Mike Emanatian will wear whistle for one last time

Hockey fans from around the Capital Region may not know the name, but many would recognize the short, stocky man in the striped shirt skating on the ice.

Mike Emanatian, a Watervliet native who lives in Brunswick, has officiated games for 35 years, mostly as a linesman at the professional and college levels.

Now 53, Emanatian will wear the whistle for the final time Saturday night, working the Mayor's Cup game between RPI and Union at Times Union Center.

He called his final AHL game Jan. 11 at Springfield, Mass., and officiated one last ECHL contest a week later in Glens Falls.

"It's probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Emanatian said. "My heart and head don't want to stop, it's my body that's pretty much saying it's time. It's part of my life.

"I've been playing hockey since I was 4, and I've been doing this since I was 17, professionally since I was 18 or 19. It's very emotional. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's part of the deal. I knew it was coming."

Retirement had been a discussion topic between Emanation and his wife, Robin, for the past few years. Shoulder surgery that cost him the first half of last season brought it closer to reality.

He also has endured back issues, which ended his playing days as a teenager and steered him toward wearing the stripes.

"When I was done playing, my junior hockey coach, John Gilchrist, was a local hockey referee and assigner," Emanatian said. "I could still skate. I just couldn't play anymore. He told me, 'You're going to Frear Park with me Saturday morning — I was 15 or 16 — put on a pair of black pants. I'll bring you a sweater. No helmets back in the days. Bring your skates. I've got a whistle for you, and something happened.

"I was doing a Little Mite game with him, and I called a penalty. It...