Matt Pavelich

NHLOA Alumni
Linesperson
Age: 91
Parkhill, ON
Matt Pavelich

Career Statistics

23
Seasons Active
1727
Regular Season Games
245
Playoff Games

Biography

By the time he was 20, Matt Pavelich was referee-in-chief of the Northern Michigan Intermediate League, but that should come as no surprise. He had held the whistle since he was 14, officiating minor hockey games and working his way quickly up through the ranks. He worked in the American League in 1955-56, and his poise so impressed the NHL’s ref-in-chief, Carl Voss, that Pavelich was in the NHL the next fall, making his debut on October 11, 1956.

While his older brother Marty had been with the Red Wings as a player since 1947, the pair were the first to be a part of the NHL in this unique tandem. Matt’s inauguration into the officials’ ranks was particularly unpleasant during the playoffs of his first year, a game in the Detroit Olympia. Red Wings fans had a penchant for throwing octopi on the ice, and this game was no exception, but Pavelich, as junior of the three officials, was responsible for clearing the ice of the heavy, ugly creature, a task he performed with requisite disgust while his colleagues enjoyed themselves at his expense.

By the time Pavelich retired, 31 years had passed. His 1,727 regular season games is second only to Neil Armstrong, and his 245 playoff games is also second, to John D’Amico. When he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987, it marked the first time the Hall had expanded nominees to include not only referees but also linesmen. Matt Pavelich later became the NHL’s supervisor of officials for referee-in-chief Scotty Morrison.

AllStar Games

1977 AllStar Game Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC January 25, 1977
1974 AllStar Game Chicago Stadium Chicago, IL January 29, 1974
1972 AllStar Game Metropolitan Sports Center Bloomington, MN January 25, 1972
1970 AllStar Game St. Louis Arena St. Louis, MO January 20, 1970
1969 AllStar Game Montreal Forum Montreal, QC January 21, 1969
1967 AllStar Game Montreal Forum Montreal, QC January 18, 1967
1965 AllStar Game Montreal Forum Montreal, QC October 20, 1965
1964 AllStar Game Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, ON October 10, 1964
1963 AllStar Game Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, ON October 05, 1963
1962 AllStar Game Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, ON October 06, 1962

International Tournaments

1976 Canada Cup Canada