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The National Hockey League (NHL) has been one of the top sports leagues in America. The teams sign million dollar contracts and the players earn a huge amount every season. Not only players, the referees and the linesmen also earn huge salaries for their role in the NHL. Earlier the NHL referees didn’t get much salaries but the 1993 strike changed the scenario and helped to boost the financial status of the match officials.
Being a referee is also a challenging task in the NHL, and their supervision and decision can bring out a big impact in a high-pressure game. The NHL referees also earn a respectful amount for every game with which they can easily maintain their lifestyle. However, have you ever thought how much an NHL referee makes for every single season. In the following article we will have a breakdown of the average salary of NHL referees per season.
NHL Referees Annual Salary
The NHL Referees usually make between $165K to $400K for every year, dispending upon the level of experience and number of years with the league. Talking about their earring from each game, the referees get paid between $1,500 and $5,000 for every game they officiate in the NHL.
The @NHL and the NHL Officials’ Association have reached an agreement on a new four-year deal. pic.twitter.com/oFoXwjneYt
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 1, 2019
Normally referees officiate in three to four games in one week and 70 games in a single season. However, as the referees gain more experience of officiating in an NHL game, their salary increases accordingly.
NHL Referees Salary during Playoffs and Final
During the high-stake matches such as playoffs and final of the Stanley Cup, the payment structure gets changed. The NHL referees earn extra bonuses for officiating in knockout games and the final. They earn around $27K in the playoffs round, with $5400 per game. A referees can associate in maximum five during the playoffs round.
How much do NHL Linesmen Earn?
Apart from the referee, there are also two linesmen who officiate in an NHL game. The job of a linesman is to prevent violations in the centre line and the blue line. A linesman is responsible for breaking up the scuffles, fistfights and other altercations. In some league, the linesmen are also given the title of assistant referees.
Talking about their salaries, the linesmen don’t get the as much payment as referees and earn around $137K annually. However, a long-serving linesman with over 15 years of experience can make around $228K in a year.
During the playoffs round, the linesmen can earn up to $17,500 in high stake matches with an average of $3,500 per match.
Salary of Injured and Standby NHL Officials
As players get compensation and pay even during the injury, the NHL referees also enjoy these luxuries if they are injured during the season. In every NHL season, there is a standby referee and linesman for the emergency.
A standby referee makes $2,750, if they get a chance to officiate in the match. On the other hand, the standby linesman gets $650 just for waiting in the stands, and can earn $1,775 if their number is called.
Talking about the injured match officials, an NHL referee will be getting 75% of their salary if they are injured during midseason. However, if the referee gets injured at the start of the season, he will get only 50% of his salary. The injured NHL referees can make between $13,000-$20,250 during the playoffs, depending upon whether they were before or midway during the season.
Also Read: How Much Do NFL Practice Squad Players Earn
Highest Paid NHL Referee Till Date
The highest paid NHL referee till date is Frank Udvari. In 1966, Udvari got paid an annual salary of $22,600, which will be converted into more than $212K, according to the value of USD in 2024.
Let’s have a look at a list of the some other highest paid match officials in the NHL throughout the years:
- Kevin Pollock – 1,488 career games since 2000
- Marc Joannette – 1,452 career games since 1999
- Kelly Sutherland – 1,389 career games since 2000
- Eric Furlatt – 1,328 career games since 2001
- Dan O’Rourke – 1,321 career games since 1999
- Ian Walsh – 1,321 career games since 2000
- Chris Rooney – 1,316 career games since 2000
- Chris Lee – 1,267 career games since 2001
- Wes McCauley – 1,217 career games since 2003
- Gord Dwyer – 1,125 career games since 2005
NHL Referee Salary vs NBA Referee Salary
The National Hockey League (NHL) has a vast fan following in the United States, but it’s not as popular as the National Basketball Association (NBA). Being one of the biggest sports leagues in the world, NBA generates a huge revenue after every season and offer million-dollar for the franchises and the players.
However, talking about the salaries of an NBA referee and its comparison with the salary of an NHL referee, the NBA again takes the lead. An average NBA referee or an official can easily make between $180 to $550K in a year. On the other hand, an NHL referee makes between $165K to $400K, as discussed earlier.
Challenges faced by NHL Referees
The NHL match officials do enjoy a good amount of income for officiating in a single game, but it’s not easy to make quick decisions in a high-intense Ice-Hockey game, and one wrong decision can make a big impact in the game. An NHL referee is responsible for enforcing rules, making penalty calls and ensuring safety of all players.
Sometimes, the referees also have to face scrutiny from the players, coaches and the fans, and get heavily criticized for a single wrong decision. The intensity and the heat can be even more in high-stake matches such as playoffs and the final.
Apart from split-second decision making in high-pressure moments, being an NHL referee also needs you to be physically fit. The referees have to keep up with the same pace as the players who keep going from one end to another. Along with these, they also have to watch out for the violations and altercation between players and make the right decision at the right time.
