NHL mourns loss of referee from Guelph, Ont.

A black and white photo of Will Norris shared by the NHL. (Courtesy: NHL Public Relations/X)

The National Hockey League (NHL) is mourning the death of a referee from Ontario who officiated thousands of games.

Willard Norris, who also went by Will or Doc, died on Monday.

Norris was born in Alma, Ont. and studied at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ont.

According to his obituary, he first put on a referee’s jersey when he joined the Guelph Referee Association at the age of 17.

The NHL Officials Association said he officiated games in the pre-expansion NHL, including a Christmas Day matchup between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Garden.

Norris became an NHL linesman in 1966 and participated in more than1,500 regular season games, in addition to approximately 90 playoff matches.

The NHL Officials Association said Norris was also on the ice for Darryl Sittler’s 10-point night in Toronto on Feb. 7, 1976.

After retiring from the NHL, Norris took on the role of Referee-In-Chief with the Ontario Hockey Association for three years. Eventually, he rejoined the NHL as their coordinator of development for young officials.

In 2003, Norris was inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame.

He never gave up on his love for the game, even putting on the stripes for the Good Times old-timer hockey team.

Norris’ obituary said he passed away peacefully in Guelph.

In lieu of flowers, his family asked that donations be made in his memory to Guelph General Hospital.