John McCauley

Who was John McCauley?

John McCauley was an National Hockey League referee from 1966–1981. He officiated 442 regular season games and 12 playoff games. In 1979, McCauley was assaulted by a fan after a match between the NHL All-Stars and the Soviet Union and sustained a serious injury to his right eye. Although he returned to refereeing, McCauley's depth perception was never the same and he retired from refereeing two years later.

After being appointed assistant Director of Officiating in June 1979, McCauley was the Director of Officiating from 1986 until his death in 1989. His son Wes McCauley is a current NHL referee. Wes refereed his first NHL match in 2003 and was promoted to full-time referee in 2005.