When an Official Does Not See a Penalty

In last nights NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators, Jarkko Ruutu appears to bite the finger of the Sabres Andrew Peters. Take a look at the video before we discuss what penalties-if any-to assess.

I said what penalty, IF ANY, because there are instances where the official(s) will not see the infraction. In this NHL game the Referees did not see the actual biting occur and consequently did not assess a penalty. Once Peters started flailing his hand around and yelling, I bet each of the two Referees were thinking “did I just miss a very severe penalty?!?”

Hockey is a fast paced game and the officials have to keep track of up to 12 players on the ice at a time. It's to be expected that the referees will not see everything. It has been my experience that excellent positioning gives an official the best opportunity to see a penalty; but during a gathering of players a lot can occur simultaneously. This video brought up a several questions in my mind:

• How clearly do you as an official need see an infraction to assess a penalty? For a minor penalty one may be able to assess the penalty without getting a great look at it, however for a severe penalty (biting) the official (or linesman) should see it to assess it.
• Can you assess a penalty based on the victims reaction alone? The reaction of a victimized player can be a good indicator of a past action, but this reaction should not be the sole determining factor in what penalty to assess.
• Can you check the player's hand for a cut, then assess a penalty based on the findings? This happens often for high stick penalties; why not in this case? If the officials did not see the infraction, then the cut hand could have come from a separate incident.
• What if the victimized player is indulging and merely trying to trick the official into assessing a penalty?

Calls get missed but let's hope it's not frequent or more severe than this NHL example.

Supplementary Action:
Even though the NHL officials assess no penalty during the game, I'm betting Gary Bettman will be taking a look at the video and determine if Ruutu will be suspended.

USA Hockey allows for supplementary disciplinary action to be assess by the appropriate governing bodies. When a Match penalty is assessed, a formal meeting and review will take place to determine the exact severity of the suspension to be served.

USA Hockey Rule references:

From the Rulebook:
Rule 603 Attempt to Injure/Deliberate Injury of Opponents (Head Butting)
(a) A match penalty shall be imposed on any player who deliberately injures or attempts to injure an opponent and the circumstances shall be reported to the proper authorities for further action. A substitute for the penalized

Pg 212: Situation 2:
If a player “bites” an opponent during an altercation, should this be considered an attempt to injure and a match penalty assessed?
Answer: Yes. Rule References 603(a).
A match penalty must be assessed whether or not there is
actual injury.

Pg. 243: Situation 12:
The Linesman is trying to stop a fight between two players, but before he can break it up, one player bites the other on the finger causing profuse bleeding. Should the Referee assess the offender a match penalty for deliberate injury and, if so, should be assessed a fighting penalty as well?
Answer: Yes. Rule References 613(e) and 603(a).
The Referee should assess a match penalty as well as the fighting penalty. As a general rule, assess the most serious penalty which occurs during any single altercation and do not penalize the lesser offenses. In this situation,

What if a player bites an official?:
Pg 209, Situation 14
If a player bites a Linesman who is attempting to break up an altercation, should the player be assessed a match penalty?
Yes. Rule Reference 601(g.1).
The penalty is the same regardless of whether or not injury results. It is assumed, however, that the length of suspension assessed to the player by the Proper Authorities

Helpful Links:

USA Hockey Rule Book

USA Hockey Casebook