Winter Classic Day In Stripes

With the calendar flipped to 2022, the NHL grabbed the spotlight once again today as the Winter Classic took place at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the Wild welcomed the St. Louis Blues to the city's professional baseball field. Admittedly, as I stated on The Hockey Show this past week, I'm not overly excited for this game as it will be played in rather arctic temperatures which usually means that the hockey won't be all that spectacular. If there is a reason to tune in, though, I'll be keeping an eye on the stripes thanks to good friend and NHL linesman Ryan Galloway taking part in the game!

The NHL normally asks officials who are local to the Winter Classic's or Heritage Classic's venues to officiate in those games, and Ryan, along with his wife Rhonda and their dogs, live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, so he was honoured to receive the invitation from the NHL to participate in this game today despite the frigid cold. Ryan's experience growing up and officiating on outdoor rinks in Winnipeg might come in handy today!

Having worked with his wife at a past job, I got to know Ryan quite well, and it's always exciting to see him work. It feels like just yesterday when he was working MJHL games and both IHL and AHL games with the Manitoba Moose. In fact, #82 began working as an IHL linesman in 1996, and he'd receive his big break when the NHL offered him a minor-league officiating contract at age 30 in 2002. His dream of working lines in the NHL was closer than ever, and it was exciting to see him pursuing that dream in living colour!

Since that time, Ryan worked his first NHL game on October 17, 2002 when he was on the lines for a game between the Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks. He was part of the officiating crew who called the first game for the Winnipeg Jets after moving from Atlanta as the Montreal Canadiens met the Jets that night. The Jets were the home team again as they met the St. Louis Blues in Ryan's 1000th NHL game on February 9, 2018. Ryan's first NHL playoff game was in sunny and warm Anaheim where the Nashville Predators met the Anaheim Ducks on April 13, 2011.

Some of the bigger games that Ryan has worked included the 2019 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose, California, the 2014 Stadium Series game between the New York Rangers and New York Islanders at Yankee Stadium on January 29, 2014, the 2016 Stadium Series game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium on February 21, 2016, and the 2016 Heritage Classic game between the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets at Investors Group Stadium on October 23, 2016.

Ryan's officiating career has seen a few scary moments as well. He was injured on January 7, 2015 in a game between the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild when Justin Braun's pass was deflected by Matt Nieto directly into the noggin of Galloway. Ryan would miss a few games after getting stitched up before doctors would clear his return to the ice.

The scarier event took place two years later in a game between the visiting Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche. Ryan, who wears a visor for obvious protection on the ice, caught the Martin Hanzal dump-in near the cheekbone and cut Ryan wide open under the visor. Ryan didn\t fare so well in this one as he broke his jaw and was bruised all over, but he survived another scary moment. If anyone thinks being an official doesn't come with an element of danger, Ryan Galloway would be able to tell you otherwise.

Ryan nearly earned himself a contract from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season as he showed everyone some hockey sense in going to the net, but I can honestly say that this play he made was never in the plans when it comes to future employment. After getting tied up between Nashville's Matt Benning and Columbus' Eric Robinson, there wasn't a lot that Ryan could do in terms of getting to the boards, and the circumstances of the events saw the Blue Jackets score on Juuse Saros thanks, in part, to Ryan's inadvertent screen.

Of course, sometimes Ryan is doing his job as he's supposed to be and still gets caught in a mishap with a player. This time, it's Jamie Benn.

Ryan delivers a clothesline of which Vince McMahon would be proud, and Jamie Benn went to his bench to take some ribbing from his teammates over his run-in with Ryan. For the record, Ryan did apologize to Benn after hitting him accidentally.

I can honestly say that I'm excited for Ryan's participation in the game today, and I hope he stays warm in what looks like a very frigid night in Minnesota. He add this game to his list of achievements that he worked so hard to reach, and he's living proof of a man living out his dream. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifices, but skating in the Winter Classic as an official now makes him one of the few men in stripes to skate in a Winter Classic, a Heritage Classic, and a Stadium Series game.

No pun intended, but how cool is that?

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice!