Rideau View Golf Club

Below is a piece that Chris Stevenson wrote following a recent interview with Rideau View member and NHL referee Ghislain Hebert. Best wishes on your big day today and congratulations on this significant milestone!
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Rideau View member and NHL referee Ghislain Hebert is looking forward to a grand occasion Saturday!

Hebert will celebrate officiating 1,000 games in the NHL when the Ottawa Senators host the New York Rangers for a crucial afternoon meeting with playoff implications at Canadian Tire Centre.

But while Hebert will be the centre of attention, he said the day is more about recognizing what his family and friends have meant during his journey to this milestone.

“I think I’m going to have close to 70-80 guests at the game,” he said. “It’s a chance for me to recognise my family and my friends. The guys will tell you the hardest part of the job is we’re away all the time. It’s a lot of sacrifice for the family. My in-laws help me in the winter time. They drive my son who plays competitive hockey and my daughter is in dance. It takes a team on our side to do that. That’s a nice part.”

The native of Bathurst, NB, started officiating when he was 12 years old and worked his way up the ranks. While attending the University of Moncton, he worked university games and started working as a linesman in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.

As the players got bigger and faster, it was suggested to Hebert, who is about six feet tall, that he might be getting in over his head as a linesman and was switched to referee.

A camp in Minnesota got him noticed and he was hired to work games in the old Central Hockey League. That led to games in the ECHL and then the American Hockey League. He worked his first NHL game in February 2009.

NHL officials are required to live close to an NHL city (“With the amount of travel, Moncton airport wouldn’t have cut it,” he said with a laugh) and Ottawa made sense for Hebert and his family. They made the move here in 2015.

“We had to submit three cities. For me, coming from the French side and my wife is a French school teacher, I thought for me it was a good mix. There were two linesmen — Derek Nansen and Steve Barton from Vankleek Hill — but they had no referees (based out of Ottawa), so there was a spot available.”

The Hebert’s have a family membership at Rideau View and he figures he plays 25-30 games a season. He sneaks in a round here or there during the winter when his travel schedule takes him south and time permits.

When NHL officials celebrate a milestone or their last game before retirement, they get to choose the rest of the crew to work the game. It will be an all Maritime team Saturday as Hebert will work with fellow referee Jean Hebert (no relation, who’s from Bouctouche, NB) and linesmen Jesse Marquis (also from Bouctouche) and Matt MacPherson (Antigonish, NS).

They are all friends who started out and worked together in the Quebec league.

Hebert will become the 13th referee on a current staff of 44 in the NHL to work 1,000 games.

“It’s a nice honour to get to a thousand. It’s a nice recognition,” he said. “Everybody will tell you that when they start in this business. I’m no different, I started at a young age and I took the traditional route of how officials graduate to the NHL. Now the process is a little different. With the speed of the game, they kind of aim for ex-players and fast track them into officiating. I’m the old traditional way.

“I was a bad hockey player that just tried to make a living. For me to get to a thousand is a nice honour. It’s a recognition of a lot of work and sacrifice.”

By Chris Stevenson
Rideau View Golf Insider

Congratulations to our 2024 Men's Club Champion Chris Collins and to our 2024 Women's Club Champion Ceilidh Spare.

Congratulations to our Rideau View Ladies Interclub team for winning the day on September 21st and capturing the championship title for another year!🎉Thanks to the great group of ladies who participated at our host event on the 21st and to those who participated at competing clubs over the season. We had a fantastic team again this year and could not have come out on top without each and every one of our participants. Let’s keep it going into 2024!⛳️

Congratulations to our very own Head Professional Roger Beale on winning the 2023 PGA of Canada Ottawa Zone Championship. We could not be more proud of Roger’s accomplishment. 👏🏻🏆

Congratulations to our 2023 Men’s Club Champion Lewis Miller and to our 2023 Women’s Club Champion Dylann Armstrong🏆

Rideau View's Ladies Member Guest event was a success!!! We raised over $7000 for Nelson House to support women who are escaping violence and needing shelter. THANK YOU to our members and their guests for their participation and generosity, and MANY THANKS to our fantastic sponsors and booth vendors for helping us make this event possible!⛳️

Rideau View's Ladies Member Guest event is our most prestigious and exclusive event of the year! We are raising awareness to help end violence against women and children, in collaboration with Nelson House. A big THANKS to all of our generous sponsors for helping us make this event a success!

Congratulations to the Rideau View Men’s team for winning the Men’s Intersectional A division

Every year, our Family Twilight event is one of our most popular events. Given the positive feedback we’ve received from our members and little ones, we are excited to announce that we have planned a Family Brunch & Show on Sunday, July 16 at 11 AM.

Please sign up online to enjoy a buffet-style menu and a show from Little Ray’s Reptiles.🐢

The secret is out! We have a new addition to our homegrown offerings. Meet the Old Number 8 Honey Lager brewed by BIG RIG Brewery🍯🍺

What an amazing way to spend a Friday night! We are so happy to have hosted our 5th annual Big Rig Beer, Wine and Food Pairing event.🍺🍷 A special thanks to everyone that made this night possible!

Floral Friday - a quick thought that turned into a bigger idea for a great cause. The idea behind Floral Friday was that the bright colours and floral patterns would cause happy go lucky vibes for everyone around.

The game of golf promotes bonding and friendship. The pace is relaxed and allows for good conversation where we can all get away from our day-to-day hurdles, so something as simple as throwing on a floral golf shirt can help influence this type of culture on the golf course. It’s a place where we can live in the moment - we can smile, relax, have fun, and reset from our daily lives.

Anxiety and Depression is something I personally have been in a constant battle with for almost nine years now. After many trials with medications, therapy, and wrongful coping mechanisms, I have concluded that no battle is fought alone. Rideau View is one big family where we can all support each other, and I encourage all to wear floral attire on Fridays in support of mental health.

We are excited to announce that with the purchase of shirts and other floral attire available in the Pro Shop, 10% of the sale will be donated to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. On Friday’s, we are going to be featuring a “Tyler Epp Specialty Cocktail” each week. For every Tyler Epp Specialty Cocktail purchased, $2 will also be donated the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. Lastly, on top of floral attire and Special Cocktail sales, members have the option to match the donation or can also donate to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre directly using this link: http://www.theroyal.ca/inspirational. Donations $20 and above will receive a tax receipt.

At the end of the year, all the donations made throughout the summer will be presented to The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre at our Rideau View Inspirational Tournament on Sep 12th.

Can’t wait to see you in your Floral Friday attire tomorrow. 🌸

-Tyler