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Binda, Owen, Reid Named ECHL All-Star Game Officials

January 1, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that Geno Binda has been selected as the referee and Todd Owen and Paul Reid have been chosen to be the linesmen for the 2010 ECHL All-Star Game presented by Reebok Hockey and brought to you by Toyota and the City of Ontario.

"It is an honor to be selected to work an assignment like this," said ECHL Director of Officiating Joe Ernst. "Each one of these officials has earned the right to work the All-Star Game and they are all very excited to be a part of the event in Ontario."

The 2010 ECHL All-Star Game presented by Reebok Hockey and brought to you by Toyota and the City of Ontario will be hosted by the Ontario Reign at Citizens Business Bank Arena and played on Jan. 20, 2010 while the 2010 ECHL All-Star Skills Competition will be held on Jan. 19, 2010.

In his first season in the ECHL in 2008-09, Binda worked a league-high 77 regular season games and 10 games in the Kelly Cup Playoffs including Games 3 and 5 of the Kelly Cup Finals. He is working in both the ECHL and the American Hockey League in 2009-10.

Reid is in his third season with the ECHL and has worked almost 200 regular season games while being chosen to work the Kelly Cup Playoffs every year including the Kelly Cup Finals in 2009.

Since beginning to work for the ECHL in 2003, Owen has officiated more than 350 regular season games and been chosen to work the Kelly Cup Playoffs 6 years and has also worked the Kelly Cup Finals in 2008.

Ian Walsh, Brian Pochmara and Justin St. Pierre, who worked the All-Star Game in 1997, 2002 and 2001, respectively, are working as referees in the National Hockey League while Brian Mach, who worked the All-Star Game in 1999, works as a linesman in the NHL.

There are 20 former ECHL officials working as part of the NHL officiating team in 2009-10 with referees David Banfield, Francis Charron, Chris Ciamaga, Ghislain Herbert, Marc Joannette, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Kyle Rehman, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre and Ian Walsh, and linesmen Steve Barton, Bryan Pancich, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak and Jay Sharrers.

Six of the 11 full-time officials working in the American Hockey League and four of the six officials contracted to the NHL who are working in the AHL came from the ECHL while five current ECHL referees and 14 current ECHL linesmen have worked AHL games this season.

There have been 58 players from the All-Star Game who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 33 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.

The past seven ECHL All-Star Games have generated more than $1 million each for the local economy as guests, players, coaches and fans occupy hundreds of hotel rooms and spend three days in the host city.

The game has been available live on the NHL Network the last seven years as well as being broadcast on multiple regional networks. The audio broadcast has been carried on XM Satellite Radio as well as being available in all ECHL markets.

The Stanley Cup and the Patrick J. Kelly Cup will both be on display throughout the event, marking the 10th time in the last 11 years that the NHL championship trophy and the ECHL championship trophy have been displayed together at the All-Star Game.

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