TAMPA, Fla. - Referee Don Koharski is completing a 32-year on-ice NHL career in tonight's game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I'm ready," Koharski said before the game. "I just finished my last road trip, four games in eight days. At about day six of the road trip, I said, 'Yeah, I made the right decision."'
The 53-year-old Koharski is expected to join NHL management to work with and recruit on-ice officials.
Koharski worked in the World Hockey Association before appearing in his first NHL game as a linesman on Oct. 14, 1977. His first contest as a referee was Nov, 18, 1981.
Highlights for Koharski include his first Stanley Cup final and working the 1987 Canada Cup final between Canada and the Soviet Union, in which the Soviets asked for him to be the referee.
"I just look at where the world hockey and international hockey is since that day, and realize the best officials are from the National Hockey League," Koharski said. "The world accepted that the best officials are from the National Hockey League and it opened up a lot of doors. I'm pretty proud of that."