Art Skov

Art Skov was a longtime National Hockey League referee and Supervisor of Officials who worked more than 1,000 NHL games.

Born on September 2, 1928, in Windsor, Ontario, Skov played junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires before spending four seasons as a forward in the International Hockey League, primarily with the Detroit Hettche club. After retiring as a player in 1952, he turned to officiating and joined the NHL as a linesman in 1956.

Skov became a full-time referee in 1960 and went on to officiate 1,026 games before retiring in 1975 as the league’s senior referee. He worked multiple Stanley Cup Finals, three NHL All-Star Games (1964, 1970, 1974), and became the first active NHL referee to officiate in international play during the 1976 Canada Cup.

Following his on-ice career, Skov served as an NHL Supervisor of Officials before retiring to run a trophy business in his hometown. His brother, Glen Skov, also played in the NHL, making them one of the league’s few player-official sibling duos. Art Skov passed away on April 19, 2009, in Windsor, Ontario.