THE TWO REFEREE SYSTEM ( Four Official System)

REFEREE POSITIONING FACE-OFFS AT START OF GAME AND PERIODS One Referee will drop the puck facing the penalty bench, while the other Referee will be on the penalty bench side facing the player’s benches (in most arena’s) as well as facing the official who will be dropping the puck The Referee in front of the penalty bench not conducting the face-off will go in the direction of the puck and assume that end of the ice It is important the official at the penalty bench makes a quick decision as soon as the puck is dropped on which way he goes in order to not trap his partner out in the center of the ice guessing which way to go CENTER ICE FACE-OFFS FOLLOWING THE SCORING OF A GOAL The Referee who is awarding the goal will remain at the penalty bench after reporting the goal to the time keepers The other Referee will turn to face the benches and conduct the line change procedure and then will drop the puck while facing the penalty bench and his partner

REFEREE POSITIONING End Zone Positioning Referee (R1) will go deep into the end zone, taking up a position generally in the area of the goal line and work the normal Hockey Canada “cone” system Referee (R2) will move to the area of the face-off spot outside the blue line. He must be clear of the view of the Linesman (L1) who is covering the nearest blue line this will permit a view of players coming in his direction following an end zone faceoff. The trailing Referee will control the line changes by making himself more visible (in the center ice face-off spot) in order to speed up and best control line changes and to allow coaches to know where to look for the referee consistently throughout the game. For end zone face-offs, Referees will stand on opposite sides of each other R1 R2 L1 L2

REFEREE POSITIONING REFEREES POSITIONING AS PLAY PROCEEDS UP ICE The lead Referee will prepare to move into the end zone skating backwards ahead of the play and not obstructing the view of the Linesman at the blue line as well as leaving sufficient space between himself and the attacking and defending players The trailing Referee will follow the flow of the play, staying behind and keeping the last attacking player in clear view The positioning of the Referee going into the end zone may change based on traffic and pursuit of the puck. The Referee will use good judgment and anticipation with respect to the movement of the puck to move to the correct end zone position. Switching sides as the play enters the end zone will be a last resort for the deep Referee The trailing Referee shall work to keep himself in good sight lines into his partner’s end getting good sight lines is the key to good positioning in the two referee system. At times it will be necessary for the deep referee to move to the opposite side of the ice to get a good view of the play and to avoid traffic When this happens, and when it is safe to do so the referee in the neutral zone can shift sides of the ice in the neutral zone in order to maintain good sight lines on the play Switching sides in the end zone is to be used occasionally as a last resort and should not become a habit of the Referee’s in the two man system

REFEREE POSITIONING POSITIONING FOR NEUTRAL ZONE FACE-OFFS The Referee responsible for the end that the face-off is being conducted in (R1) will assume his normal positioning (as it was a 3 man game) The trailing Referee (R2) who may or may not be positioned on the players bench side will control player changes. He is encouraged to be visible – moving to the center ice face-off spot to make himself more visible to the Coaches After conducting the line change procedure the Referee in the neutral zone (R2) will position himself on the same side as the face-off seeking ice that is not being used by players and that leaves him time to retreat to his end zone position should play come towards his end R1 R2 L1 L2 Face off Location

REFEREE POSITIONING POSITIONING OF THE REFEREES FOLLOWING A PENALTY The Referee who makes the penalty call shall report it at the penalty timekeeper’s bench, after reporting the penalty he returns to his normal position in the end zone (assuming the league rules state the face off shall take place in the penalized teams end zone) His partner will position himself at center ice to conduct the line change procedure. Upon Completion of the line change procedure he will return to his position on the same side of the ice as the face off just outside the blue line in the neutral zone R1 R2

CALLING OF PENALTIES A Referee’s judgment is affected by two very important factors 1. his positioning 2. his sight lines The bottom line is that Referees must trust their judgment and their instincts. If a Referee is 100% sure that an infringement of the rules has occurred he must make the call no matter where he is on the ice or where his partner is Major fouls cannot go un-penalized. The system will work best when approached as a team effort. No official should ever make a negative comment or allow his body language to suggest disapproval of a fellow official’s call or non-call nor should he ever lay the blame on a call on non-call on his partner If one Referee is not able to make the appropriate call which is witnessed by the other Referee he must make the call, both Referees have the authority to make any appropriate call. This is applicable to action all over the ice surface The areas of judgment between officials will be challenged, e.g. the lead Referee says it is “no penalty” and back Referee says “penalty”. The judgment of the Referee’s on the ice may not always be the same and can change from different sight lines and vantage points. Both Referees have the right to stop the play and assess the appropriate penalty whenever they believe a penalty is warranted

CALLING OF PENALTIES Both Referees with their arms up in preparation for the calling of a penalty or penalties whether to the same player or different players must communicate with one another to ensure that the appropriate call(s) have been made Referees should never assume that their partner is calling the same penalty Every effort will be made to have one Referee signal one foul only, even though both may have their arms up to signal a penalty. Usually in this situation the referee in the end zone or who was closest to the foul will make the appropriate signal However, when two penalties are to be assessed to two separate players both signals must be given. It is imperative that both Referees communicate to ensure the proper penalty and subsequent signal(s) be given When there are multiple penalties to be called on any given play the two Referees will consult to ensure all appropriate penalties are assessed. Either Referee may relay this information to the Penalty Timekeeper while the other Referee will begin the line change procedure Linesmen should only converge at the penalty bench when there is a need (i.e. when assessing penalties within their area of responsibility or when escorting penalized players to the penalty bench)

PROCEDURES Both Referees will have the responsibility of making such calls as hand pass, high sticking of the puck, net off the moorings Changing of ends by the referees will occur on every icing. The Referee who’s end the puck is shot toward will skate the length of the ice to the far end after the play has been blown down for icing and the trailing official will stay in the neutral zone and conduct the line change procedure Referees can also choose to change ends in leagues where TV time outs and other mid-period breaks occur Changing of ends may also occur when a penalty or penalties are called depending upon which referee is making the call and where the ensuing faceoff will take place In any altercation the Referees will assume an observer role, while the Linesmen will exercise the altercation process they have in the past. Referees should position themselves so that they are not standing together to ensure as much of the altercation is viewed as possible while the referee who was in the neutral zone and the time of the stoppage or the referee closest to the bench’s should the altercation occur in the neutral zone must position himself in a way to see the altercation as well as keep an eye on the bench’s When appropriate both Referees may be discharged to either bench in order to speed up the resumption of play.

KEYS TO SUCCESS Communication Teamwork Respect for Fellow Officials Integrity of the Game 3. Respect for Fellow Officials REFERENCES ^ NHL 4 man system presentation ( ) season *pdf file ^ Hockey Canada 4 Official System Power Point, Colin Stefanyk, Hockey Alberta ^ WHL Officials Manual DVD, Kevin Muench 4. Integrity of the Game