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Before Dan Schachte made NHL history over the weekend, he sat and listened intently to the voices inside his head.
One was reasonable. The other was overbearing. They ultimately guided Schachte to the same place.
Schachte, a Madison native who lives in the town of Middleton, decided this will be his final season working as an NHL linesman. He's done it for 30 years, which should be an indicator of how well he performed in a demanding, intense environment.
In fact, Schachte did something pretty remarkable Saturday when he worked the Minnesota
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St. Louis matinee just down the street from the Gateway Arch. Not only was it the 2,000th outing of a career that began in 1982, he became the first American to join that club, which now has five members.
"It's time. It just is," Schachte said. "When I was a young guy, a lot of older guys (in the profession) said, 'You'll know.' Well, they were right. The time is now."
That was his thoughtful voice you heard there. Schachte will be 54 in July. Years of breaking up fights, eluding collisions and avoiding the weapons of the game - zooming pucks and errant sticks - have taken their toll. Then there's the constant coast-to-coast travel that kept Schachte away...