Stephen Walkom

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Stephen Walkom (b. August 8, 1963 in North Bay, Ontario), currently serves as vice president and director of officiating for the National Hockey League (NHL).

He is married to Annie and together they have three children. They reside in Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

Walkom is a former NHL referee, until retiring August 3, 2005 when he elevated to the management position. Walkom succeeded Andy Van Hellemond as director of officiating, who resigned under controversy in mid-July 2004.

He has a bachelor's degree in commerce from Laurentian University. [1]

As a referee, he was hired in 1990 after a successful amateur career that included obtaining Level VI certification - the highest in Hockey Canada's Officiating Program - and refereeing in the Memorial Cup tournament. In the NHL, he officiated more than 600 regular season games, 84 Stanley Cup playoff games, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and two Stanley Cup Finals. Walkom was also president of the National Hockey League Officials Association, the labor union that represents NHL referees and linesmen.

He was also the director and owner of the North American School of Officiating, a summer development camp for aspiring hockey officials in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. [2]

The NHL hasn't released Walkom's annual salary, but reports (HockeyRefs.com; August 3, 2005) indicate it to be around US$250,000 per year.