he following contains many allegations ... allegations in multiple credible newspapers, verified by multiple sources (albeit anonymous). For the sake of the article, I will assume they are true, to talk about the underlying issues. However, nothing has been confirmed by the NHL, van Hellemond, or a named source. As we say in the business, the acts are "alleged."

With the "don't-libel" language out of the way, I can tell you about a disturbing story in the game of hockey that has broken over the last few days. Recently, the NHL Director of Officiating, Andy van Hellemond left his post. Not terribly notable as van Hellemond had been there a while, had a rather controversial stay in the job, but did usher in the 2 Referee system. The job was done, so it was time to move on.

Not so fast, Andy

However, since the announcement of his resignation, there has been a lot of buzz in the news about the issues surrounding his departure. Greatest among them is the allegation that van Hellemond on a regular basis was taking loans from officials working for him. Those loans ranged from $100 to an eye-popping $10,000 and were often solicited in the dressing room, before the game.

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