As part of this duel between the Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks, Furlatt had the chance to enjoy this game in front of a little more than twenty parents and friends who were there to experience this moment with him.
“When I think about 1500 games, the first thing that comes to mind is that I’m old! It’s an incredible experience. I never thought I would get there. In fact, I didn’t think I would make it to the NHL. The years go by so quickly, it makes no sense. It seems like it hasn’t been that long since I started, but it’s already my 25th year. When you get on the wheel, it starts going fast,” Furlatt said.
First part in 2001
The first game he had the chance to officiate took place in Columbus in a game between the Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers in October 2001. Along the way, the hours spent at the foreigner were numerous, as were the lessons that marked the course of his career.
“When I arrived, I thought I was ready for the NHL. Maybe I was naive. I knew more or less what was going on, especially the underside of professional hockey. I learned over the years how it worked.”
— Eric Furlatt, referee
The native of the Cap-de-la-Madeleine area concedes that hard work is a necessity to have such a career in the best hockey league in the world.
“You can’t take nights off. You have to give your 100%. It’s a job where no one thanks you, but it’s important. We are constantly under the microscope. Yes, we make mistakes, but we try to minimize them as much as possible. This is where I learned the most. Hockey has so many cameras, so you can’t make any mistakes. Everything is there today. It has evolved enormously and even made our job a little more difficult!”
Valuable experience in the final
In addition to his 1,500 games in the regular season, we must add nearly 200 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Furlatt admits, as soon as he put his skate on the ice at Detroit’s legendary Joe Louis Arena for a Red Wings playoff duel, he realized it wasn’t the same as the rest.
“The first one you make in the playoffs is always impressive. In Detroit, I remember everyone had a white towel and it was spectacular. I saw that I was somewhere else. It wasn’t a little Tuesday night game in Columbus.”
-Earning his stripes year after year, the referee from Mauricie reached the Stanley Cup final in the spring of 2021 for the battle between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens.
“The final is the icing on the cake. Everyone works to get there. You can hardly ask for better. These are memories that will always remain in my mind. […] There are usually five referees and five linesmen. There is a small rotation during this step. You play a match, you are then the substitute referee and then you are on leave.
No retirement soon
At 53, Furlatt knows he has less in front than behind. No, there is no question of retirement immediately, but with his back causing him pain, it does not seem possible to see him one day overtake Kerry Fraser at the top of the NHL for games refereed (1902).
“It will depend on the physique! My back is a little weak. I think I’ll do two more years, but I don’t have a pre-established number. It’s definitely not my last year though. I want to come back next year. We will see later. As the players say, one year at a time.”
— Eric Furlatt, referee
While he concedes that he does not know if Mauricie has future candidates to one day take over in the NHL, Furlatt is of the opinion that the region has a good history and that there are excellent referees, past or present, who are native to it.
“I hear good things about the area officials who are in the juniors. The next generation is number one. Is this NHL up-and-coming? I don’t know since I haven’t seen them work. My hat is off to these guys though who are dedicated to their work. The region has always been known for producing good officials. It’s rare that you see four guys in the NHL who come from Trois-Rivières. It’s almost inconceivable. I hope there will be more!”
