Joannette discusses 'overwhelming' emotions after 1,500th NHL game

Marc Joannette's head was still spinning nearly 24 hours later, 1,507 regular-season games into his NHL career.

On Thursday, before and during the game between the Montreal Canadiens and visiting New York Rangers at Bell Centre, Joannette was celebrated by two coaches with whom he goes back decades and an arena crowd that warmly congratulated a local official for his milestone 1,500th game.
The 54-year-old native of Verdun, a Montreal district five miles south of Bell Centre, will retire at season's end. He's seen a great deal during his 24 seasons, having worked the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, 2009 and 2018; in the cold and snow of outdoor NHL games in 2008, 2014 and 2017; the 2009 NHL All-Star Game; 2004 World Cup of Hockey; and 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Joannette currently ranks ninth on the NHL all-time referee list with 1,507 games, two spots below Kevin Pollock, who's still active at 1,544. Atop the list is the 1,905 games of Kerry Fraser, with whom Joannette worked his first game Oct. 27, 1999.
On Thursday, working with his hand-picked crew of fellow referee Frederick L'Ecuyer and linesmen Michel Cormier and Jonny Murray, Joannette wrestled with many emotions.
From left: linesman Michel Cormier, referee Frederick L'Ecuyer, referee Marc Joannette and linesman Jonny Murray at Montreal's Bell Centre following the Canadiens-New York Rangers game on March 9, 2023. Courtesy Marc Joannette
"Overwhelming, I would say," he said on Friday from his home in Rosemere, north of Montreal, catching his breath before a Saturday morning flight to work the game in Toronto between the Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. "It's a night I'll never forget. It was unbelievable. I never imagined it that way."
Pregame, outside the officials dressing room, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis and Rangers coach Gerard Gallant presented Joannette with nameplated jerseys, the number 1500 on their backs.
"We're fine with zero penalties on both sides tonight," St. Louis joked to the laughter of all, a few hours before the Rangers scored two power-play goals on their way to a 4-3 shootout win, including the third-period equalizer by Patrick Kane during a Canadiens penalty Joannette called.
"I'll frame those jerseys for sure," he said. "I go way back with both Marty and Gerard. I refereed Marty playing Midget Triple-A in Quebec and I went to the Verdun Auditorium in 1982-83 as a fan to watch Pat LaFontaine, Gerard brought in to watch Pat's back. I shared those memories with the coaches on Thursday. It was a very special moment."
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Sur le point d'arbitrer son 1500e match dans la LNH!Game No. 1500 for referee Marc Joannette!��#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/srLWU1XOQD
Joannette had worked his 1,500th game on Feb. 12 in Philadelphia, saying the milestone had come one game earlier than he expected when he was pressed into last-minute duty.
He chose the game in Montreal as the night to mark No. 1,500, giving family and friends the chance to gather for a special evening.
So very many memories, Joannette having attended a referee's camp at age 14 then worked his way up through Montreal-area minor and junior hockey. The NHL brought him into a five-year apprentice program during his 11 seasons in major junior, easing him into the pros and finally his NHL debut in Buffalo, the Sabres home to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It was very emotional, a great night," he said of the Montreal salute. "Some of the things that were done were completely unexpected."
Like a referee skating miles during a game, Joannette covered plenty of ice during a wide-ranging Q&A with NHL.com.

San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov has a word with referee Marc Joannette after having taken a penalty in Game 4 of the 2004 NHL Western Conference Finals against the Calgary Flames. Elsa, Getty Images
So, let's start with a few quick hits covering your NHL career. Most talkative player?
"Matthew Barnaby. If he wasn't talking to me, it was to another player. (laughs) This guy spent more energy talking than playing the game."
Coach most likely to make you smile?
"Pat Quinn, for his dry sense of humor. I was so intimidated by him my first years in the League. He had presence. But once I started really listening to what Pat was saying, he was funny. He'd get his message to you in a humorous way."
Toughest NHL crowd?
"Philadelphia. I've had some interesting games there. The game has changed but when I started, the Flyers were a tough team to work, especially in their building. And they made it that way, the way they played."
Best NHL ice?
"That's changed so many times. Edmonton was, forever, then the League hired Dan Craig as their 'Iceman' (Craig retired in 2021 as vice-president of facilities operations). Los Angeles has really good ice now."

Referee Marc Joannette signals during a 2006 game at General Motors Place in Vancouver. Jeff Vinnick, Getty Images
Favorite arena to work?
"There are many that have special significance for me, but I'd say game in and game out, it's New York's Madison Square Garden."
NHL's best skate-sharpener?
"Paul Boyer (head equipment manager of the Detroit Red Wings). He's the No. 1 guy."
Favorite and least favorite airport?
"(laughs) My favorite forever was Charlotte, where I'd connect all the time. The weather is rarely very bad there. Least favorite? Pearson in Toronto but New York's LaGuardia has caused me more problems."
Aisle or window seat?
"Aisle, no bulkhead. Never. The thing is, I've travelled maybe two million miles and I'm always the last to get on the plane, even though with (frequent-flyer) status I can be the first onboard. I just try to minimize my time on the cylinder because I've flown so much."
Do you get angry when you see a passenger who's in, say, Row 38, shove their carry-on into the overhead bin of, say, Row 12?
"(laughs) I just remind myself that I'm representing the NHL at all times."
San Jose Sharks and Detroit Red Wings players pile onto one another during Game 5 of the 2007 NHL Western Conference Second Round as referees Marc Joannette (rear) and Don Koharski (left) assess the damage. Dave Sandford, Getty Images
Who's the player you never refereed but wish you had, any era?
"I've refereed Connor McDavid, Marty Brodeur, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Nick Lidstrom, Ray Bourque. But the guy I just missed was 'The Great One.' I missed Wayne Gretzky by one year. I'd have loved to have been on the ice to watch him play."
Rookies often take a solo lap before their first game, pushed out on the ice alone. Did you have such a "welcome to the NHL" moment before your first game?
"Yes, they got me skating out there my first game. It's tradition, you do the lap. That's fine. We have a team dinner the night before. It's well done, we try to welcome a new guy into the League the best we can because you'll never forget your first game. I remember working a preseason game with Paul Devorski in Vancouver, the Canucks against the Red Wings, one of my first preseason games. All these big names skating around. First period, they're going at it pretty good (laughs), we get in the dressing room and 'Devo' yells, 'Hey 'Jo,' we're not here to watch, buddy, let's start calling penalties.' It occurred to me then that I wasn't there to watch the players, I was there to referee them."
Referee Marc Joannette makes a slashing call during the April 7, 2014 game between the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Jeff Vinnick NHLI via Getty Images
Did you take a souvenir from your first game, in Buffalo, and will you take one from your last, April 4 in Montreal?
"Absolutely. I collect pucks. It drives my wife, Katie-Line, nuts because we don't know where to put them anymore. I must have close to 400 that go back to minor hockey."
When you were a boy, playing pickup hockey, who did you imagine yourself to be?
"Guy Lafleur. He's one of the best to ever have played and he's a legend in Montreal. I had some hands but not the wheels to play at his level. But I pretended I was No. 10 out there. I didn't always represent him well but it's who I wanted to be out there."
What's been your most memorable meeting with any NHL player?
"Guy Lafleur, at 2008 Kraft Hockeyville in Roberval (160 miles northwest of Quebec City). We met in an elevator. I thought this gentleman was going to break my hand when we shook hands. He made me feel like we'd known each other forever and it was the first time we'd met. I worked that Hockeyville game with (fellow referee) Justin St. Pierre, who's from that area. Buffalo was playing Montreal and Justin got a better welcome skating onto the ice than either team. It was unreal."
Referee Marc Joannette skates prior to the third period of the March 29, 2021 game at Scotiabank Arena between Toronto and Edmonton. Kevin Sousa, NHLI via Getty Images
Since we're talking about referees being cheered -- the only time you've missed in your career is when you suffered a broken right fibula on Nov. 30, 2021, accidentally tripped by Boston's Jakub Zboril at TD Garden. You left the ice to supportive cheers from the crowd. Was that the last time you heard that?
"Until (Thursday) night at the Bell Centre. Oh, and my 1,000th game in Montreal (Oct. 17, 2015). I missed too much time that (2021-22) season. I was back in early Marc, but it wasn't easy. I couldn't skate indoors because rinks were closed due to COVID. I was recovering December, January … close to February I had to skate, but it was only outdoors, at a little rink near home, and it was very cold. I had to glove up, tuque up, put hot packs in my skates and try to get back in shape."
How long have you worn No. 25?
"My first NHL season I was offered No. 33, 34 or 35. None of them had any meaning to me so I chose 33. The next year, in training camp, Andy van Hellemond was the boss and he made changes. He had worn 25 and he told me that's what I would wear."
What's the closest you've come to missing a game for whatever reason?
"A lot of close calls but Don van Massenhoven picked me to work with him in his last NHL game (in Detroit on April 4, 2014). I was supposed to fly to Detroit with my wife, arriving the night before the game for a team dinner. But two days before, I got a call that I had to sub for an injured guy in Toronto the night of the dinner. My wife came to my Toronto game, and we were going to fly to Detroit for Don's game. We get a 10 a.m. flight from Toronto, a really small, noisy plane. The pilot looks into the cabin and says, 'I've got a full tank of gas, but the ceiling is low in Detroit. We can circle for about an hour but if we can't land by then, we're going back to Toronto.' Sure enough, over Detroit, the fog is too thick, so we return to Toronto. The next flight isn't until 4:30, 5 o'clock so I've got to drive. It was pouring from Toronto to Detroit, the wipers were on full blast the whole five-hour drive. As my wife and I walk into the hotel lobby, Donny and the linesmen, Greg Devorski and Steve Miller, are getting ready to leave for the rink. It was his last game, so it was very important. I rushed upstairs, put on my suit and went to the rink. That was close."
Referee Marc Joannette skates between Dylan Cozens (left) of the Buffalo Sabres and Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings during the March 6, 2022 game at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Bill Wippert, NHLI via Getty Images
In 2020-21, the NHL switched to Fox 40, "The Caul," nicknamed for the late refereeing legend John McCauley, as its official pea-less whistle. How long will a whistle last you?
"I use two a year. I could probably use one but it gets a little disgusting after a while. I think the League tested the new one in outdoor games and realized it's a better product. And I think what helped to introduce it was COVID. There's less spit with this one."
Have you kept your first whistle?
"(laughs) That one is really disgusting because I didn't have the money to buy extra ones. I have it somewhere, sealed in a plastic bag."
Ever thrown a center out of the face-off circle in a game's first puck-drop?
"Not me. I've seen referees toss both centers, but I haven't."
Seventeen players in NHL history list or have listed Verdun as their hometown -- as does Scotty Bowman, the winningest coach in League history. Scotty's final three NHL seasons were your first three. Do you have a Scotty Bowman story?
"We're almost neighbors in Verdun. I grew up on 6th Avenue, he grew up on 5th. Scotty Bowman is a legend. They do it differently today but back in the day, the League would send an email to referees two weeks from season's end to tell you who'd be working the playoffs. Scotty was coaching Detroit and it was near the end of the 2001-02 season, I don't know if he knew I was from Verdun. There's something at the bench, Scotty calls me over and says, 'Congratulations, kid, you're going to work the playoffs and you'll do really well.' It was my first interaction with Mr. Bowman, and those are the words he says to me. My first playoff game was Detroit in Vancouver (laughs) and maybe Scotty didn't think as highly of me then (the Red Wings lost 4-3 in Game 1 overtime but went on to win the Stanley Cup)."

Referee Marc Joannette is congratulated on his 1,500th regular-season NHL game by New York Rangers' Patrick Kane, Kaapo Kakko (center) and Niko Mikkola following the March 9, 2003 game at Montreal's Bell Centre. Minas Panagiotakis, Getty Images
In your nearly quarter-century in the NHL, what's changed the most in the game?
"The speed. I was part of the big change coming out of the 2005 lockout, historically the biggest rule changes ever when we started calling restraining fouls. The League had tried in previous years to manage that but come the playoffs it was hard to maintain. After 2005, the hockey operations department fully supported the officials and credit to them for that. It's made the game so much better."
Let's finish off with foreign objects. Officials don't pick as much fan-thrown junk off the ice as they once did, linesman Gerard Gauthier said he once pocketed a bullet. What have you seen since the start of your refereeing career?
"I did 11 years in the Quebec (Major Junior Hockey) League and I'd think that's where I got most of my stuff. Laval was nuts. Fans behind the penalty box had dozens of eggs. You'd skate over to call a penalty on Laval and you'd be rifled with eggs. The league made the team hire a security company. Second period, the fans are acting up and I can see security fighting with the crowd. Period ends, the cops show up, the security boss comes in and says, 'We're leaving.' That crowd was a rowdy band. I was refereeing Tier II and someone threw a frying pan after I'd disallowed a goal. He jumped on the ice, retrieved the pan, then threw it again. Too bad he wasn't in Laval. They could have made omelets."
Top photo: Referee Marc Joannette speaks with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby during a game Dec. 3, 2011 at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gregg Forwerck, NHLI via Getty Images