The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced that Art McNally is the Contributor Nominee for the Class of 2022.

McNally is considered to be the “Father of Modern Officiating”, and if elected would be the first official to enter Canton.  Considering how important the officiating crew is in football in relation to other sports, it is surprising that nobody in stripes has yet to be honored with a bust

McNally began his NFL career in 1959 as a field judge, and would be a referee from 1960 to 1968.  Afterward, McNally would become the supervisor of officials, and he modernized the role through extensive training.  In 1986, McNally brought in instant replay, and helped to bring modern technology to the role.  McNally, who is now 96, was a consultant up until six years ago.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our congratulations to Art McNally for achieving this step, and we hope that he will be inducted in 2022.

Mark Pysyk began his pro career in Buffalo, where after four years in Western New York, he was dealt to the Florida Panthers in 2016.

Pysyk, who established himself as a lockdown Defenseman, had more ample opportunity to show his skills as a Panther, and would occasionally appear as a Right Wing when needed.  The native of Alberta did not score much, but he knew his role, and performed it admirably.

He left Florida via free agency in 2020, joining the Dallas Stars. 

After finally becoming the permanent backup to Martin Brodeur in New Jersey, Scott Clemmensen joined the Florida Panthers as a Free Agent going into the 2009-10 Season.

Clemmensen was not the main man in between the pipes for the Panthers either but he had a GAA under three in all of his first three seasons in South Beach.  His best year coming in 2011-12 where over 30 Games, he had a 14-6-6 Record with a 2.57 GAA.  Clemmensen played a lot less in his last two years, especially with the arrival of Roberto Luongo, and he rejoined New Jersey in 2014.

As a Panther, Clemmensen had a record of 40-39-18 and a 2.88 GAA.

Mark Fitzpatrick had gone through a lot before he became a Florida Panther.  When he was playing with the Islanders, he contracted Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome, a neurological disease that held him out of most of the 1990-91 Season and a large part of the 1991-92 campaign.  He came back, and was rightfully the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.

Fitzpatrick, who was traded to Quebec in 1993, was promptly chosen by the Florida Panthers in the Expansion Draft, and he played for Florida for five seasons, serving as John Vanbiesbrouck’s backup.  In this period, Fitzpatrick had a respectable 43042-22 record with a 2.71 GAA, and while he only had 60 logged minutes in Florida’s shocking run to the 1996 Finals, he was part of the reason that they got there in the first place.