Security Rep Retiring

Los Angelas NHL Security Rep Lou McClary set to Retire

One of the true heroes of the game will quietly leave his post on April 9th. Many fans may not know him and to others he is vaguely familiar, but too many behinds the scenes, he is instantly recognizable. To fans close to the officials entrance to the ice in Los Angeles may recognize him and say “Where do I know that guy from – he looks familiar”?

Please follow this link to a photo gallery of Lou McClary’s long career as NHL Security Representative Los Angeles.

Familiar only begins to describe Lou McClary who will retire as the NHL Security Representative to the Los Angeles Kings, a post he has held since day one in Kings history in September 1967.

What’s the officiating connection? Lou is the last person the officials contact when we go on the ice and the first one to meet us as we leave the ice escorting us to and from our dressing room, safe and sound. He is also the first one we meet when we get to the building guiding us to our dressing room and back to our vehicles. To us he provides a safe environment in the building and ensures that all details are handled either personally or by acting as a liaison between NHL officials and the team regarding a wide range of issues from ice conditions, game timing, tickets for family members, personal security issues and the latest round of bad jokes.

Lou always wanted to make sure we got the best of the LA experience and ensured if there was a celebrity in the building he would always take them down to the dressing room and meet the guys, what a opportunity for many of our NHL officials to meet actors such as Kurt Russell & Goldie Hawn, Sylvester Stallone, Angie Dickinson, Mary Hart, Pat Sajack, Tom Hanks, and many more along with many professional figure skaters like Katarina Witt, golfers, basketball players, baseball players and other LA icons.

From the Kings first game against Philadelphia in 1967 [ a 4-2 Kings victory] in front of 7,023 fans at the Long Beach Arena; from Terry Sawchuk to Jerry Korab to Butch Goring to Bernie Nicholls to Kelly Hrudey to Rob Blake to Anzie Kopitar and Dustin Brown, Lou has been there through them all, steady as a rock, quietly doing what he does best, whatever that is – and is that not what marks a great security man - nobody can quite describe what the job encompasses but it always gets done, quietly and professionally.

And now, forty two years later from that auspicious beginning in the Long Beach Arena, Lou McClary will take his place behind the scenes at the game between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Kings, a game that will see the five Kings who have their jersey retired: Rogie Vachon, Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille on hand to help honor him. With family and friends watching, with fellow NHL security representatives there, and with the admiration and deep respect of every past and present NHL official, we will salute him, a long lingering salute. A salute that will surely be met with a humble, characteristic wave of the arm and an embarrassed smile and Lou will quietly leave the job that he grew to love. The love for the game, the love for the man and the love of the characters that make this game so great will be on display in Los Angeles on April 9th, a good day to salute a legend, a good day to say good bye, and as Lou will surely remember, a great day for hockey!

Please follow this link to a photo gallery of Lou McClary’s long career as NHL Security Representative Los Angeles.

Photo Gallery - LOU MCCLARY DAY - 03/18/2009

kings.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=MediaGalleryPlayer&galleryId=10809