THE BLACK AND WHITE ADVISIOR (Refs Corner)

The puck is shot out of play…

Where is the ensuing faceoff held?

This is a common question I get in Mens League. For example sake, say the Blues are playing the Blackhawks, and Brad Boyes is in the offensive zone and takes a shot which hits the crossbar and deflects out of play. Where is the faceoff?

• The faceoff comes out of the zone and is conducted at the nearest neutral zone location. Why? Because the offensive player ‘caused’ the stoppage by being the last one to touch the puck. If you think about it, it makes sense. The attacking player caused the stoppage by shooting the puck out of the rink, therefore he should not get the advantage of having the faceoff in the attacking zone
• Conversely, if Brad Boyes shoots the puck from the same location but it deflects off the goalie or a defenseman, the faceoff is where? In the zone, because the defensive player was the last one to touch the puck, therefore the defensive player caused the stoppage of play.

Like most rules in hockey, this one ‘makes sense’ if you think about it. I have found if you understand the meaning of a rule, it is easier to remember and enforce on the ice.

[Rules 628(a) and 611(f)]

THE BLACK AND WHITE ADVISIOR (Refs Corner)

One thing I see Mens Leaguers do which really annoys me is getting on the ice too early. I think this comes from 2 things:

1. Players are too excited to get on the ice and not waste thier precise ice time.
2. Players do not fully understand why the ice needs to ‘settle’.

When the Zam presses a new sheet of ice what happens? The machine scrapes the top layer of shaved ice off of the rink, and lays down a thin layer of hot water in it’s place. Why is this important? If you get on the ice and skate around as soon as the Zam door closes, the water never gets a chance to freeze. As a result the ice is soft, brittle and chips very easily. As a result of this, the puck bounces and you can not grip and bite into the ice as well when skating.

To clarify (because there has been some confusion) as a referee, the reason I sometimes close the rink doors and restrict players from getting on the ice within the exact nano-second which the door closes, is to let the water freeze. This is for the benefit of the game, to let the water sit and freeze for 2 minutes so there is not a pond behind the net.

So next time you are at the front of the line, ready to go on for warm-ups, stop and wait. Visually examine the ice and check to see for large puddles in the corners. This is a good indicator it is ‘safe’ to get on. Also this check will insure not only happy referees, but happy Zamboni drivers, and an overall better run game.

-The B League Referee