John Edwards <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 1:08 AM, Henry <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > In the recent Ice Hockey World Championship (IHWC) in Switzerland, in
> > one game there was a very unusual situation that made me wonder about
> > the rules. One team already had two men in the penalty box when they got
> > yet another minor. The offending player immediately went into the box
> > but of course his time couldn't start counting until one of his
> > teammates left the box. That happened during play; the first penalty
> > expired and the player skated out.
> > ...
> > At that point, shouldn't that team have been guilty of too many players on
> > the ice?
> 
> Since that would presumably be a timekeeper's error, I think any
> referee would have a hard time punishing a team for it.
> 
> > With two penalties in effect and three skaters defending against a
> > 5-on-3, one would think that they should have to wait for a stoppage
> > before the first player whose penalty had expired could skate across the
> > ice from the box to the bench. Yes? No?
> 
> In that situation, it is possible to have a player come out of the
> penalty box during the play, but it would be on the second penalty's
> expiration, not the first.
> 
> Suppose we have (all penalties are minors): A1 at 8:00; A2 at 8:30; A3 at 9:00
> 
> At 10:00, A1's penalty ends, A3's penalty starts, nobody leaves.


Right; that's what I thought should have happened -- but it didn't. The
door opened, A1 emerged and skated straight over to his bench.
Timekeeper's error, then, but still the referee should have noticed that
they had four men on the ice when they were supposed to have two in the
box. Fortunately for said timekeeper, all the action was concentrated
down around the penalised team's goal. What if they had cleared to
centre ice right while A1 was going across? Or, even worse, if they had
got a short-handed breakaway? Thank luck the course of the game was not
altered by this.

cheers,

Henry