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