{{pp-pc1}} {{distinguish|Kevin Pollak}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Use Canadian English|date=February 2024}} {{Short description|Canadian ice hockey official}} {{Infobox person | name = Kevin Pollock | image = 33 Kevin Pollock.jpg | alt = Two ice hockey referees standing at centre ice | caption = Pollock (left) in 2020 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|02|07|mf=y}} | birth_place = Kincardine, Ontario, Canada | occupation = Ice hockey referee }}
'''Kevin Pollock''' (born February 7, 1970) is a retired Canadian ice hockey official. He worked in the National Hockey League from the 1999–2000 NHL season until the 2023–24 NHL season, and officiated in ice hockey at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Men's tournament.
==Early life and family== Kevin Pollock was born on February 7, 1970, in Kincardine, Ontario.<ref name="nhlofficials">[http://www.nhlofficials.com/member_listing.asp?member_id=2303 Kevin Pollock's profile at NHLOfficials.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030425062145/https://nhlofficials.com/member_listing.asp?member_id=2303 |date=25 April 2003}}</ref> As a junior ice hockey player, Pollock won an Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) championship with the Hanover Barons in 1991. He later officiated in the OHA before working in the NHL. His granduncle Lloyd Pollock was a founder of the original Windsor Spitfires junior team, and later served as president of the OHA and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. Kevin and his father Clarke Pollock, are the namesakes of the Pollock Division in the Provincial Junior Hockey League.<ref name="PJHL">{{cite web|url=http://pjhlnorth.pointstreaksites.com/view/north/pollock/history-pollock-division|title=History - Pollock Division|website=Provincial Junior Hockey League|access-date=2019-01-12}}</ref>
==Refereeing career== [[File:Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Bryan Rust (33744033514).jpg|thumb|Pollock (upper right) officiates as the referee in Game 7 of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs.|alt=In-game action photo of a shot on goal with a referee in the background]]
Pollock has been a National Hockey League referee since the 1999–2000 NHL season, and wears uniform number 33.<ref name="nhlofficials" /> He was selected to work games in the ice hockey men's tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/8233.html |title=Sochi officials named |publisher=Iihf.com |accessdate=11 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211021302/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/8233.html |archivedate=11 February 2014 }}</ref> and in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. He refereed game 6 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the game and ultimately the Stanley Cup.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2017/06/11/penguins-capture-second-straight-stanley-cup.html |title=Penguins savour Stanley Cup repeat |author=Bruce Arthur |date=11 June 2017 |publisher=Toronto Star |accessdate=12 June 2017}}</ref> Other notable games include the 2003 Heritage Classic game between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens, the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, and the 2011 National Hockey League All-Star Game.<ref name="NHLOA-2024">{{Cite web|date=2024-03-21 |title=NHL Referee Kevin Pollock Reportedly Suffers Career-Ending Injury |url=https://scoutingtherefs.com/2024/03/44324/nhl-referee-kevin-pollock-reportedly-suffers-career-ending-injury/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Scouting The Refs}}</ref>
During a game on February 19, 2024, Pollock sustained a career ending knee injury after being slid into by Buffalo Sabres forward Jordan Greenway. Pollock had planned to retire at the conclusion of the 2023–24 season. He worked 1,608 regular season games which led active officials at the time, and 219 playoff games.<ref name="NHLOA-2024" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Kevin}} Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian ice hockey officials Category:Ice hockey people from Bruce County Category:National Hockey League officials Category:Ontario Hockey Association players