Shane Heyer
NHLOA Alumni

NHL Official: 1988 to 2018

Birthplace: Summerland, BC

Regular Season: 386 Games (Referee)
1630 Games (Linesman)

Playoffs: 214 Games

Stanley Cup Finals: 6

Shane Heyer

Heyer who grew up in the Penticton B.C. Minor Hockey system started officiating at the early age of 11. His hockey coach made his whole team try it encouraging the young athletes to become better all around player by understanding the official’s role and the complexity of the job. Heyer kept at it and he worked the Minor Hockey system for several years before reaching the B.C. Junior Hockey League after he quit playing the game at the age of 16. The Western Hockey League (WHL) promoted him to work as a linesman at the age of 19. He worked the WHL for five seasons before getting the phone call from the National Hockey League in the summer of 1988 offering him a full-time NHL linesman contract. He made his NHL debut not long after on October 6 in Vancouver at the old Pacific Coliseum, manning the lines during a matchup between the original Winnipeg Jets and the hometown Canucks. He would get his first taste of NHL Playoff hockey quickly as he made the post-season officiating team in his second season only with the NHL. His first NHL Playoff Game was on April 18, 1990 at the defunct Chicago Stadium working a game between the Minnesota North Stars and the Blackhawks. The man who wears uniform number 55 built an impressive resume throughout his years of service with the NHL. He has worked the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver B.C., was selected to officiate 2 World Cup of Hockey tournaments (1996 & 2016), earn the honor of being selected to work the 1998 NHL All-Star Game in Vancouver B.C., worked 2 NHL Outdoor Games (2018 New York city & 2014 Los Angeles CA) and to top it off, reached the Stanley Cup Finals 6 different times (2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2008 & 2007). He is also one of only five current NHL officials (as of 2018) to have worked NHL games as both referee and linesman. In fact, in the early years of the NHL transitioning to the two-referees system, Heyer decided to leaves the lines and try to become a full time referee instead, taking advantage of a program that the NHL offered to a few veteran linesmen in order to fill the demand of the new system for more NHL referees in a short amount of time. He spent the next few seasons as a referee, spending time between the American Hockey League (AHL) and the NHL perfecting his new craft. He would go on and work a total of 386 NHL Regular Season Games and 2 Playoff Games as a referee before deciding to return on the lines for good. Three decades after being hired by the NHL, Heyer became on February 25, 2018, one of only seven officials in the history of the NHL to have worked more than 2,000 regular season games when he skated that night in Anaheim CA. He retired on March 30, 2018 after skating in his final NHL game in Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Kings vs Anaheim Ducks). He left the ice that night with a final count of 2,016 NHL Regular Season Games (386 as referee & 1,630 as linesman) and an impressive 214 NHL Playoffs Games from which two of them were as a referee.

BC Hockey Hall of Fame Logo

Milestones

First NHL Game

October 6, 1988

Winnipeg Jets
at
Vancouver Canucks

First Playoff Game

April 18, 1990

Northstars Logo
at
Chicago Blackhawks

2000th Game

February 25, 2018

Edmonton Oilers
at
Anaheim Ducks

Final Game

March 30, 2018

LA Kings
at
Anaheim Ducks

All-Star Games

1998 -- VANCOUVER, BC

Vancouver All Star Game

General Motors Place
January 18, 1998

Stanley Cup Finals

2017 Stanley Cup

Pittsburgh Pengiuns
vs
Nashville Predators

2015 Stanley Cup

Chicago Blackhawks
vs
Tampa Bay Lightning

2014 Stanley Cup

LA Kings
vs
New York Rangers

2013 Stanley Cup

Chicago Blackhawks
vs
Boston Bruins

2008 Stanley Cup

Detroit Redwings
vs
Pittsburgh Pengiuns

2007 Stanley Cup

Anaheim Ducks
vs
Ottawa Senators

International

2016 World Cup of Hockey

2016 World Cup of Hockey

CAN / USA / FIN / SWE / CZE /GER

1996 World Cup of Hockey

World Cup of Hockey

CAN / USA / FIN / SWE / CZE /GER

2010 Vancouver Olympics

Vancouver Olmypics

WINTER OLYMPICS

Outdoor Games

2018 Stadium Series

2018 Winter Classic

January 1, 2018

Citi Field
New York, NY

Buffalo Sabres
at
New York Rangers

2014 Stadium Series

2014 Stadium Series

January 25, 2014

Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles, CA

Anaheim Ducks
at
LA Kings