Dan Kordic

Few players know the rules better than Dan Kordic. He spent his professional hockey career breaking the rules. So what does a former penalty king do when he retires as a player? Why he becomes a referee, and calls penalties instead of committing them.

Following in the footsteps of former tough guys Paul Stewart and Kevin Maguire, Dan Kordic is working his way up the junior system and hopes to land back in the NHL as a referee.

Kordic, now living in Mississauga, played 197 games with the Philadelphia Flyers over six seasons, spending 584 minutes in the penalty box. He had four goals and eight assists.

"I never thought Dan would be an official," NHL director of officiating Bryan Lewis said. "A year ago, he was a guy going around using his stick for other things than scoring goals."

However Lewis, who was instrumental in Stewart and Maguire's ascent as officials, was impressed by Kordic's work.

"They have a good sense for potential trouble. It's a sense they've got because they probably were a party to a lot of it," Lewis said.

Kordic, at six-foot-five and 235 pounds, could make one heck of a linesman, especially when breaking up altercations.

Dan of course is the younger brother of the infamous John Kordic - one of hockey's baddest boys on and off the ice. Dan managed to keep his nose cleaner. However Dan, like his brother, was unable to shake the label of goon at the pro level. The defenseman turned left winger was used almost primarily for fighting.

Dan played 4 solid years on the blueline with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL before turning pro in 1991. After initially trying defense at the NHL level, the Flyers opted to use him on left wing because of his lack of mobility.

Dan played 7 professional seasons, all in the Flyers organization. This included 197 games, although he probably played in less than 10 minutes of action in most of those. He accumulated 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points to go along with 584 PIM. He added 1 goal in 12 playoff contests.