Hey Ref

Hey Ref – Mid-season focus

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By Duncan Ryhorchuk

Half of the regular season is over. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year tournaments are in the record books. It’s cold outside, traffic is slow, the Christmas Visa bill is due and it seems to snow every other day.

With all these factors in play, officials need to remain focused on the game that they are officiating. Officials are expected to bring their “A” game all the time. How can this be done with all these factors?

Most officials officiate because they love the game and want to give something back to youth organizations. Some do it for the physical activity. And yes, a few do it for the money. But as with players, the percentage of officials that will make hockey a career is very low.

Looking at these factors, when is too many games or workdays in a row too many for an official to maintain their focus?

In the Jan. 10, edition of the Star Tribune, there is a headline in the sports section titled “Iron Man Theodore ran out of gas.” Minnesota Wild goalie Jose Theodore had played the last three games on the road and coach Todd Richards was wondering if the veteran goaltender felt fit enough to start the next night vs. Dallas.

Four work dates in a week may not seem like a lot in some professions. But with all the extra game-related activities, travel, practice and pre-game preparations and requirements, plus the focus that a professional goaltender must maintain, a mental or physical letdown by the player cannot solely be blamed.

This mental or physical letdown can also happen to some youth hockey players. Teams schedule a three- or four-game tournament on a weekend only to have a regular season game scheduled upon their return on Sunday night. The coach and parents then blame the team’s letdown in the Sunday night game on playing so many games in the tournament.

For each official, the number of games that they are able to maintain their focus in varies. Some say they can do 10 days in a row with two or three games a day and focus is not a problem. For other officials, in the second game in a day they find their minds wandering, or they are unable to turn on the speed to get to the goal line on a play at the net.

Whatever drives an official – love of the game, conditioning or compensation – they must remember that regardless of the level of the game or the time in the season that the game is being played, that particular game is important to someone. Yes, for the majority it is just a game. But what if little Johnny received a new stick for the game or Sally’s grandparents are at the game watching?

Officials need to be at their best all the time, thus allowing the participants fair opportunities to showcase their talents. Lack of focus or being tired because this is your sixth game in three days is not an acceptable excuse for not getting in position or not making the correct call. 

Knowing when enough time on the ice for players, coaches and officials is important for physical and mental focus. The home stretch of the season and the playoffs are coming up. Let’s be prepared to bring our “A” game to the arena for each game.

If you have any comments, questions or an officiating subject that you would like expanded on, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Hey Ref – How many refs are needed?

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By Duncan Ryhorchuk

In hockey there are multiple officiating systems that could be used – two referees, one ref with two linesmen, two refs with one linesmen, and two refs with two linesmen. I have also seen some Mite and Squirt leagues use just one referee. So that leads to the question, “What or who determines which system is used?” This topic was brought forward by a question posed to “Hey Ref.”

I would like to know more about hockey officiating. Why is there only one referee on the ice at most youth hockey games?

I recently learned that the two officials who stay near the blue lines are there to call the offsides but do not call penalties. As a lacrosse official, I struggle to understand the reasoning behind the use of the hockey officials because so much happens on the ice that one official cannot see. In addition, so much happens around the net and the goal line that most, if not all of the officials miss because they are trying to skate from one end to the other and cannot do it continuously throughout the game.

Our son is an A Bantam and in many of the games, the one referee cannot keep up with the speed of the game and most of us fans get extremely frustrated when an obvious infraction occurs in front of a linesman but no call is ever made. In addition, much of the chaos in front of the goal goes unnoticed because the lone referee is not in position to make an accurate call.  As always, there is a great deal of action around the puck but as in any sport, there is also a great deal of action away from the puck that is often overlooked because there is only one referee to patrol the entire sheet of ice.

I would welcome and appreciate additional conversation around this topic as I know many of the fans are asking the same questions I am.

Great question and interesting observations from the bleachers.

Why is there only one referee at most youth games? In youth hockey, they either use the two referee system or the one referee with two linemen system.

With the two referee system, both officials have equal control over the game. This allows either official to call rule infractions at any time.

With the one-two system, duties are split between the referee and the two linesmen. Basically the linesmen have the following situations to monitor: offsides, icing, hand passes, high sticking the puck and puck out of play. The referees, with help from his or her linesmen, have these situations plus all other aspects of the game. The final decision ultimately is the referees.

From the USA Hockey rulebook, this may clear up the question on a linesman calling penalties.

Rule 503 (d) covers what the linesman can do in regards to penalty situations. There are only two penalties a linesman can “whistle down”, too many skaters on the ice (rule 205 a and c) and articles being thrown on the ice from the vicinity of the players or penalty bench (601 c2 and h3).

In the final two paragraphs of the rule (503 d), it explains what a linesman can and is expected to do if he/she observes something happening in violation of the rulebook, i.e. an infraction that requires the application of a major penalty. The linesmen can’t stop play but can report their interpretation of the incident to the referee at the next stoppage of play.

Regarding the speed of the game and the referee being out of position, with the improvements of training and coaching of kids in hockey over the last 10 years, the game has become faster. An article I wrote on Sept. 10, touched on this topic, “Are we getting any better?” Officials need to train as hard as the players that they expect to officiate.

Scheduling should also address this concern; schedulers need to make sure top officials are scheduled as referees for these games. However, inexperienced officials do need opportunities to work these faster games to gain experience. For this reason, schedulers will sometimes give these officials the opportunity to be the referee but only with two highly qualified officials as the linesmen.

In the NHL, one rule change that has influenced the ability to make the game faster was to eliminate the centerline offside pass (two-line pass). This reason, plus the safety of the players behind the play, made the NHL and NCAA men’s officials determine that the one referee with two linesmen system was no longer adequate for this level of hockey.

Looking at NCAA women’s hockey, their game has improved at such a rapid rate that they now require the two referee with one linesmen system in Division III and the same two ref, two linesmen system for Division I hockey.

In another Hey Ref article titled “Referee in Chief,” published on Nov. 4, I asked Steve Tatro, MN Referee-in-Chief, “What changes do you foresee in the future?” Steve said, “I feel the next change we will see is the approval of the four-man officiating system by USA Hockey.”

I hope I this clears up your concerns. Thank you for your question.

If you have any comments, questions or an officiating subject that you would like expanded on, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Hey Ref – Know the rules

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By Duncan Ryhorchuk

Hockey coaches teach their players to “go until the whistle blows.” Coaches want their players to play as hard as they can for every second the player is on the ice. This philosophy needs to be changed, because there are exceptions that coaches and players tend to overlook with this theory.

One exception would be classified under USA Hockey rule #633 (d). It states: “Slashing; A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player that makes stick contact with an opposing goalkeeper while he is in his goal crease, who has covered or caught the puck, regardless of whether or not the Referee has stopped play.”

How many times has an official heard from a player the statement, “the whistle hasn’t gone yet” or “the puck was loose”? Ask an official and they will say they hear this all the time, even after warning a player not to touch the goalie when he makes a save or covers the puck, and then explaining the situation to the coach. The coach usually then says, “I coach my players to play until the whistle” or “blow the whistle sooner.”

This action of slashing, knocking into, falling on the goalie and spraying the goalie with snow because the player is going hard to the net, are also sometimes used as a tactics to rattle good goalies. What usually happens next, is retaliation by the goalie’s teammates. Then the officials will hear, “I am just protecting my goalie.”

I am yet to find a rule, in any rulebook, that lets you retaliate. I presume that coaches also teach that when the official’s whistle blows to stop play, the players should stop! (In defense of some youth coaches, I believe that kids see this act of pushing after the whistle in pro hockey, so they may think it an acceptable action.)

Officials, there is no excuse for not knowing the rules. Yes, situations do arise which may call for a conference of on-ice officials or even an official referencing their rulebook to get the correct ruling. Coaches, we officials need your help. Teach your players to play within the rules. Teach them all the rules, not just what “offsides” or icing is, but what is or is not a penalty.

A while back I was officiating a senior men’s hockey game where one team’s players were ribbing my officiating partner about a call he made. The official turned to the bench and asked the players, “Can you even tell me the color of the USA Hockey rulebook”? The players laughed and started guessing blue, red, white, etc. Yes, sarcasm is not always warranted, but in certain situations it is acceptable. The point being, if you are going participate or teach the game, and comment on or argue the rules, you must first know the rules.

Knowing the two rules I have referenced is just a small part of helping the game go smoothly. If as a team member you do not know the rules, ask your league supervisor of officials to come and address your players, your league or association’s coaching staff.

If you have any comments, questions or an officiating subject that you would like expanded on, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Hey Ref – Which rule book are we using tonight?

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Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 23:31

By Duncan Ryhorchuk

Did you realize that an official could officiate three different games on a weekend and use three different rulebooks? For example, in less than 48 hours, an official could work a Minnesota High School game on Thursday evening, a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference division III college game on Friday evening and a youth game on Saturday morning.  And regardless of whether it is boys or girls hockey the official would use three different rulebooks.

Youth hockey in Minnesota is sanctioned by USA Hockey, hence they use the USA Hockey rulebook. Minnesota high school hockey uses the National Federation of State High School Associations rule book and the MIAC falls under the NCAA and therefore uses the NCAA Ice Hockey rules and interpretations book. Each governing body is responsible for making their own rule changes and publishes their rulebook semi-annually.

For the most part, rules of the game are the same. Players must be properly equipped, the size of the nets are the same and the team that scores the most goals wins.

But what about offsides and icings? With offsides in youth  (USA Hockey), it is an immediate whistle. In high school and NCAA, they have the delayed offsides option.

But there is also a difference between high school and NCAA ruling on offside. If the puck is shot directly on net in high school, the whistle is blown; in the NCAA, it is not blown to stop play.

How about icing? Again two of the three divisions are the same. USA Hockey and Minnesota High School are the same with immediate icing calls. With the NCAA, they use a modified version of touch icing. There are still more rule differences between the three, such as a player being in the crease, hand passes and faceoff locations, amongst others.

Now wait, there is also the possibility that a top official could also work in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League, thus bringing in a fourth game and a fourth rulebook with more rule differences into a weekend.

Overall, the games are the same; players are equipped with two extensions of their bodies, the skates and stick, they propel a puck on a sheet of ice, attempting to score goals in an opponent net. The rule differences are put in for the reasons of safety of the players and the entertainment of the spectators. But you have to wonder why can’t all the rules be the same; it would make it easier for the officials, players and the spectators to enjoy the game.

If you have any comments, questions or an officiating subject that you would like expanded on, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .