John D'Amico (ice hockey)
| John D'Amico | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1993 | |||
| Born |
September 21, 1937 Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died | May 29, 2005 (aged 67) | ||
| Position | Linesman | ||
| Playing career | 1964–1988 | ||
John David D'Amico (September 21, 1937 – May 29, 2005) was a Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) linesman and later supervisor of officials.
Early life and education
[edit]A native of Toronto, D'Amico graduated from De La Salle College.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]D'Amico's NHL career began as a referee on October 12, 1964, when he was 27 years old. He refereed only 19 games before becoming a linesman.
At the time of his retirement after the 1987 season, D'Amico was the last on-ice official active during the Original Six era. D'Amico's career included 1,689 regular season games, seven All-Star games, including the 1979 Challenge Cup and Rendez-vous '87, and 247 Stanley Cup playoff games, including 52 Stanley Cup Finals.[1] His last one was in 1987. He also worked the Canada Cup. In 1988, D'Amico was watching a Leafs game on TV at home when a linesman had to leave a game because of an injury. In response, D'Amico arrived at Maple Leaf Gardens and finished the game, marking his final on-ice performance as an NHL linesman.
After retirement, he became a supervisor of officials for the NHL until his death in 2005. D'Amico was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993.[2]
Personal life
[edit]His health problems started in September 2002 when he suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery. Tests following surgery indicated blood abnormalities and a diagnosis of aplastic anemia, which resulted in gallstone problems.[3]
Just before his death, D'Amico made news headlines across Canada when he spoke out about the poor quality of the country's health care system.[citation needed]
D'Amico and his wife, Dorothy, had three sons and one daughter.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "Hall of Fame Linesman John D'Amico Passes Away". Toronto Maple Leafs. May 30, 2005.
- ^ Zeisler, Laurel (2012-12-19). Historical Dictionary of Ice Hockey. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7863-1.
- ^ "John D'Amico, 67, Linesman in the N.H.L., Dies". The New York Times. 2005-06-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from Legends of Hockey