It's with great sadness that we learned the passing of the former NHL referee Mike Hasenfratz.
In an official statement, the NHL announced his passing, sending their thoughts to his family, friends, and colleagues with the following post on X:
Hasenfratz spent 14 seasons working in the NHL, officiating over 700 games between 2000 and 2014.
He joined the NHL after going through the Regina junior hockey system, which led him to work for the SJHL and WHL.
Fans will remember him for his great dedication and courage.
In the middle of his career, Hasenfratz had to step away for two seasons, as he recovered from a life-threatening heart surgery.
When he returned, he changed his number to 2, in honor of his second chance to do what he called the "second best job in the world after playing."
This is what he said at the time, highlighting his passion for hockey and enthusiasm for his job:
Multiple tributes can be found online.
His former colleague Tim Peel notably shared the following statement:
We send our thoughts to all those affected by that tragic loss.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 25 | 156 ANSWERS Longtime NHL Referee Mike Hasenfratz Tragically Passes Away at the Age of 58 Have you ever seen Mike Hasenfratz officiate an NHL game? | ||
| Yes | 63 | 40.4 % |
| No | 93 | 59.6 % |
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 30, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Quinn Hughes | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Leo Carlsson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chris Kreider | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Troy Terry | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mavrik Bourque | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor Murphy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vasily Podkolzin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Bunting | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Colton Dach | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kasperi Kapanen | - | 1 | 1 | |
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