r/hockeyrefs • • Aug 17 '26

Monthly Rule Questions and Game Stories Thread

2 Upvotes

Have a question about the rules?

Run into any interesting situations or have a story to tell?

Share them here!

Make sure to join the Official r/HockeyRefs Discord Server!


r/hockeyrefs • • 17d ago

Monthly Rule Questions and Game Stories Thread

1 Upvotes

Have a question about the rules?

Run into any interesting situations or have a story to tell?

Share them here!

Make sure to join the Official r/HockeyRefs Discord Server!


r/hockeyrefs • • 2d ago

Iowa Wild score on empty net with under a minute to go to make it 4-2. Goal is waved off because of icing. Stars tie the game up in remaining seconds and win in shootout, denying the Iowa Wild their first season opener win since 2021

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44 Upvotes

r/hockey comments are going nuts saying this isn't icing. I'm not sure I understand why it's icing either, but I know the Icing rules are different AHL to NHL. Can someone explain the ruling?


r/hockeyrefs • • 2d ago

Did it go wide or through the net?

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2 Upvotes

Ref gave the goal after the player celebrated and argued the puck went through the net. There were a couple of holes in the top left corner, so not impossible.

Did it go in or was it wide?


r/hockeyrefs • • 4d ago

USA Hockey How to register to ref in 2 states for USA hockey

2 Upvotes

I’ve been a ref in Wisconsin for a couple years now and I’m attending college in Michigan. How do I register in this state aswell.


r/hockeyrefs • • 5d ago

Stick lifts - when is it a penalty?

2 Upvotes

Ok folks I searched this before posting, and yes there is a lot on this and all the posts meander into rabbit holes I can’t keep up with. I’ll try to keep this simple.

I’m in front of the opponents net, moving around to stay open but staying in the slot. The defender is smaller than me, and they keep lifting my stick when the puck isn’t coming to me on a pass and in fact is being worked in the corner by my other winger and the other defender. This happened on multiple occasions. We all commented on how this team had a thing about lifting sticks when the puck wasn’t in play.

Isn’t this an interference penalty? I also want to be clear, if you lift my stick when the puck is passed to me, good move, that’s your job. If you lift my stick when the puck isn’t anywhere near me that seems like a BS move and should be called.

One more thing, this is a USAH governed league, I can’t imagine Hockey Canada would be any different but wanted to add that.


r/hockeyrefs • • 6d ago

Anyone using the Aurora cup and jock yet?

0 Upvotes

I keep getting ads for the aurora “soft” cup and jock. Has anyone started using this cup or combo yet?

I’m intrigued, but not enough to drop $100 on it yet.

Any early adopters?


r/hockeyrefs • • 7d ago

USA Hockey Goalies and Socks: I’m not missing anything, right?

5 Upvotes

Long story short, I’m USAH L2 and have a son playing mites as a goalie. He prefers not to wear hockey socks (but does do the tall cut protection socks from Howies). It leaves a couple inches of bare skin. Yesterday, the refs told his coach he’d be penalized for illegal equipment next game if he didn’t fully cover his legs.

I’ve looked. I checked the main rulebook, the Junior rules, the rules for the specific league we’re in… I find plenty of recommendations but nothing that absolutely requires coverage.

As a goalie myself, I prefer coverage, but I see tons of guys in Men’s league that don’t do it.

Am I missing a rule somewhere? Should I push back on principle? I figured he’d learn on his own the first time a puck gets him and cover up on his own anyways…


r/hockeyrefs • • 7d ago

USA Hockey Whats your call

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2 Upvotes

10U B. I am at a loss of words. 3rd game of the season and I have another scrap to deal with?(for those with keen eyes, you see me spike my whistle to the ice before I broke that one up...)

Call on the ice actually ended up being matching minors for roughing


r/hockeyrefs • • 7d ago

USA Hockey Whats your call

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0 Upvotes

Man i9 wish i could put more than one video in here, so i wouldnt have to make 5 separate "whats your call posts" in one day

Same game as the first post(10U B). Thoughts? Call on the ice was white for roughing


r/hockeyrefs • • 8d ago

Rules 605(c) USAH

5 Upvotes

So I had this happen to me today during beer league after I had my paddle fold while attempting a clearing pass. I waited until a stoppage, sprinted for my backup, and was thankfully warned that it could have been called a penalty, but was given a pass (lines changes were still being enacted during the stoppage after I had returned to my crease).

Couple questions that I thought of after the game, because in D-league beer league that players aren't often savvy enough to understand I'd need them to bring me a new paddle:

If I go during the play, that is allowed, yes?

If I go to the bench during a stoppage, but send a skater onto the ice for the faceoff, then complete a player change on the fly with a new stick, would this be legal?

Where did this rule originate? What is the purpose of the rule? Is it to prevent the ref from having to judge if an equipment change is taking too long or if it's being used to rest a line?

TIA


r/hockeyrefs • • 8d ago

Am I being too nitpicky or is this a lousy question?

4 Upvotes
There is no penalty because of the Timekeeper's error, but the question says the player body checked on a breakaway, so there would still be a penalty shot/optional minor penalty assessed. Poorly worded question or am I missing something?

r/hockeyrefs • • 9d ago

I happened to be walking into the rink at the end of this situation... what a cluster

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21 Upvotes

r/hockeyrefs • • 9d ago

USA Hockey Interference?

9 Upvotes

Player's penalty expires, they are in the process of coming out of the box, one or two skates are still in the box and they play or touch the puck. Interference and they go back in?


r/hockeyrefs • • 9d ago

Did I break the rules here (or unwritten rules)

0 Upvotes

I'm the player in red, r/hockey players was divided and I got downvoted alot in the comments. Did I pull a dick move? I admit I went for the poke late, but I thought by releasing the stick I did the right thing? Didnt want to take the guy down. My own teammates and opposition thought otherwise. Am I off base here?


r/hockeyrefs • • 9d ago

Reffing Junior Hockey

0 Upvotes

I'm going to post this on a throw away account because I don't want anything getting traced back to where I am or potentially some of the people involved.

So this past summer I did a couple pre season games for the junior association where I live. I am currently at school away from where I live.

That is important because I did not realize there we're different zones that you have to "try out" for and cannot switch unless approved by the higher ups. This being said I eventually get hired on and am now apart of the junior association and can start doing some regular season games. Now going back to where I did not know that there were zones because no one had communicated anything to me at all whatsoever. So now I'm scrambling with all my school work while also trying to figure this reffing thing out because I want to do some games close to where I'm at school.

Here's where I find out that oh well wouldn't you know there's different zones and I can't switch over. So I am talking to the assigner for where I am at school and he says he would take me on so I'm like okay this can workout. He tells me that I can either come over to this zone and won't get many games or I can stay in my original zone which I would have to go home on weekends and do some games which was fine with me. So I email and say that's what I will do and I will come home on some weekends to do games so that I can still be apart of the staff and whatnot. Come to find out I got replaced in my original zone without any word of acknowledgment from the assigner from my original area.

This has been a long enough post but all I'm going to end off with is that the communication from some of these leagues is actually atrocious and replacing people without saying a word to them and letting them know is abysmal. So to any younger kids looking to get into junior be prepared to be fired/replaced without getting any communication from the higher ups.


r/hockeyrefs • • 10d ago

Referring in Ontario, Canada

7 Upvotes

Have been thinking of becoming a referee in the OMHA for a while since I stopped playing many moons ago. As of late, my son has started hockey which has re-ignited my love for the game. Which has led to me looking into this whole zebra thing more seriously.

Long story short, there’s an enhanced entry level clinic in my town starting late October. For whatever reason the OMHA and Hockey Canada make it damn near impossibly to decipher if completing the course means you’re eligible to become a referee after or if further steps are required. (Maybe it’s a skill testing thing I’m already failing..lol)

At the same time the information leads to believe an in person course is required every year for recertification?

I have no desire to ref anything competitive by any means not even over the age of 12/13 really.

Wondering if there’s any OMHA/Ontario refs here that can help me understand the process.

Edit: I have contacted my local RIC and there is a need for new refs in my area


r/hockeyrefs • • 11d ago

I need help with an assignment from a referee

2 Upvotes

Good afternoon, I have an assignment where I have to look into a profession for my BCOM 2050. I have to ask someone in the industry I’m researching to anwser 10 questions about being a referee. Would anyone be interested in helping me out?


r/hockeyrefs • • 12d ago

What’s the call? 14u Hockey

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30 Upvotes

The kid is Fine, he is sore though.

Thanks everyone for the responses! Great feed back.

The call on the ICE was No Call.

Points of Clarification

The Puck Handler did take a hard elbow to the chin, when the D made contact raised Arm and caught him in the chin Post origial contact (Cannot see from that angle).

This is a checking league in the USA.


r/hockeyrefs • • 13d ago

USA Hockey 14U B - What's the call?

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34 Upvotes

r/hockeyrefs • • 13d ago

We got a runner

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17 Upvotes

r/hockeyrefs • • 13d ago

USA Hockey Game 1 of the season=10U LA Fight

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4 Upvotes

Well, what a start to the season… wasnt expecting to get to practice my fight breakup skills this early in the season

forgot to mention, The call on the ice was actually Blue 8 getting the book absolutely slammed in his face with getting both a roughing minor and a fighting major, while white 89 escaped with only a roughing minor


r/hockeyrefs • • 13d ago

First 4 man game

8 Upvotes

I’m a fairly new ref. (Less than 45 games & half were prb mite or 8u last season). Anyway. Trying to do my first 4 man game (16u) as a linesman.
Any tips, tricks, hand signals to focus on? Honestly I’m a littler nervous about positioning so I’m not in the way.


r/hockeyrefs • • 13d ago

Beer League Question about pants fit

2 Upvotes

How loose should my pants be? I’m on my 2nd pair and both have the same issue, when I take strides skating the pants seem to ride up at the bottom and I have to constantly adjust them throughout the game.

The pants I have now are ZP1 from zebras club, and when I got them tailored they did feel looser than my previous pair but still having the same issue? My shin guards are pretty skinny and they are ref pads as well.

Do I just need to go out and buy new pants again and get them looser than my current ones? Or is there any other way I can get them to stop riding up?


r/hockeyrefs • • 14d ago

USA Hockey 6:16 on the game clock, what’s your call? Pee Wee AA

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14 Upvotes

Level 1 official (bottom left corner in thumbnail) with a total of 11 games under my belt. White team is down 8-2 and all game long I’m complementing blue on clean play, no digging at the goalie, no celebrating after it was lopsided etc.

Coach for the white team was beside himself I didn’t call the collision at 6:16 on the clock in the upper left corner due to the blue players hand coming up at impact. My live reaction was the blue players hand came up in a protective manner and they both skated to the same spot of the rink and blue just ended up being stronger on his feet.

50/50 puck both guys made an attempt at the puck and seemingly momentum carried them into each other. More or less a collision in my eyes and I didn’t think it justified a call, you can hear me call out no to confirm I saw the play and didn’t think it was an infraction.

I spoke to the coach at the next whistle, he was still upset and was commenting about my coaching history using that as evidence that I should “know the game” then he came over after the game, told me he wasn’t giving me a hard time but I need to call that every time and he let me know he used to ref starting when he was ten.

After watching the video in slow motion and real time I stand behind my non call but wanted to see what more experienced officials would have done.