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Longtime WHL official from Kelowna calls it a career

Steve Papp officiated his last game on Tuesday night at Prospera Place
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Longtime WHL referee and Kelowna native Steve Papp is retiring. (@reganrant/Twitter)

Kelowna native Steve Papp is hanging up the skates.

The referee officiated his final Western Hockey League (WHL) game on Tuesday night, game three between the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds.

Now 39 years old, Papp has been with the WHL for 19 seasons, with 17 of them as a referee. Back in 2019, he was the recipient of the WHL Milestone Award.

He has reffed in more than 700 WHL games, including many conference championships, championships, and Memorial Cups. He also was a referee at the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championships.

READ MORE: Backs against the wall: Kelowna Rockets down 3-0 heading into game 4

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jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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