My NHL referees will always be guys like Wally Harris, Bruce Hood (RIP), Ron Wicks (also RIP), Kerry Fraser, Bill McCreary, Don Koharski, Andy van Hellemond, Gord Broseker, John D’Amico (RIP), Terry Gregson, and others from that time in the 1970s and 1980s. The silly helmets and shields, although a fact of life in today’s game, greatly took away the personality and identification of the officials as well as the players. Therefore, I can’t see why this guy wants to make headlines concerning his personal life.
I never liked Kerry Fraser and Terry Gregson, going back to their AHL days. The rest of the list I ... disliked less, especially Hood and van Hellemond. (They were refs - it’s always a bit of an adversarial relationship.)
Because that’s a way to ensure he makes it to the show. If he doesn’t make it to the NHL, it’s because he’s gay. That will be the narrative.