Former NHL referee Mick McGeough dies at 62

Former NHL referee Mick McGeough has died, the NHL announced Saturday. He was 62.

The statement said McGeough died Friday night in Regina, capital of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. A GoFundMe page set up to support his family said he had a stroke a week ago.

McGeough worked 21 seasons from 1987 through 2008, refereeing 1,083 regular-season games and 63 playoff games. He was one of the last referees to officiate without a helmet. Most recently, he worked as an NHL officiating supervisor

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called him “one of the league’s top referees” whose “passion for the game shone through on a nightly basis.” Bettman added in a statement that McGeough earned leaguewide respect for his “unique style that that combined humility and humor with decisiveness and fairness.”

He is survived by his wife Angie and five children — Jared, Luke, Kara, Karlie and Isaac.