THE FINAL WHISTLE!

Press Release

After eighteen seasons in the QMJHL, including the last fourteen as a referee, Stéphane Tremblay will retire his whistle on Saturday, February 26, at the air Creebec Center in Val-d’Or as the Foreurs host the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

The arena in Val-d’Or will have been the birthplace of many firsts, including his debut as a linesman in 1993-94 and also his first strides as a referee in 1998-99.

During his eighteen seasons, Stéphane Tremblay will have officiated 426 regular season and 30 playoff games as a referee and 144 regular season and 18 playoff games as a linesman for a grand total of 627 games, ranking him tenth all-time for the number of games refereed during the regular season. Moreover, he worked the 2005-06 and 2009-10 QMJHL All-Star games.

The Val-d’Or native worked the World U17 Championships that was played in Amos in 1993 and also participated in the first-ever Jewish World Hockey Championship which was held in Metula, Israel, in 2007.

Many Sacrifices

It is difficult for the average hockey fan to understand all the sacrifices that must be made by an official to fulfil his dream and to have the privilege of working as a referee at the highest amateur level in Canada.

During his career, Stéphane Tremblay used six cars, travelled over 500,000 KM and will have been on the road for 250 weekends, the equivalent of five consecutive years.

Helping the next wave

While he will no longer need to lace up his skates, the veteran official will trade in his whistle for a pencil to work for the QMJHL as a supervisor during the last weeks of the regular season in Rouyn-Noranda and Val d’Or.

The QMJHL is happy to retain the services of such an experienced official. For the Director of Officiating, Richard Trottier, his experience and excellent skills will undoubtedly be very beneficial.

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)