Hockey Hall of Fame linesman Matt Pavelich has died at 92, news that lands as the Panthers play the Jets tonight.
Frank Seravalli reported Friday that Pavelich, a former NHL linesman, died today. He was one of 16 on-ice officials in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Panthers are in the second period against Winnipeg as this is written, with 1:24 left in the frame. Hockey goes on, as it always does, with the sad news arriving in the middle of a game night.
Pavelich worked 23 seasons in the league. Over that stretch he stepped onto the ice for 1,727 regular season games and 245 playoff games.
The part that stands out is where he was working in spring. Pavelich worked every Stanley Cup Final from 1961 through 1979, according to Seravalli, including 13 Cup-clinching games.
Seravalli noted that Pavelich worked every Stanley Cup Final from 1961 through 1979 and called it an "incredible hockey life."
Officials rarely get the spotlight, and the good ones prefer it that way. Sixteen in the Hall is a small group, and a résumé like this one explains why he belongs in it.
Pavelich's Cup Final streak is a record few can match
Think about what 13 Cup-clinching games means. Every one of them was the night a champion was decided, with the building at its loudest and the pressure at its peak, and he was on the ice for each.
Those nights also demand a steady hand on the blue line. Linesmen decide offside and icing calls that can swing a final, and nobody is in a position to hand that job to a rookie.
For the Panthers, the night carries on. They sit 7-4-2 with 16 points, 13th in the NHL and fifth in the Atlantic Division, and they have won two straight after a 5-1 result at Winnipeg on Tuesday.
Florida's next game comes Monday, November 2, against the Red Wings. Whatever happens before then, the league will have one fewer link to the era when Pavelich worked every Cup Final.
Should the NHL honour Matt Pavelich with a tribute before a game this week?
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