Wallis Harris (November 23, 1935 – April 17, 2024) was a Canadian

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

referee whose career spanned 39 years including 17 as an NHL on ice official, 3 as the NHL's first Director of Officiating, and 16 as an NHL supervisor of officials. Harris refereed many historical hockey games, such as the famous 3–3 tie between the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

and the Soviet Union's Central Red Army team on December 31, 1975, a game fondly remembered and widely regarded as one of the best ever played. Over the course of his hockey career, he has refereed 953 regular season games, 85 playoff games, and six Stanley Cup Finals series.

Background

Harris was born in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on November 23, 1935. He died at a hospital in the Montreal area, on April 17, 2024, at the age of 88.

Career

In 1951, Harris played for the

Lachine Maroons Les Maroons de Lachine were a Canadian Junior ice hockey team from Lachine, Quebec, Canada. It started as a franchise in the Metropolitaine leagues in 1953 in both the Junior A and Junior B divisions. Later, in 1995, the Pierrefonds Lions of th ...

in the

Quebec Amateur Hockey Association Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

(QAHA), becoming a referee in 1956. In 1963, he signed his first contract with the NHL, officiating for various leagues, such as Western Hockey Association,

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

, and

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

NHL

Starting in 1966, Harris started officiating in the NHL, refereeing 953 regular season games and 85 playoff games until 1983. His first game was on December 11, 1966, between the Montreal Canadiens and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

. On January 13, 1968, he refereed the game that included the tragic incident in which

Bill Masterton William John Masterton (August 13, 1938 – January 15, 1968) was a Canadian–American professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars in 1967–68. He is the only player in NHL histo ...

of the Minnesota North Stars was knocked to the ice and suffered a head injury resulting in his death. In 1983, he was the first NHL referee to officiate the Spengler Cup and did so for three years. During this time he was also involved in various training camps in Innsbruck, Austria; Canazei, Italy; and Davos, Switzerland. His last game was on May 12, 1983, during the Stanley Cup Finals between the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

. In 1989, Harris was assistant director of officials to Brian Lewis. In 2002, he retired from the NHL.

References

1935 births 2024 deaths National Hockey League officials Ice hockey people from Montreal {{Canada-icehockey-bio-stub