The San Jose Sharks found themselves grounded for nearly 90 minutes at San Jose International Airport this weekend after an FAA nationwide ground stop delayed their flight to Salt Lake City. The team eventually landed near 9:30 p.m. Mountain Time, hours later than scheduled, forcing a rethink about Saturday’s game against the Utah Mammoth.
With the travel disruption fresh, a hypothetical question circulated among the Sharks: If NHL officials didn’t arrive for the match, which players from both teams would be trusted to referee?
This scenario is covered under NHL Rule 31.11. If the official referees can’t make it, and the league can’t supply replacements, the teams must agree on substitute officials. If no agreement is reached, the home team provides a referee, while the visiting team supplies a linesman, chosen from their own rosters.
San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini and teammate Mason Marchment discussed the options in the visiting locker room at Delta Center. When asked about Utah’s captain Clayton Keller, Celebrini suggested removing him from the ice, though the point wasn’t to weaken the opposition.
Marchment named Michael Carcone from Utah as a fair choice. “Good skater. I’ve known him for awhile, honest dude,” he said.
For the Sharks, Marchment picked Ty Dellandrea, describing him as “Good skater, honest guy. If there’s any scraps, he can get in there and help out,” adding a laugh.
Two other San Jose players, Collin Graf and Michael Misa, both settled on Kiefer Sherwood as their pick. Their reasoning leaned more on Sherwood’s personality than strict impartiality.
“For our team, I’d pick Woody, because he likes to yell at the refs,” Graf said.
“Woody,” Misa agreed. “He’s involved. He’s entertaining.”
Sherwood himself was ready to volunteer for the role, though he joked about his refereeing style. “I would gladly take the stripes,” he said. “We would probably have 14 power plays in the first period.”
He added that he usually enjoys friendly chats with officials during games and insisted he could be unbiased, but maintained the prediction of numerous penalties.
Sherwood also suggested Utah should pick someone off their effective power play unit, naming either Keller or younger star Dylan Guenther.
Michael Kesselring, who spent the 2024-25 season with Utah’s franchise before joining San Jose, offered a different choice for the Mammoth. He selected Nick Schmaltz, citing his calm demeanor. “He doesn’t show emotion very much, so if someone yelled at him, he’d be like whatever,” Kesselring said.
For the Sharks, Kesselring picked Collin Graf. “He would be on it, he’d be sharp. School guy, smart guy,” Kesselring said, adding a jab at the new locker room environment: “Not a lot of honest guys in here.”
The Sharks’ confidence in their own candidates is clear, but whether Utah would be comfortable with Sherwood as the referee remains uncertain, especially given his joke about handing out 28 power play minutes in a 20-minute period.
The FAA ground stop was the main reason for the delay. The Sharks’ original plan was to reach Salt Lake City earlier, but the unexpected tarmac wait at San Jose caused a chain reaction that pushed their arrival well into the evening.
The team’s travel woes and the ensuing lighthearted debate about emergency referees offered a rare glimpse into player personalities off the ice. Sherwood’s willingness to take on the whistle himself, combined with the candid assessments from teammates, added an unusual twist to a day disrupted by air traffic control.
The NHL has yet to confirm any referee shortages for Saturday’s game, and the scheduled officials remain in place. But the Sharks’ unofficial list of honest potential NHL referees reflects a mix of respect for skating ability, temperament, and a bit of humor about who might manage a game fairly if the worst happened.
According to Yahoo Sports.
