Wes McCauley

Wes McCauley
Born (1972-01-11) January 11, 1972
Georgetown, Ontario
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Defenseman
Shot Left
Played for Las Vegas Thunder
Knoxville Cherokees
Muskegon Fury
Fort Wayne Komets
NHL Draft 150th overall (8th round), 1990
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 1993–1997

Wes McCauley (born January 11, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current National Hockey League (NHL) referee. He is the son of John McCauley, who was also an NHL referee.

A defenceman during his playing career, McCauley became a referee after injury forced his retirement from playing in 1997. He refereed his first NHL regular season game in 2003 and became a full time NHL referee in 2005. He has been selected to work in four consecutive Stanley Cup Finals since 2013.

Early life and amateur career

McCauley was born on January 11, 1972 in Georgetown, Ontario.[1] His father was John McCauley, a former NHL referee and the NHL's Director of Officiating at the time of his death in June 1989.[2][3]

McCauley entered Michigan State University and played as a defenseman for the university's team, the Spartans. He spent four years playing alongside his best friend Bryan Smolinski and together they co-captained the team in their final year.[4] McCauley won the inaugural Terry Flanagan Memorial Award at the end of his final season in 1993.[5]

Professional playing career

After his first year at Michigan State, McCauley was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 8th round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.[4] After graduating from university, he played minor league hockey with the Las Vegas Thunder and Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League, the Knoxville Cherokees of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the Muskegon Fury of the Colonial Hockey League and Milan in the Italian Serie A league.[6] He ended his playing career in 1997 due to injuries.[4]

Officiating career

After retiring from playing, McCauley followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a referee. He started off refereeing minor league matches in Ontario, before progressing to the ECHL.[4] In 2001 he was hired by the NHL to officiate in the second-tier American Hockey League (AHL).[7] While with the AHL, McCauley refereed first NHL game on January 20, 2003, a 5–1 win to the Columbus Blue Jackets against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.[4][8][9] After being selected to officiate the AHL's Calder Cup Finals in 2004 and 2005, he was promoted to a full-time NHL referee for the 2005–2006 season.[7] After two seasons as a full-time NHL referee, McCauley refereed his first playoff match in the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, in the first match of the conference quarterfinal series between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders on April 12, 2007.[8][10] In June 2013 he was selected as part of the officiating team for the NHL's 2013 Stanley Cup Finals between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.[2] McCauley has subsequently officiated the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014,[11] 2015,[12] and 2016.[13] He currently wears uniform number 4.[14]

Personal life

McCauley is married with three children and, as of 2010, was living in South Portland, Maine, where his wife Bethany grew up. His younger brother Blaine McCauley also played professional hockey; Wes was one of the referees in Blaine's professional debut in 2000.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Wes McCauley". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Fraser, Kerry (June 12, 2013). "Ref McCauley Making His First Trip to Stanley Cup Final". TSN.ca. Retrieved June 15, 2013.
  3. ↑ Matsumoto, Rick (June 3, 1989). "NHL's John McCauley was 'a players' referee'". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lenzi, Rachel (June 8, 2010). "NHL ref at home in South Portland". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ "CCHA Tournament". collegehockeynews.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Wes McCauley". hockeydb.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  7. 1 2 "NHL promotes referees from AHL ranks". American Hockey League. August 23, 2005. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Wes McCauley". nhlofficials.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Box score". Chicago Tribune. January 20, 2003. Archived from the original on 15 April 2003. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Game Summary". nhl.com. April 12, 2007. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  11. ↑ "NHL Referees & Linesmen for Stanley Cup Final". Scouting the Refs. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  12. ↑ "Referee Wes McCauley Mic'd Up for Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final". Scouting the Refs. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Fraser, Kerry (30 May 2016). "C'Mon, Ref: The Stanley Cup final's third team". TSN.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "NHL Officials". nhlofficials.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Award Created		 Terry Flanagan Memorial Award
1992–93 		Succeeded by
Craig Lisko
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