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Dan O'Rourke (ice hockey)

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Dan O'Rourke
Born (1972-08-31) August 31, 1972 (age 52)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
OccupationIce hockey referee
Years active1999–present
EmployerNational Hockey League
Ice hockey career
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shot Left
Played for Erie Panthers
Louisiana IceGators
Playing career 1993–1997

Dan O'Rourke (born August 31, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current National Hockey League referee.[1] He made his debut during the 1999–2000 NHL season, and has officiated 1,329 regular season games as of the start of the 2024–25 season. O’Rourke has also appeared in 202 playoff games, including seven Stanley Cup Finals. He wears uniform number nine.[2]

Early life

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Dan O'Rourke was born on August 31, 1972 in Calgary, Alberta. He played junior hockey with the Summerland Buckaroos of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, and the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before moving up to the Western Hockey League. He played with the Tri-City Americans for three seasons, and finished his final WHL season with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 1993.[3]

Career

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O'Rourke (bottom right) at the 2016 NHL All-Star Game

Prior to officiating professional hockey, O'Rourke played in the ECHL with the Louisiana IceGators and Erie Panthers as a forward, and spent one season with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. He was called up to the International Hockey League for two games during the 1996–97 season. He also played in Roller Hockey International's 1994 season.[4]

O'Rourke began his officiating career during the 1997–98 ECHL season, being hired as a linesman after attending the Ontario Hockey Association Officials Camp. He worked the 1999 Kelly Cup Finals, and accepted an NHL minor league contract that summer. He split the following season between the NHL and the American Hockey League. After officiating the 2000 Calder Cup Finals, he was promoted to full-time linesman for the 2000–01 NHL season.[2]

At the time O'Rourke had worked his first full season as a linesman, the NHL was transitioning to the four man officiating system. This led to a shortage of qualified referees as the previous system only required one referee. Because of this, he decided to return to the AHL and work back up to a full-time NHL contract as a referee. He spent four more seasons splitting games between the two leagues, and officiated the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Calder Cup Finals before being promoted to full-time referee for the 2005–06 NHL season.[2]

His first NHL game was on October 2, 1999, between the New Jersey Devils and the Atlanta Thrashers at Philips Arena. He worked as a linesman along with Jean Morin, and referee Terry Gregson.[2][5] O'Rourke's first playoff appearance was game one of the 2007 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.[2][6]

He was selected to officiate in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals alongside Stephen Walkom, Dan O'Halloran and Kelly Sutherland. He went on to work the 2012, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.[7][8][2] O'Rourke also participated in the 2014 Stadium Series, the 2016 NHL All-Star Game, the 2017 Centennial Classic, and the 2022 Stadium Series. In 2016, he officiated the first World Cup of Hockey since 2004.[2]

O'Rourke refereed his 1,000th NHL game on December 27, 2017, between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center. He was joined by Chris Lee, Greg Devorski, and Brian Mach. Mach worked ECHL games that O'Rourke played in, and officiated with him at the beginning of his NHL career. O'Rourke also worked Mach’s 100th NHL game.[9][10]

Personal life

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O'Rourke lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two children.[9] His son Austin played NCAA Division I hockey at UMass Lowell, and was hired by the AHL as a referee for the 2023–24 season.[11][12]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1987–88 Summerland Buckaroos BCJHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
1989–90 Notre Dame Hounds SJHL 56 2 9 11 320 — — — — —
1990–91 Notre Dame Hounds SJHL 9 2 3 5 54 — — — — —
1990–91 Tri-City Americans WHL 14 0 0 0 37 7 0 1 1 23
1991–92 Tri-City Americans WHL 46 4 8 12 197 5 0 2 2 26
1992–93 Tri-City Americans WHL 18 0 2 2 83 — — — — —
1992–93 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 36 4 10 14 121 — — — — —
1993–94 Erie Panthers ECHL 64 9 21 30 296 — — — — —
1994–95 Tulsa Oilers CHL 57 12 19 31 180 7 0 1 1 53
1995–96 Louisiana IceGators ECHL 40 10 18 28 257 3 0 0 0 9
1996–97 Louisiana IceGators ECHL 58 28 20 48 160 10 3 1 4 42
1996–97 Detroit Vipers IHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1996–97 Houston Aeros IHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
ECHL totals 162 47 59 106 713 13 3 1 4 51

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Dan O'Rourke's profile". NHLOfficials.com. January 2, 2009. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Dan O'Rourke | NHL Referee | NHL Officials Association". NHLOA. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dan O'Rourke - Stats, Contract, Salary & More". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  4. ^ "Dan O'Rourke's player profile". Hockeydb.com. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  5. ^ "Atlanta Thrashers - New Jersey Devils - Oct 2, 1999 | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ottawa Senators - Pittsburgh Penguins - Apr 11, 2007 | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "Stephen Walkom, Dan O'Rourke Serve as Referees for Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final, Second Time They've Done So in Series". NESN.com. June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "NHL Referees, Linespersons Set For 2024 Stanley Cup Final". Scouting The Refs. June 6, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "NHL Referee Dan O'Rourke Honored on 1000 NHL Games". Scouting The Refs. December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Anaheim Ducks - Vegas Golden Knights - Dec 27, 2017 | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Austin O'Rourke - Men's Ice Hockey". UMass Lowell Athletics. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "AHL Announces Officials for 2023-24 Season". Scouting The Refs. October 12, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
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