With less than one month until puck drop in China, meet the three Canadian officials who will represent our country in men’s hockey at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games
Across the country, excitement is building for when Canada’s Men’s Olympic
Team will take to the ice next month. In addition to those 23 players with
the Maple Leaf on their chest, three Canadians have a chance to don black
and white stripes in Beijing.
Mike Campbell, Olivier Gouin and Dustin McCrank have been chosen to
represent Canada at the Olympics and officiate the men’s hockey tournament.
Before the puck drops next month, get to know the trio.
Mike Campbell (Referee)
Hometown: Surrey, B.C.
Campbell began officiating when he was 12 years old with the Cloverdale
Minor Hockey Association and now has 20 years of experience. He currently
officiates in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the American Hockey
League (AHL). During his career, Campbell has had the opportunity to work
at the IIHF World Junior Championship and IIHF U18 World Championship.
“I’ve been able to share the ice three times now in a medal game with
another Canadian official, which is pretty cool,” he says. “A lot of those
officials were friends before going to the tournament.”
Although he has experience at several international events, this will be
Campbell’s first Olympics.
“Early on, you never really assume that you’re ever going to get to the
Olympics,” he says. “It’s a proud moment. [It] kind of validates the years
of dedication through junior hockey and the last few years of pro hockey,
just staying with the process and knowing that this could potentially come
to fruition.”
Outside of hockey, Campbell enjoys golfing, wake surfing and spending time
with his young family. Although the 2022 Games may look different compared
to past Olympics due to COVID-19 restrictions, Campbell says he’s looking
forward to being with athletes from around the world, experiencing the high
level of competition, and the camaraderie with his fellow officials.
“[I have] worked tournaments with two-thirds of the officials going that
are from outside of Canada,” he says. “Being able to go into an environment
like that gives you comfort to know that you know the other officials that
are going to be there and that you can have friends that are going.”
Olivier Gouin (Referee)
Hometown: Laval, Que.
An official with 15 years of experience, Gouin currently works in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and has previously officiated AHL
games. He became an official while he was a player and continued
officiating after his playing career ended to stay involved in the game he
loves.
“For me, it’s my favourite sport and I have the best tickets in the house,”
he says. “I’m on the ice with great players, big events. We still get the
adrenaline that I did when I was a player. There’s a lot of things I like
about it.”
The 2022 Games will mark the second Olympics that Gouin will work, having
been selected to go to PyeongChang in 2018. Gouin also participated in the
2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he had a unique opportunity to
officiate the gold medal game between Canada and the United States.
“That was special,” he says. “It was a lot of pressure because we were four
Canadian officials working a Canadian game. Also, because of COVID, there
was nobody in the stands, but we knew there was a lot of people watching on
TV.
“That was probably the biggest game I’ve worked in my life, to be honest.”
When he’s not at the rink, Gouin enjoys golf, video games and working out.
With his second Olympic experience around the corner, he says it’s an
honour to represent Hockey Canada at the event.
“It’s an accomplishment,” he says. “Just to referee hockey games where
medals are involved and players playing for their country. Emotions are
going to be so high… It’s going to be difficult, but I’m looking forward to
[being a] referee in a big stage like that.”
Dustin McCrank (Linesperson)
Hometown: Guelph, Ont.
McCrank has 24 years of experience and currently officiates in the Ontario
Hockey League (OHL) and AHL. Growing up living close to a rink, he began
officiating to get more time on the ice to work on his skating and earn
some money. His passion and excitement for the game has stayed with McCrank
throughout his officiating journey.
“My favourite thing is probably walking into the dressing room or walking
into the rink, [and] just putting my skates on,” he says. “I think that’s
my favourite thing, knowing that I get to be a part of a hockey game.”
Outside of hockey, McCrank works full-time as a firefighter in Waterloo,
Ont. The positions may sound very different, but McCrank has found many
similarities between the two jobs.
“[In] both positions, you have to make split decisions under pressure.
You’re dealing with people, using your communication skills. I would say
the biggest thing is treating your body right, getting the right amount of
sleep, putting the right things in your body,” he says. “Those careers
really work well off each other.”
This will be the first Olympics for McCrank, and he is looking forward to
seeing his fellow officials in Beijing and sharing in that camaraderie.
“It’s kind of the last feather in my cap. It’s something I kind of realized
might have been able to happen about five years ago and I’ve been striving
pretty hard and competing pretty hard to try and get there,” he says. “It
feels amazing.”
