Lonnie Cameron never dreamed his path to the National Hockey League would see him blowing a whistle and wearing a striped shirt.
“At age 12, I started playing hockey and I aspired, like any Canadian, to be an NHL player. Later I took an affinity to officiating, but it was just an opportunity to make a little bit of extra cash while I was still playing minor hockey,” recalled Cameron about the beginning of a long career, with over 1,500 games under his skates as an NHL official.
Those on-ice exploits have earned him induction into the officials’ category of the B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame on July 21 in Penticton.
Growing up in the Victoria suburb of Colwood, Cameron idolized Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, leading him to play the position in minor hockey, and eventually becoming a gatekeeper not just for the net, but for the game.
At 16, he pressed pause on officiating to play in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, then picked up the whistle again at 20 to remain involved in the game.
“My passion for hockey kept me going. I have a lot of respect for the game. The players deserve it, the game deserves it. Officials are the keepers of the game. Both teams step on the ice and they want to bend the rules, as best they can, to get a competitive advantage. As officials we are there to keep them in check,” said Cameron.
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