La Ronge-born NHL referee reflects on long hockey career

Graham Skilliter, who was born in La Ronge and spent part of his summers in Napatak, has made quite a name for himself as a referee in the NHL.

That feat didn’t come easy for Skilliter, who spent countless years gaining the experience he needed to make it to that level. He started to referee minor hockey when he was just 11 years old, and went on to officiate games in AAA, Junior B and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

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Skilliter later officiated in the Western Hockey League for six years – two as a linesman and four as a referee – before moving to Philadelphia for a gig with the ECHL and American Hockey League for one season. He was then hired by the NHL as a minor-league referee, and finally, in 2011, he was offered a full-time position.

“It definitely is a dream job. For the most part, it doesn’t feel like work,” Skilliter said.

“The travel can feel a little bit like work at times, but even then you have to put it in perspective that I’m very fortunate to travel around North America and the world. I have been lucky to go to Europe a couple of times because of hockey. I just got to pinch myself that I get to do this for a living.”

In the 15 NHL seasons Skilliter has been active, he’s officiated 887 regular-season games and 40 playoff games. His first NHL game was on Jan. 28, 2013, between the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers, while his first playoff game was May 19, 2021, between the Winnipeg Jets and the Oilers.

As a referee in the NHL, Skilliter said his job can be very demanding. He estimates he spends about 200 nights per year away from his home in Vancouver.

“We will get our assignments approximately six weeks in advance, and then we book our own travel through a travel agent for flights and hotels,” he remarked.

“It’s a lot of time away from home. I guess the tradeoff is once we’re done in June, other than training for the next season or whatnot, there’s no real work expectations for the summer, so I can catch up with family.”

When it comes to making tough calls, Skilliter explained that those decisions are made by the entire officiating team. He said everyone’s input is important when ensuring fairness and that the rules are followed.

“I think just like any career, the more experience you have, the more… you kind of build that composure,” Skilliter added.

“It becomes kind of your personality, and it’s like being in the zone and the moment where you’re very focused. There’s very little thought process when you call a penalty or don’t call a penalty, or you allow a goal or disallow a goal. You have enough experience, enough repetitions and enough games where it’s just a reaction. You react and you don’t think about it.”

As the years have gone by, Skilliter said NHL games are becoming much more fast-paced and intense. He said the players are becoming more formidable and the game itself is more challenging.

“As officials, we elevate ourselves too, and that kind of determines who carries on,” Skilliter stressed.

“The players elevate their game every time as well, so it just keeps getting better and better. You think it’s good and then you get to the next round and it is even better.”