Dan O'Rourke

Dan O'Rourke (born August 31, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current National Hockey League referee. He made his debut during the 1999–2000 NHL season, and has officiated 1,329 regular season games . O’Rourke has also appeared in 202 playoff games, including seven Stanley Cup Finals. He wears uniform number nine.

Early life Dan O'Rourke was born on August 31, 1972 in Calgary, Alberta. He played junior hockey with the Summerland Buckaroos of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, and the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before moving up to the Western Hockey League. He played with the Tri-City Americans for three seasons, and finished his final WHL season with the Moose Jaw Warriors in 1993.

Career

Prior to officiating professional hockey, O'Rourke played in the ECHL with the Louisiana IceGators and Erie Panthers as a forward, and spent one season with the Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. He was called up to the International Hockey League for two games during the 1996–97 season. He also played in Roller Hockey International's 1994 season.

O'Rourke began his officiating career during the 1997–98 ECHL season, being hired as a linesman after attending the Ontario Hockey Association Officials Camp. He worked the 1999 Kelly Cup Finals, and accepted an NHL minor league contract that summer. He split the following season between the NHL and the American Hockey League. After officiating the 2000 Calder Cup Finals, he was promoted to full-time linesman for the 2000–01 NHL season. O'Rourke's first playoff appearance was game one of the 2007 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He was selected to officiate in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final alongside Stephen Walkom, Dan O'Halloran and Kelly Sutherland. He went on to work the 2012, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

Personal life O'Rourke lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and two children. O'Rourke's brother, Steve, is a former ice hockey player and current head coach for PWHL Seattle.

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1987–88 Summerland Buckaroos BCJHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — — 1989–90 Notre Dame Hounds SJHL 56 2 9 11 320 — — — — — 1990–91 Notre Dame Hounds SJHL 9 2 3 5 54 — — — — — 1990–91 Tri-City Americans WHL 14 0 0 0 37 7 0 1 1 23 1991–92 Tri-City Americans WHL 46 4 8 12 197 5 0 2 2 26 1992–93 Tri-City Americans WHL 18 0 2 2 83 — — — — — 1992–93 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 36 4 10 14 121 — — — — — 1993–94 Erie Panthers ECHL 64 9 21 30 296 — — — — — 1994–95 Tulsa Oilers CHL 57 12 19 31 180 7 0 1 1 53 1995–96 Louisiana IceGators ECHL 40 10 18 28 257 3 0 0 0 9 1996–97 Louisiana IceGators ECHL 58 28 20 48 160 10 3 1 4 42 1996–97 Detroit Vipers IHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 1996–97 Houston Aeros IHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — — ECHL totals 162 47 59 106 713 13 3 1 4 51