Marcus Vinnerborg joins NHL as first European referee
Marcus Vinnerborg got his first taste of NHL action on Tuesday 16 November in Dallas when the Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1. The game was a landmark as Vinnerborg is the first ever European-trained referee to work an NHL game, although he doesn't
consider himself a pioneer.
"To be honest, I don't look at it too much like that," he told NHL.com after refereeing his second NHL game between the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. "I came here to learn from the best officials in the world and to adapt to their way of working,
and to work in the best league in the world. It's an opportunity I couldn't turn down. A pioneer or not, I would have come anyway. Hopefully everything works out well. So far I have had a very good start."
Vinnerborg had previously worked in the Swedish Elite League, and handled several international assignments. After heading to North America, he refereed close to a dozen games in the American Hockey League before making the jump to the NHL.
"It's a dream come true," Vinnerborg said of his experience so far. "I've worked two games now and enjoyed every minute of it. My colleagues have been very supportive in getting me into the game. I've worked with six wonderful guys so far."
Although the rules of hockey are more or less the same around the world, Vinnerborg admitted to having to adapt to certain subtle differences – specifically with video replay.
"In Sweden, a video judge is in each arena, so you don't have a war room," he said. "In Europe, you blow the whistle – goal or no goal – and here you have to start thinking, ‘Am I going to blow the whistle? Am I going to do a washout? Am I going to do a
high stick?' Those situations are new to me."
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