Times two:

Stephen Walkom, one of the top referees in the National Hockey League, will be leaving the ice effective immediately to rejoin the management ranks as NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating, the League announced today. Walkom, who held the same position between 2005 and 2009, replaces the retiring Terry Gregson.

"We are fortunate to have someone with Stephen's on- and off-ice experience ready to step in to this position," said NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. "From 2005 to 2009, Stephen provided tremendous direction and guidance to our team of officials as the League implemented several rule changes that brought more flow and speed to our game. That management experience, combined with the fact that he has been back on the ice as a referee for the last four years, will be of tremendous benefit to the League and the game."

The 49-year-old native of North Bay, Ontario, who joined the NHL officiating ranks in 1990, Walkom has been one of the NHL's top-ranked referees for the last several years. He refereed a total of 965 regular season and 139 Stanley Cup playoff games. He also worked the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and 2004 World Cup of Hockey as well as the 2002, 2004, 2010 and 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Walkom served on the Executive Board of the NHL Officials’ Association from 1993 to 2005, including a term as President before joining the League's front office in 2005.

Walkom has consistently reached the highest level of officiating in various leagues throughout his career. He has worked in the Memorial Cup Final (Canadian Major Junior), Turner Cup Final (International Hockey League) and Calder Cup Final (American Hockey League).

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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