Andrew Williams writes:
> I have always wondered why the linesman take so long to drop the puck?
> First, let's not get into discussions about which linesman like to wait
> etc.  I am more concerned with the rules about faceoffs etc.  I notice
> that a lot of the time, the linesmen seem to be talking to the players.
> Also, sometimes, they toss one participant out, while at others, both.
> What is the deal with that??
 
"Drop the puck!  Drop the puck! ..."
 
This typical chanting can be heard at our RPI hockey games whenever a
linesman takes a bit too long to drop the puck.  He stands there, puck
in hand, talking to the players, motioning with his hands, or nodding
his head.  What's going on?  Why is he stalling the game like that?
 
Well, in ice hockey, a face-off is considered an important event, and many
steps are taken to make sure that it is conducted properly and fairly.
First of all, no players other than the two opposing centers may be
inside a 15 foot radius of the face-off spot (ie. inside the circle at
the end-zone and middle face-off spots.)  So, as wings creep in closer
before the linesman drops the puck, he must clear them out.
 
Sometimes, a wing lunges forward too early, and a whistle is blown so
the puck may be re-faced.  The opposing wingmen must also have 4 feet
of space between them (the little lines coming out the sides of the
circles).  If one wing is too far over (ie. "offside"), he must be
backed up.
 
The centers must stand squarely, facing each other, with both sticks on
the ice, before the puck can be dropped.  Sometimes a center doesn't
comply with a linesmen's request to put his stick down, or to stand
properly, and the linesman ejects him from the face-off, which just
means that another player on ice will take the face-off.  Sometimes
both centers are ejected because they are both being a bit over-anxious.
 
In any case, the linesman must do his best to make sure that the face-off
is done properly, no matter how long it takes (yeah, even if the crowd
gets impatient....)  Hope that answers your question.
 
---
Kenny Zalewski -- Head Referee, RPI Intramural Ice Hockey Program
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 65 13th Street, 1st floor, Troy, NY, 12180
[log in to unmask] | [log in to unmask] | [log in to unmask]