Puck Out of Sight

In case you missed it, The NHL referees have had a couple of questionable calls this week. The specific issue is the "intent to blow the whistle" ruling. We referees have a hard job and even the NHL guys can make mistakes.

Below you'll see two examples, links to the video, and then information on what USA hockey says about these situations. Take a look at the videos and info.

Example 1, Red Wings (Click for link to video):

Example 2, Leafs/Hurricanes (Click for link to video):

The NHL has admitted that the Red Wings play should have been a goal. It is pretty clear the puck is in the goal well before the whistle has blown. But as a referee we don't have the benefit of instant replay, so what do we do?

USA Hockey says:

Rule 630 Puck Out of Sight and Illegal Puck:

(a) Should a scramble take place, or a player accidentally falls on the puck, and the puck is out of sight of the Referee, he shall immediately blow his whistle and stop the play. The puck shall then be “faced-off” at the point where the play was stopped, unless otherwise provided for in the rules.

Situation 2 (From the Case Book):

The puck is outside the crease and the goalkeeper, who is lying on the ice after making a save, reaches out and partially covers the puck with his glove. What happens if the Referee is satisfied that the goalkeeper has enough control to cause a stoppage, but before he can get his whistle to his mouth the puck is shot into the goal? Goal or no goal?

No goal. Rule Reference 630(a).

As soon as the Referee decides that play should be stopped, that is when play is stopped. Whether or not the puck enters the goal in the split second it takes between the time he has reached that decision and the time it takes to bring the whistle to his mouth and blow it is not a factor.

Summary:

I feel the key point in the USA Rule Book & Case Book is the "split second" wording. In the Red Wings example, the puck is clearly in the net for a few seconds before the whistle is blown. If I were the referee here, I would have skated as fast as I could to be in proper position at the goal line, blown the whistle, then as fast as I could look in the net to see if the puck is there. If the puck is in the net I rule it a goal. If the puck is not in the net, then no goal. I would decide what to call only when I see where the puck is located. I'm betting the NHL ref doubted himself when he saw the puck in the net, and probably thought "uh oh!" (I've done this myself - IT HAPPENS and it doesn't feel good.)

We can use the "out of sight rule" only for the split second it takes between knowing we will blow our whistle and actually blowing it. Two or three seconds delay is too long to wait if we want to use this rule in justifying our decision.

In the Leafs example, you will see the referee has his whistle in his mouth before the puck enters the goal. We can't see when he loses sight of the puck, but because his whistle is at his mouth I think he could say he was intending to blow the whistle. He is in the tough spot of having to look for the puck in front of the goal as well as in the goal at the same time (which just isn't possible).

Also, talk to your partner. Maybe he saw something that will help. Maybe he saw the puck go into the net exactly as it happened. If so, he could tell you and the two of you can make a team decision. Make the decision as quick as possible. The longer we take discussing things, the less we seem like we know what we're doing.

Make the decision and explain the decision to the coaches if they seem confused. They may not like the decision, but if we can follow the USA Hockey rules and guidelines, while being in proper position, then we are doing the best we can do.

Take care and see you on the ice!

Becoming an Ice Hockey Official

For most people the decision to become an Ice Hockey Official comes after one of three scenarios:

• a current or past player becomes an official
• a current or past coach becomes an official
• a fan of the NHL becomes an official

The above scenarios are not mutually exclusive. You can see where I came from here. From which scenario you come from matters little-great referees have come from each. A great official has many characteristics that contribute to their success such as: skating ability, rule knowledge, game management, positioning, communication skills, quick decision-making ability, and many others. Typically a current or former player will already have good skating abilities while he will need to work on skating like an official (different form, posture, and stopping). A coach may have more rule knowledge than a player or fan, but she may need to focus on her skating ability and positioning (different view-point than from the bench. Those on the bench see everything-right?). The NHL fan may have seen hundreds of games on the TV and developed a keen eye for the game, but USA Hockey rules and the NHL's rules differ in many ways.

If you have now decided you want to become a hockey referee-now what? You will need to become USA hockey certified (unless you will be officiating in another organization) and obtain the required officiating gear.

Obtaining USA Hockey Certification:
For a great starting point, take a look at the USA Hockey Officials Site. This site has great resources for all officials.

Registration Rules- You will need to:

• Complete the on-line registration and pay the fee
• Attend a seminar in your area
• Pass the required tests-depending upon the certification level there are open and closed book tests.

Certification Completed:
Once you have received your officials crest and USA Hockey referee card, you will need to contact your local association Scheduler. Many associations have websites where you can find the contact information for your scheduler. Get in touch with the scheduler and be persistent if needed. I have worked with several schedulers over my career and each has their own preferred scheduling system: some prefer a website, some prefer email, and others prefer a phone call.

Gear:
As stated in the USA hockey rulebook, an official needs:

• a black helmet
• black pants
• an officials jersey
• a whistle
• skates

Where to Purchase Gear? A beginning official is not required to have brand new and expensive gear. A pair of $15 black slacks will work just as good as $100+ CCM brand referee pants. The $100+ dollar pants can be bought after it's been decided that officiating is enjoyable and will be continued. Current officials can be a good source for used gear-especially jerseys. Play It Again Sports also may have used, and new, gear.

To buy new gear check your local ice rink pro shop and The Officials Wearhouse.

My Officiating Background

Introduction:
Welcome to my blog on ice hockey -the greatest game on earth. Many of my posts wil involve officiating. We ice hockey officials have a challenging and difficult job with high expectations that most fans overlook.

My background:
I have been a USA Hockey certified official for twelve years. I started officiating ice hockey back in high school when my friend, and hockey team mate, suggested we referee as a way to get additional skating time and make some money. After my initial year, I ended up taking a couple of years off before I picked up officiating again. I have officiated for eleven straight years now. USA Hockey has four levels of certification, with level 4 being the highest. I was a level 4 official for a few years and am presently a level 3 certified official.

Over my twelve years of being a hockey referee, I estimate that I have officiated approximately 4000+ games from mites (aged 6-8) to adult league.

Where I have officiated:

My officiating career began in Anchorage Alaska with the Anchorage Hockey Officials Association. To put it lightly, Alaska is a hockey hotbed. High level hockey includes: The Alaska Aces -a semi-pro team in the ECHL, the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves -a division one college team in the WCHA, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks -a division one college team in the CCHA. This high quality of hockey filters down to the youth level as former professional and college players become youth coaches and pass down their knowledge.

I officiated in Anchorage for seven years. I can't think of a better place to learn the ins and outs of officiating due to the abundance of games to work -from youth to adults- and quality of fellow officials to learn from. Performing an action repeatedly can often be the best way to learn and improve upon a skill. And officiating is definitely a skills that is honed with experience. As a college student, I had plenty of time to devote to working hockey games. At my peak, I officiated 80+ games per month. On a couple of occasions, when youth tournaments were taking place, I worked 10 games in one day. My feet hated me on those days and I do not advocate wearing ice skates for 14+ hours a day! But with all those games, I had no choice but to improve as an official.

From Anchorage I moved to Portland Oregon and became a part of the Oregon Hockey Official Association where I officiated for four years. The hockey scene in Portland is drastically smaller than Anchorage's but Portland does have a strong hockey history and a couple of Junior leagues. The Portland Winterhawks play in the WHL and the NORPAC Junior A league has a few teams in the area.

While in Oregon, I enjoyed to the opportunity to improve my abilities as a referee (wearing the bands as opposed to being a linesman) while officiating NORPAC games for three years. During this time I was able to work with and learn from several great officials.

Currently I officiate in Columbus Ohio as part of the Central Ohio Youth Ice Hockey Officials Association.