Tim Nowak (1985)

Tim Nowak is what is called a hockey lifer. From his early days as a youth player at Holiday Twin Rinks, as a goaltender for the Maryvale Flyers and the Buffalo Regals and as a collegiate player at Buffalo State, Tim could have never imagined the journey hockey was about to take him on. With the influence of fellow Maryvale Distinguished Alumnus Mark Rudolph, Tim began his career as an on-ice hockey official. This career choice would lead him to officiate over 1,700 NHL regular season games, the Olympics, Winter Classics Stanley Cup playoffs and so much more. 

Tim Nowak is a class of 1985 graduate of Maryvale High School. While in high school, Tim was a goaltender for the Maryvale Flyers from 1982 to 1985. 

Tim began officiating at the age of 12 at Holiday Twin Rinks. He would continue officiating throughout his playing years whenever he had time in order to earn some pocket money and to get extra ice-time to work on his skating. After his playing days at Buffalo State, Tim began working as a high school hockey official and received his first break when former East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) commissioner Pat Kelly gave him a chance and hired him as a linesman. He worked in the ECHL from 1989 to 1993 and also spent time during these years working the defunct International Hockey League (IHL). Additionally, during this same time, Tim also worked in the American Hockey League (AHL) and NCAA Division I Men’s hockey. In the summer of 1993, the National Hockey League (NHL) offered Tim a contract as a Linesman at the age of 25. Tim’s first regular season NHL was on October 8, 1993, in Landover, Maryland at the old USAir Arena when the New Jersey Devils where visiting the Washington Capitals, a game that saw over 180 minutes of penalties assessed to both teams. 

Over the course of his 26-year NHL career, Nowak officiated 1,731 regular season games, 114 playoff games and was selected to several important assignments including:

· 2003 NHL All-Star Game held in Sunrise Florida

· 2003 Stanley Cup Finals between the Anaheim Ducks and the New Jersey Devils

· 2004 NHL World Cup of Hockey

· 2008 NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo, NY

· 2007 NHL Premiere Games in Helsinki, Finland

· 2015 NHL Winter Classic in Washington, DC

· 2018 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden

· 2018 NHL Stadium Series in Annapolis, MD

· 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City

· 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver 

In addition to his prestigious NHL career, Tim was also an instructor for the USA Hockey National Officiating Development Program from 1993 to 2008. Since his retirement from the NHL in 2019, Tim is currently the East Coast Hockey League Officiating Manager and Head Coach for the Easton High School hockey team in Easton, MD.