A hiring freeze prevented that, so Pollock, who had done some hockey officiating on the side, got advice from his mom Helen: Go to Mississauga and see if he could get a job in his chosen field there. He could always come back home once the hiring freeze ended.
"I wanted to continue to officiate, so got into refereeing the [Ontario Hockey Association] there," said Pollock, who balanced officiating with his job in Mississauga.
"Probably that was the best decision of my life because from there I just kind of stepped up the ladder from OHA to the [Ontario Hockey League] to the ECHL and then being able to get hired [in the NHL]. If it wasn't for maybe a little bit of bad luck with the hiring freeze and my mom giving me the advice to go to the city, who knows where I'd be today."
Now Pollock will referee his 1,500th regular-season NHL game when the Boston Bruins play the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Arena in Buffalo on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, NESN, ESPN+ SN NOW). The 52-year-old is eighth all-time among referees in games, 13 behind Dan O'Halloran, who retired after the 2020-21 season.
Pollock is sixth among all referees and second among active ones with 215 Stanley Cup Playoff games, just behind Kelly Sutherland (216).
Pollock's first game as an NHL referee was March 28, 2000, when the Nashville Predators defeated the New York Islanders 3-2. He didn't remember the final score, but everything else was vivid.
"My mom and dad were there, and I was pretty numb the whole game, just in awe to be on the ice, in the NHL and to work that game," he said.
"I got to work with three great guys: (referee) Dan O'Halloran, (linesmen) Pierre Racicot and Don Henderson. Pierre Racicot and Dan ended up being two of the best of all time and worked so many Cups, and Donnie is just a great man. I couldn't have asked for a better crew to work with that night."
Pollock learned officiating through his dad, Clarke, who was an OHA official for 20 years.
"Not only did I sit in clinics that he taught but once I was 14, 15, I started working minor hockey games with him," Pollock said. "He gave me a couple of strong pushes and assigned me to referee a men's senior game when I was 16, he put some senior linesmen on the game with me to ensure everything would be OK."
"He's the guy who got me in the right direction and gave me that great base, so when I did start refereeing in OHA, even though I was young and maybe a rookie in that league, I was pretty seasoned, and it was all because of him."
Kevin and Clarke are respected in hockey circles, especially around Kincardine -- so much so that the Pollock Division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League, the third tier of the OHA, was named after them.
"Probably 8-10 years ago, the OHA decided to name divisions after people who had influence in the hockey background in those areas," Pollock said. "My dad gets to present the trophy every year to the league champions. I said maybe once I retire, maybe I'll go on the ice with my dad and present it with him."
Pollock isn't thinking about retirement yet. Right now, he's just enjoying everything the NHL has given him, including the 1,500-game milestone.
"If you don't have that passion and love for the game, I don't know if you'd be able to maybe work even as long as I have, just being away and missing everything at home," he said.
"I have a good family at home and my wife (Karie) runs the ship, probably when I'm there and when I'm away. Just the love of the game; I'm honored to work in the best league in the world. Sometimes I still pinch myself thinking I'm on staff and have the opportunity to go on the ice and witness the great players we have."
