BLOWING THE WHISTLE

Tonight, marks the 55th anniversary of former NHL referee, Ron Wicks, participating in his first big league contest. Ron started out working the lines, but later became a referee when the National Hockey League expanded in 1967.

The above scoring summary was published in The New York Times after Ron worked his first game on October 5, 1960. He is the youngest individual to ever wear a striped sweater in an NHL contest.

Earlier today, at the NHL Oldtimers lunch, many of Ron's colleagues gathered to celebrate his career. It was my honour to give a speech outlining several highlights from Ron's 26 years in the big show.

Pictured above are...

Front: Ron Wicks standing between his son, Brian, and Will Norris.

Back: (L to R) Bryan Lewis, Ron Hoggarth, Bruce Hood, Bob Hodges, Allan Glaspell, Ron Asselstine and Joe Bowen, the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs.