Frederick L'Ecuyer (born 28 July 1977) is a Canadian ice hockey referee, employed by the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

. He has worn the number 17 since the start of the

2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the List of NHL seasons, 94th season of operation (93rd Season (sport), season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup ...

. , he has officiated 1,033 regular season games and 44

Stanley Cup playoff The season structure of the National Hockey League (NHL) is divided into the pre-season, regular season, and the Stanley Cup playoffs. In the pre-season, which is generally held during the last two weeks of September, each team plays several not-fo ...

games.

Early life and career

Frederick L'Ecuyer was born and raised in

Saint-Tite Saint-Tite () is a Canadian city located at the foothills of the Laurentians, between Grandes-Piles and Saint-Adelphe, in the Mauricie RCM of Mékinac. A large body of water, Lake Pierre-Paul, bathes the northeastern part of the territory.' ...

, Quebec, located north of

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

. He played as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

until deciding to focus on refereeing at age 16.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

L'Ecuyer's first

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

game came in the 1999-00 QMJHL season, when he worked as a linesman. Starting in the 2000-01 QMJHL season, he would make the move to become a referee, working 57 regular season and 13 playoff games over a span of three seasons.

Professional career

Central Hockey League

Before the start of the 2002-03 CHL season, L'Ecuyer was hired to become a full-time referee for the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

. His first game as an official in the league was on 18 October 2002, in a game involving the

El Paso Buzzards The El Paso Buzzards were a professional ice hockey team in El Paso, Texas, United States, and were members of the Western Professional Hockey League and Central Hockey League. They played their home games at El Paso County Coliseum. The team w ...

and the

San Angelo Saints The San Angelo Saints are a defunct professional ice hockey team that was based in San Angelo, Texas. Originally named the San Angelo Outlaws before being renamed "Saints" prior to the 2002–03 season, the team played three seasons in the Centra ...

. Between the fall of 2002 and the summer of 2006, he was named to be the official at the league's All-Star Game in 2005 and also officiated three

Ray Miron President's Cup The Ray Miron President's Cup is a trophy that was awarded to the playoff champion of the Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2002 until 2014, when the remaining CHL teams joined the ECHL. The trophy was known as The William "Bill" Levins Memorial Cup ...

finals.

American Hockey League

L'Ecuyer worked in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

on a part-time basis starting at the beginning of the 2003-04 AHL season. His first game in the league occurred on 11 October 2003, when the

Utah Grizzlies The Utah Grizzlies are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah. Franchise history The current Utah Grizzlies franchise started in 1981 as the Nashville South Stars i ...

and the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...

played at the

AT&T Center Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center and SBC Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena seat ...

. During his time in the league, L'Ecuyer saw two appearances in the Calder Cup finals:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

National Hockey League

L'Ecuyer was hired by the National Hockey League prior to the start of the 2007-08 NHL season. On 11 October 2007, he made his National Hockey League debut, when he officiated a game between the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

and the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

at the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

. For his first game and through the time he was on an AHL/NHL contract, he wore sweater number 48. Before the start of the 2010-11 NHL season, L'Ecuyer was promoted to a full-time spot on the officiating roster. His first game that season was one between the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

and the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

at what is now known as the

Canadian Tire Centre Canadian Tire Centre () is a multi-purpose arena in the suburb of Kanata in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in January 1996 as the Palladium and was also known as Corel Centre () from 1996 to 2006 and Scotiabank Place () from 2006 to 2013. ...

. L'Ecuyer officiated his 1,000th game in the NHL on March 14, 2024, between the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

. He became the 48th referee to achieve the milestone, and the seventh from Quebec.

Stanley Cup playoffs

L'Ecuyer made his on-ice playoff debut during the

2011 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2010–11 season. It began on April 13, 2011, after the conclusion of the regular season. The first game of the Finals between the Vancouver C ...

. He was the standby official for Game Three between the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

and the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. At 3:44 of the second period, play was halted due to an injury sustained by

Chris Rooney Chris Rooney (born May 26, 1975) is an American ice hockey referee who works in the National Hockey League. He wears uniform number five, and wore number 21 early in his career. Career Rooney signed an NHL minor league contract in 1999. His fir ...

. As per NHL rule during the playoffs, a standby official is named to every game. As Rooney was unable to continue, L'Ecuyer took over officiating duties. For the

2015 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2014–15 season. They began on April 15, 2015, and ended on June 15, 2015, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning fou ...

, L'Ecuyer was named as one of the 20 officials who would work regular games in the first round.

Personal life

L'Ecuyer lives in

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, North Carolina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:L'Ecuyer, Frederick 1977 births Living people Canadian ice hockey officials Expatriate ice hockey people in the United States Ice hockey people from Mauricie National Hockey League officials

Early life and career

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Professional career

Central Hockey League

American Hockey League

National Hockey League

Stanley Cup playoffs

Personal life

See also

References