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In memoriam: Bill Chadwick

Bill Chadwick, the former NHL referee turned color commentator for New York Rangers broadcasts, passed away Saturday.

Bill Chadwick, the former NHL referee turned color commentator for New York Rangers radio broadcasts, passed away Saturday at the age of 94.

Chadwick was the first American-born referee in the NHL and was inducted both into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hall of Fame. While a referee, Chadwick was best known as the first to use hand signals to denote penalties — a way to communicate with other referees during a particularly noisy game.

His hockey career began in the 1930s as an amateur with the New York Rovers of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League. After losing an eye in a hockey accident he shifted to officiating, first with the Eastern League and then with the NHL, beginning in 1939. After reffing more than 1,000 games, he shifted to the Rangers' broadcast booth in 1967, when he was first paired with Marv Albert on broadcasts. He retired in 1981.

John Halligan, former PR director for the Rangers, penned a long appreciation of the colorful Chadwick here.

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