Dan Schachte

Daniel John Schachte (July 13, 1958 – September 6, 2022) was an American linesman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first American-born official to oversee 2,000 NHL games.

Early life Schachte was born in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 13, 1958. He attended Monona Grove High School in nearby Monona, where he played hockey for the school's team. He played for its varsity reserve team under Bob Johnson,

In 1981, after several seasons of officiating amateur hockey games, Schachte met John McCauley – the NHL's associate director of officials – at an amateur sports festival in Syracuse, New York. They arranged a meeting at a hotel in Toronto prior to the 1982–83 season, at which Schachte signed an NHL linesman contract worth $22,000 per year. He was assigned his first Stanley Cup playoff series after his fourth year of officiating in the league and went on to officiate in a playoff series for 26 consecutive years. and was consequently suspended for ten games under the NHL's Rule 67 covering abuse of officials.

Schachte ultimately officiated 2,009 regular-season games and 227 playoff games throughout his 30-year career. including the bronze medal game. He was also a linesman during the 1991 Canada Cup and 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Eight years later, on February 18, 2012, in St. Louis, Missouri, Schachte became the fifth NHL official (and the first American-born) to officiate 2,000 games, in a match between the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild.

After retiring as an NHL referee, Schachte served as the Coordinator of Men's Officials for the Hockey East Association. He initially resided in Verona, Wisconsin, before relocating to Middleton, Wisconsin during his later years.