Widow of hockey ref who died from Covid thinks he contracted it during games ... Posted By: WCCO MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The wife of a youth hockey referee, who died from COVID-19, believes he contracted the virus while officiating games in Carver County. Sixty-two-year-old Dan Culhane passed away in late February. His wife, Nancy Mitchell, also got the virus and was later told by health officials that she had the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom and is considered highly contagious. “He loved the game itself. He loved the kids, especially the younger ones that were just kind of learning,” Mitchell said.