PORTLAND, Maine — As long as referees make the right calls, their work goes largely unnoticed, and that's just the way most of them like it. But Wes McCauley found himself squarely in the spotlight courtesy of the Maine Mariners.
McCauley wasn't at the game on Friday, November 15 in his official capacity. The Mariners invited him to the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland to soak up the adulation of fans as the team's guest of honor.
South Portland is McCauley's home when he's not jetting across the U.S. and Canada to officiate hockey games. The NHL made him a full-time ref in 2005.
McCauley is so well-respected throughout the league that he's been chosen to officiate every Stanley Cup Final since 2013. Last year's series went on without him, however, after an injury took him off the ice.
Despite the disappointing way it ended, last season also gave McCauley plenty of reasons to smile. In the spring of 2018, a poll by the NHL Players Associated named him the league's best referee. His career reached a milestone on Dec. 23, 2018, when he officiated his 1,000th game. And the Maine Sports Hall of Fame welcomed him into its ranks on May 19, 2019.
More than 4,000 fans in attendance showed their appreciation for the way that McCauley represents Maine with a rousing ovation as he took the ice for the ceremonial puck drop to begin the Mariners game. McCauley also heard from many of them directly as he signed autographs during the first intermission.
"I guess it's a little humbling to talk about yourself, a little bit," McCauley said. "But actually, for myself and my family, we've grown up in this community. And it's a great honor that the Maine Mariners would think of us."
Attending a hockey game without needing to work is a rare treat for McCauley. And the Mariners put on quite a show for him by beating the Brampton Beast, 6-3.
Without McCauley as their good luck charm, the Mariners didn't fare as well on Saturday, Nov. 16, as they were shutout, 4-0, by the Adirondack Thunder.