CANORA – Tarrington Wyonzek, who has ties to Canora, reached a long-time goal recently when he received word that he had been chosen as one of the linesman for the hockey tournament at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
“I received the news on a Zoom call with the International Ice Hockey Federation officiating manager,” said Wyonzek. “There was a long list of 32 names, 16 linesman and 16 referees. Seven referees and six linesmen were selected for the Olympics.”
Wyonzek is the grandson of Henry and Anne Wyonzek of Canora, and Victor and Vickie Puchala of Yorkton (formerly of Rhein) and the son of Pat and Karen Wyonzek, and it sounds like family members were at least as happy as he was to hear the good news.
“Tears of joy from my wife Kelsey, Mom and Dad, they were super happy,” he said, adding, “I never expected something like this, I’ve had a good career in IIHF, the selection process could’ve gone either way.”
Wyonzek has previously worked at a number of high level IIHF tournaments in the past, including the 2024 World Championships. But he expects this tournament is going to be something special, especially since the NHL will be involved.
“The hockey is going to be the best on best players, something I’ve never seen before. The NHL is there, and they will be shutting down their schedule during that time.”
The selection process for 2026 Winter Olympic hockey got underway pretty much as soon as the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China had wrapped up.
“After the Beijing Olympics, the IIHF picked 16 referees and 16 linesman for the long list of candidates. Those 32 have been working IIHF tournaments ever since, competing for a spot at the Olympic.”
Wyonzek’s Olympic preparations include continuing to work as a linesman during the coming season in the WHL (major junior) and the AHL (developmental league for the NHL). He said he continues to enjoy his work.
“Just the challenge, every game is something different, you don’t know what each game is going to bring.”
After being involved in on-ice officiating for over 20 years, going back to his days in minor hockey, Wyonzek said his experience is definitely a valuable asset.
“The experience helps, you learn communication with the players and coaches, as well as how to handle different situations.”
Since he has never been to Italy Wyonzek plans to take in the sights, including the restaurants. Unlike other IIHF tournaments, the Olympics will involve a number of other sports.
“My wife will be making the trip to Italy with me,” said Wyonzek. “She’s a big figure skating fan, so I’m sure we’ll be watching some of that competition.”
The men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics is scheduled to get underway on Feb. 11, with the gold medal game set for Feb. 22.
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