Background
He officiated in the National Hockey League from 1984–2008 Dapuzzo grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where he went to Franklin Elementary School and attended Saint Bridget"s Church.
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Pat Dapuzzo
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Career
As a boy, he could often be seen playing roller hockey on the street by the church with his friends. A great mystery to the people who knew him growing up in New Jersey was where he learned to skate well enough to officiate in the National Hockey League. His officiating career began in the 1984-1985 National Hockey League season, only six years removed from graduating high school. He officiated 1,532 regular season games, 63 playoff games, and one All-Star Game.
He also worked the 1991 Canada Cup.
He retired after the 2007-2008 National Hockey League season, during which he was severely injured on February 9 when he was struck in the face with an ice skate. The accident occurred when the Philadelphia Flyers" Steve Downie, during the course of being checked into the boards, accidentally struck Dapuzzo in the face, causing ten different fractures in his face and cutting his nose from his face, which required forty stitches to reattatch.
The injuries caused by the skate and skate blade would have been prevented if Dapuzzo had been wearing a visor at the time. Dapuzzo now works as a part-time scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
