Tim Nowak

Nowak grew up in Depew, NY, a small town just outside Buffalo. He started skating at the age of 8 at the Holiday Twin Rinks under the guidance of John McFall, and it didn’t take long before the man wearing jersey 77 strapped on the big leather pads and decided to become a goaltender. He would go on to play his minor hockey for the Buffalo Regals over the course of the following nine seasons. He ended up playing in the blue paint until his college years, where he suited up for Buffalo State College for his last three seasons.

During his playing years, he also started officiating at the early age of 12 when his mom would drop him at the old Holiday Twin Rinks on the weekends, where he would work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a few bucks—but mostly for pro-shop credits. He continued officiating throughout his playing years whenever he had time, earning pocket money and extra ice time to work on his skating.

In his early 20s, Nowak was planning to become a New York State Trooper, but after passing the written exam with flying colors, he failed his vision test, forcing him to find another path. A product of the USA Hockey Officiating Program, Nowak credits Mark Rudolph for having a huge influence on his officiating journey. His big break came after working a few seasons of high school hockey when former ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly gave him a chance and hired him as a linesman.

He worked in the ECHL from 1989 to 1993 and also spent time during those years in the defunct International Hockey League (IHL). The National Hockey League (NHL) offered him a linesman contract in the summer of 1993 at the age of 25. His first NHL regular season game was on October 8, 1993, in Landover, Maryland, at the old USAir Arena when the New Jersey Devils visited the Washington Capitals—a game that saw over 180 minutes of penalties assessed to both teams.

Over the course of his 26-year NHL career, Nowak was selected for several important assignments, including the 2003 NHL All-Star Game held in Sunrise, Florida; the 2003 Stanley Cup Final between the Anaheim Ducks and the New Jersey Devils; two Olympic Games (2002 Salt Lake City and 2010 Vancouver); the 2004 World Cup of Hockey; and three outdoor games (2008 Winter Classic in Buffalo, 2015 Winter Classic in Washington, and the 2018 Stadium Series at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD).