{{short description|Ice hockey referee}} {{Infobox person | name = Mike Leggo | image = Blue Jackets-Lightning (15744966325).jpg | caption = Leggo watches as Evgeni Nabokov makes a save during a 2014 game | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|10|7}} | birth_place = North Bay, Ontario, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | height = | alma_mater = | employer = National Hockey League | occupation = Ice hockey referee | years_active = 1997–2017 }} '''Mike Leggo''' (born October 7, 1964) is a retired National Hockey League referee. His career started in the 1996–97 NHL season,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://nhlofficials.com/nhl-officials/alumni/mike-leggo/ |title=Mike Leggo's profile |website=NHLOfficials.com |access-date=September 4, 2023}}</ref> and he wore the uniform number 3. 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 |access-date=11 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211021302/http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/recap/8233.html |archive-date=11 February 2014 }}</ref>
==Early life== Mike Leggo attended school in Victoria, British Columbia, where he started refereeing junior hockey, including the Western Hockey League.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burnside |first=Scott |title=How do you become an NHL official? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/487830/2018/09/04/how-do-you-become-an-nhl-official/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-11-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Leggo's early officiating career also included working in the Ontario Hockey League, and minor leagues such as the ECHL, International Hockey League, and the American Hockey League.<ref name=":2" />
== Career == [[File:Senators @ Kings (2317384239).jpg|thumb|right|Leggo, with Brad Meier to his left, during a 2008 game]]
Leggo made his NHL debut on April 1, 1997, for a Washington Capitals home game against the Boston Bruins, however there is no record of the game being played.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=NHL Scores {{!}} Apr 1, 1997 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/scores/1997-04-01 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NHL Scores for April 1, 1997 |url=https://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscores/1997/4/1/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Hockey-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> The Capitals did play the New Jersey Devils at the Capital Centre that day, with Terry Gregson as referee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Jersey Devils - Washington Capitals - Apr 1, 1997 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/njd-vs-wsh/1997/04/01/1996020989 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
Leggo officiated the 2000–01 NHL season opening series played in Saitama, Japan.<ref name=":2" /> He worked his first playoff assignment that postseason, which was game two of the 2001 Western Conference quarterfinals between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dallas Stars - Edmonton Oilers - Apr 14, 2001 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/dal-vs-edm/2001/04/14/2000030172 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
He refereed another international season opening series in 2010, being assigned to two games between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Boston Bruins in Prague, Czech Republic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boston Bruins - Phoenix Coyotes - Oct 9, 2010 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-phx/2010/10/09/2010020012 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Boston Bruins - Phoenix Coyotes - Oct 10, 2010 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/bos-vs-phx/2010/10/10/2010020024 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
In 2013, a penalty call by Leggo during an October 5 game went viral after he told the audience and Dallas Stars forward Shawn Horcoff “You can’t do that” before announcing the minor penalty against Horcoff for hooking Washington Capitals forward Jay Beagle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-10-08 |title="You can’t do that": NHL referee admonishes Dallas Stars Shawn Horcoff, explains penalty in the most basic way possible |url=https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/you-cant-do-that-nhl-referee-admonishes-dallas-stars-shawn-horcoff-explains-penalty-in-the-most-basic-way-possible |access-date=2024-11-26 |work=National Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |first2= |date=2013-10-09 |title=Referee Mike Leggo: "You Can’t Do That" |url=https://scoutingtherefs.com/2013/10/143/referee-mike-leggo-you-cant-do-that/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Scouting The Refs |language=en-US}}</ref>
On October 14, 2014, he officiated his 1,000th NHL game. It was played between the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. He became the 24th referee to achieve the milestone, and selected Brad Watson, Shane Heyer and Darren Gibbs to work the game with him.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhlofficials.com/es3524/cat244/nhloa-milestone-referee-mike-leggo |title=NHLOA Milestone Referee Mike Leggo |publisher=National Hockey League |date=October 14, 2014 |access-date=October 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022030201/http://www.nhlofficials.com/es3524/cat244/nhloa-milestone-referee-mike-leggo |archive-date=October 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
As well as officiating in the 2014 Winter Olympics, Leggo was a referee for the 2016 Spengler Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |date=2016-12-26 |title=Spengler Cup Referees and Linesmen for 2016 Tournament |url=https://scoutingtherefs.com/2016/12/16525/spengler-cup-referees-linesmen-2016-tournament/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Scouting The Refs |language=en-US}}</ref>
He worked his final NHL game when the Los Angeles Kings and the Arizona Coyotes played each other on April 2, 2017.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/coyotes-kings-pay-respect-to-retiring-referee-mike-leggo/c-288381764|title=Longtime referee Mike Leggo hangs them up|publisher=NHL.com|date=April 2, 2017|access-date=June 25, 2017}}</ref> His crew members for the game included referee Brad Watson, and linesmen Tim Nowak and Lonnie Cameron.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |last2= |first2= |date=2017-04-03 |title=NHL Ref Mike Leggo Working Final NHL Game |url=https://scoutingtherefs.com/2017/04/18550/nhls-leggo-working-final-nhl-game/ |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=Scouting The Refs |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona Coyotes - Los Angeles Kings - Apr 2, 2017 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/ari-vs-lak/2017/04/02/2016021175 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
Throughout his career, Leggo refereed 1,213 regular season games and 42 Stanley Cup playoff games.<ref name=":1" /> He also participated in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game, the 2011 Heritage Classic, and the 2017 NHL All-Star Game.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Calgary Flames - Montréal Canadiens - Feb 20, 2011 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-vs-mtl/2011/02/20/2010020890 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Stars East - All-Stars West - Jan 24, 2007 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/ase-vs-asw/2007/01/24/2006040055 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NHL Scores {{!}} Jan 29, 2017 {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/scores/2017-01-29 |access-date=2024-11-26 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
Following his retirement, Leggo became the Scouting and Development Officiating Manager for the NHL. In July 2024, he was an instructor for the European Summer Exposure Combine in Budapest, Hungary.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-13 |title=NHL brings officiating lessons abroad at 2024 European Summer Exposure Combine {{!}} NHL.com |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-brings-officiating-lessons-to-european-combine |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.nhl.com |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Leggo is married and has two daughters.<ref name=":2" />
On February 6, 2018, Leggo assisted in establishing the Guinness World Record for ''Highest altitude game of ice hockey'' when he refereed a charity game in the village of Chibra Kargyam in Ladakh, India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2018-03-27 |title=Mike Leggo in India |url=https://nhlofficials.com/alumni-news/mike-leggo-in-india/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=NHLOA |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Highest altitude game of ice hockey |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/114645-highest-altitude-game-of-ice-hockey |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=Guinness World Records}}</ref>
==See also== * List of NHL on-ice officials
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://nhlofficials.com/behind-the-scenes/sochi-one-year-later-1-3/ Sochi… One Year Later (1/3)], [https://nhlofficials.com/behind-the-scenes/sochi-one-year-later-2-3/ (2/3)], [https://nhlofficials.com/behind-the-scenes/sochi-one-year-later-3-3/ (3/3)] — A series of posts written by Mike Leggo documenting his experiences at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leggo, Mike}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:National Hockey League officials Category:Ice hockey people from North Bay, Ontario