Flames and Coyotes congratulate longtime referee's career

A veteran official of 23 years, Brad Meier, reffed his last NHL game at the Saddledome Saturday night in Calgary. Meier has been in the NHL since the 2000-01 season and was one of the referees that was selected to officiate the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

NHL referees get a lot of flack from management, players and hockey fans alike, but the job they do is very hard, as it's a fast-paced game where things are easy to miss in real-time.

The class act that the Coyotes and Flames showed Brad Meier exhibits the respect that players and coaches have for the referees. However, we may not see that when we watch the games live!

Congratulations to Brad Meier on a long, successful career!