In an Adult League game last night, one of the refs in a 2 man system made a mistake when calling icing. The faceoff stayed in the zone and the non-offending team protested, saying the faceoff should be at center ice. This used to be the rule, but it was changed 2 years ago. The current ruling is:
Rule 620(f) - If the Officials shall have erred in calling an “icing the puck”
infraction (regardless of whether either team is shorthanded)
a last play face-off (end zone face-off spot nearest to the
location of the puck when play was stopped) shall occur.
The new rule makes sense because that is where the puck should have been and you can not give the other team any advantage by taking the puck out of the zone.
A scary incident occurred last week when a referee in Canada had his neck cut while breaking up a fight [store here]. This led to an interesting question posed by @oliveridley:
The answer is yes. However the risk greatly diminishes if you know what you are doing. Note: This information might also be useful for players who like to fight because it will let you know what to expect when the fists stop flying and the zebras come rushing in. Having been on both sides of this equation, I will explain the best way to break up a hockey fight as a referee:
Rule 1) Stop and Watch:
The thing I see most refs do wrong when a fight breaks out is immediately jump in. When 2 players decide to scrap, their intensity levels are peaked and will most likely start throwing hay-makers. Watch NHL referees when a fight starts, they quickly skate to the altercation, but then stop and observe. This allows the players to tire themselves out a bit first, which makes for an easier break.
Rule 2) Wait for your partner:
This is extremely important for not only your safety, but the safety of the fighters. If you are by yourself and try to breakup 2 pugilists, by definition you will only be able to restrain 1 of the participants. This leaves one fighter free without the other player able to defend himself. So just like a good party, never go in alone.
Rule 3) The Technique
There is a right and a wrong way to break up a fight.
- The WRONG WAY: Never grab a player from behind. You don’t have a good grip from back there and you are in perfect position to get punched by a stray fist.
- The RIGHT WAY: Once the players are and tired and the fight is winding down signal to your partner that you are moving in.
- From the side of the fighters, use your arms like a pair of scissors (one from above and one from below) to ‘cut’ the fighters arms and lock them in place. This way he can not throw any more punches and is forced to let go of the jersey he may have been holding. If you and your partner time this right, both players will be instantaneously restricted of mobility.
- This ‘scissor’ move works well for this reason:
- No matter the size difference between the referee and the fighter, you will be able to restrict his arms and stop the fight. This is due to the fact that the amount of force coming down and trapping his arms is far greater then the force he would require to open yours.
- Think of it like an Alligator’s bite. An Alligator can close his jaws with the force of over 2,000lbs. However, once the jaws are shut, it only takes a small amount of force to keep them closed.
Final Thoughts: Fighting is very dangerous and should be treated with the utmost respect. However officiating is a dangerous job as well. Any referee can tell you being hit by a puck or whacked with a stick is all part of the job. To avoid injury it is important that referees are in proper position and execute proper technique whether it they are dropping the puck for a face-off, waving an off-sides, or breaking up a fight.
I ref mens league and frequently there are some common questions that come up. Here I will try and narrow down the most common questions asked by adult league players. I have tried to simplify the answers in my own words, because sometimes the jargon used in the ref manual is too complicated and hard to understand.
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