(Taylor Lachance/Red Deer Rebels)

By Ian Gustafson

Stepping away from officiating

Red Deer’s Huseby brothers reflect on final WHL game

Dec 28, 2025 | 5:44 PM

For 15 seasons, Red Deer’s Cody and Chad Huseby have been the face of hockey officiating in central Alberta.

And on Saturday night, following the Red Deer Rebels tilt with the Edmonton Oil Kings, the twin brothers officially retired from officiating in the Western Hockey League in the arena where they’ve worked hundreds of games.

The linesmen went through their pregame ritual, laced up their skates, and headed out to the ice to officiate their final game at the Centrium in front of family and friends.

Chad explained they decided to step aside to allow for younger officials in the province to get their chance at officiating in the WHL.

“I remember being a 24-year-old kid trying to break into the Western Hockey League and trying to work my way up… You don’t want to be that guy who holds on too long and takes a spot away from a young guy that’s up nd coming,” Chad said in an interview with rdnewsNOW prior to their final game.

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“It’s a point in time for us where life is busy, and we are both coaching hockey now. It’s been a great run with lots of games and memories along the way. Everything runs its course and gets to that point.”

The move solidifies a historic career in the WHL that began in 2010 and included approximately 350 games in major junior hockey.

The twins, who are now 40 years old, officiated numerous playoff games, the WHL Finals, and multiple Memorial Cup Championships. In addition, they also worked games at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, multiple American Hockey League games and an NHL game in December 2022 in Edmonton.

Chad said working in the NHL was a core memory as they worked their whole career to reach the game’s highest level.

“Being able to work in professional hockey through the AHL and then in the one NHL game was certainly something we are very proud of,” he said.

“We worked a lot of games in the WHL, and I know Cody, and I are both super thankful to the WHL for all of the opportunities that were provided to us… It was an avenue for us to get to professional hockey, and there were lots of mentors who helped us to get to where we are today, back when we started, when we were 12 or 13 years old.”

However, the two aren’t walking away from the game completely. They both want to explore ways to serve in an off-ice or on-ice mentorship role for younger officials.

Cody is currently the referee-in-chief for Red Deer Minor Hockey, where he provides guidance and support for officials.

“Both of our kids are getting into officiating, so I think we’ll both still look to stay on the ice in that capacity and work some minor hockey games with them,” Cody added.

The brothers said working their final game was bittersweet as they still love coming to the rink, especially when they get to skate together.

“This one will be a little extra special… It gives you a lot of time to kind of reflect on some of the memories you’ve had and how good a run it was for the 15 years we were in the league,” Chad said.

When asked if they would ever consider a return to officiating, they said no, as life circumstances have changed for the duo.

They explained that a lot of people also don’t see the grind that it can be to do in your spare time. It requires a lot of sacrifice and family support to make it work. Both Cody and Chad had plenty of that, which they attributed to their success.

“It allowed us to chase our dream and try to make it as far as we could,” Chad added.

When asked what their best advice would be for young officials breaking into the game, they said it’s important to stick with it, especially when it gets hard.

“There are various points that I can look back on where we could have easily found something else to do,” Chad added.

“Stick with it, have that inner belief in yourself, look for support where you can find it. I think everyone has a role to play in the game of hockey and hold a certain responsibility to make sure that we’re all in it together. Games don’t happen without the third team on the ice, and they need to be supported just like the players. It starts with respect from players, coaches, fans, and everybody involved in the game.”