Stories from Ice Level

Rob Simpson first covered the NHL as a teenager in November 1981. Since those early days of getting paid under the table to ask questions and record postgame sound at Detroit Red Wings games, “Simmer” has gone on to host national NHL radio and TV programs, serve as a play-by-play commentator and ice-level reporter for regional and national networks in two countries, and produce and host hockey-related documentaries. He is the author of four hockey books, including Between the Lines, the biography of Hall of Fame linesman Ray “Scampy” Scapinello. Simpson continues to cover the NHL in Vancouver, BC, where he resides, and in Seattle, WA.

Bill McCreary is the only referee to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this millennium. That honour marked the culmination of a thirty-year on-ice career that included more than 1,700 regular season games and 297 playoff matches. He officiated a record 44 Stanley Cup Final games, appearing in 15 Final series. “Mac” also earned the distinction of refereeing three Olympic gold medal games–Nagano 1998 (the NHL’s first Olympic participation), Salt Lake City 2002, and Vancouver 2010. He continued his work with the league as an off-ice supervisor of officials through the 2023-24 season. He lives in Thornbury, ON.