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Linesman Ray Scapinello, who worked a record 2,500 consecutive NHL games, enters the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. He provides five insights into his career:

1. I was 20 years old, a good Junior C hockey player, but not going anywhere because I was somewhat vertically challenged, when Mel McPhee, a member of the Guelph referees' association, approached me one day and said if I wanted to stay involved in hockey, I should join their association. The NHL was the farthest thing from my mind.

2. I was doing children's hockey, Saturday and Sunday mornings. One year, I was one of about 15 officials invited to an NHL rookie camp, and from that group, they invited about four or five guys to the NHL camp — and I wasn't one of those guys. The next year, I was invited back to the rookie camp and then to the NHL camp and from there, I was hired. I was just in the right place, at the right time.

3. I came close to missing games because of groin pulls and such, but I was lucky because I might do it on a Saturday and then not have another game until the following Friday.

4. People will argue with you until you're blue in the face, but I pick Wayne Gretzky as the greatest player I've ever seen and Bob Probert as the greatest fighter. Although I could probably name another 10, there was just something about Probert.

5. It started for me in 1971 and 33 years later, I retired. To be the 14th or 15th official to go into the Hall of Fame, I have to tell you, I still haven't got the smile off my face.