Congratulations, Devo (Solution No, 3,359)

[whoops--left this on draft status: sorry, solvers]

The solution to this week’s The Nation cryptic crossword is below the fold. 

There is no other sport that does better by its retiring officials than hockey. Paul Devorski, one of the last of the old-time referees from the era of the three-man system, nameplates on your sweater, and officials without helmets, hung up his skates two weeks ago.  As it has done for other retirees, the NHL gave Devo his choice of where to work his final game (here in Philly—Devo lives in Harrisburg) and which partners to work it with (among them Paul’s linesman brother Greg).

The players all skated over to the referee’s crease for a handshake line at the conclusion of the game, and to their great credit, the TV producers for NBC made sure to show it and take a moment to recognize some of the highlights of Devo’s career (including a seventh game of the Stanley Cup Final and the gold medal game of the 2006 Olympics).

Jake Voracek wishes Devo a happy and healthy retirement. 

Devo’s retirement had particular meaning for me, since he was the last active NHL official who was older than me.  Brad Watson, now the oldest ref remaining, is two weeks younger than I am.

There’s a few more years left in my legs, especially since I don’t have to keep up with the greatest players in the world like Devo did; but I’d be lying if I said retirement has never crossed my mind.  I’ve stepped aside from working high school and top-level midget games: they need younger and faster officials than me.  I also do a lot fewer three-game days than I used to.

There’s still plenty to skate for, even on the tail end of your career: working with younger officials, seeing players improve over the course of a season, nailing a close call on the line or an unusual situation and rules interpretation, and coming home with a story to share.  That’s why we lace ‘em up and blow the whistle.  

Solution to The Nation puzzle No. 3,359

Legend: “*” anagram; “~” sounds like; “<“ letters reversed; “( )” letters inserted; “_” or lower case: letters deleted; “†” explicit in the clue, “^” first or last letter or letters, “{“ relocated letter or letters; “§” heteronym, “¶” letter bank, “‡” Spoonerism

Across

1a	HACKS	Double definition
4a	VI <EOT< APE	VI (“Violet” [nickname, not the color]) + <TOE< (“kick,” reversal indicated by “back”) + APE (“King Kong, e.g.”)
9a	TASK FORCE	migh_T ASK FOR CE_rtain (hidden word indicated by “materials”)
10a	CHO(M)P	CHOP (“a cut of lamb”) containing (†) ^M^int (first letter indicated by “a hint of”)
11a	_EELS	_f_EELS (“gropes,” omission of F (“fail”) indicated by “without”)
12a	~CONAN DOYLE	~CONE AND OIL (“something to hold ice cream and peanut product,” homophone indicated by “discussed”)
14a	DIVAGATE	Pun. You have to trust your intuition here.  Hot and Trazom are careful enough that if there’s something obviously coming out of the wordplay and intersecting letters, trust it’s a valid word.
15a	<KNIF<ES	<FINK< (“informer,” reversal indicated by “returning”) + d^ES^k (middle letters indicated by “contents of”)
18a	B(L)EACH	paste^L^ (last letter indicated by “ultimately”) contained in (“in”) BEACH (“a location where some get tan”)
19a	BUDAPEST	BUD (“friend”) + A (†) + PEST (“nuisance”)
22a	*WADING POOL	*WINO LAPDOG  (anagram indicated by “romping”)
24a	UGLY	sm_UG LY_ricist (hidden word indicated by “excerpt from”)
26a	~TIGER	~THAI GRR (“growl from southeast Asia,” homophone indicated by “loud”)
27a	QUIDDITCH	QUID (“pound” [the British unit of currency]) + DITCH (“a long hole”)
28a	HOPE CHEST	^H^ijacked (first letter indicated by “initially”) + OPEC (“international cartel”) + HES (“the man’s”) + T (“shirt”)
29a	<STRAP<	<PARTS< (“sectors,” reversal indicated by “in a recession”)

Down

1d	HOTHEAD	s_HO_t (†, omission of first and last letters indicated by “naked”) + THE (“French tea”) + AD (“commercial”)
2d	*CEST LA VIE	*EVIL CASTE (anagram indicated by “running amok”)
3d	SOFA_	SO FA_r_ (“until now,” omission of last letter indicated by “unfinished”)
4d	VERMOUTH	_o_VER (“done,” omission of first letter indicated by “removing cap”) + MOUTH (“opening”)
5d	~DEEJAY	abi_DJ_an (hidden letters indicated by “residing in,” sounding out the letters)
6d	}O{CCIDENTAL	{A}CCIDENTAL (“by chance,” replacement of A with O indicated by “switching blood types”)
7d	AGONY	AGO (“back”) + NY (“New York”)
8d	<EM<PRESS	<ME< (“the author,” reversal indicated by “is upset”) + PRESS (“iron”)
13d	*EGOCEN(T)RIC	*CONCIERGE (anagram indicated by “unreliable”) containing (“takes”) T (“time”)
16d	F(RE)IGHTER	FIGHTER (“combatant”) containing (“secures”) ^R^econnaissanc^E^ (first and last letters indicated by “perimeter”)
17d	HUMORIST	na_HUM OR IS T_hat (hidden word indicated by “passage from”)
18d	<BEW<ITCH	<WEB< (“part of the internet,” reversal indicated by “raised”) + ITCH (“desire”)
20d	*TO(Y) SHOP	*PHOTOS (anagram indicated by “retouched”) containing (“featuring”) ^Y^eti (first letter indicated by “face”)
21d	OPA_QUE	OPA_l_ (“stone,” omission of last letter indicated by “cut”) + QUE (“in Guadalajara [Mexico] that”)
23d	<DIG UP<	<PUG (“a small dog”) + ID< (“tag,” reversal of the whole thing indicated by “turned over”)
25d	ADDS	A (†) + DDS (“dentist”)