Ice hockey / Rule 30
Officials
IIHF · 2026/27In short
Responsibilities on and off the ice.
Referees and linespersons
Referees supervise the game, impose penalties and decide disputed goals, consulting colleagues where appropriate. Linespersons primarily handle offside, icing and most face-offs. A referee’s decision to stop play can precede the audible whistle.
The support team
Off-ice officials record goals, penalties and time, and support the prescribed review procedures. Officials must ensure accurate records and equipment operation. The allocation of duties is defined by the rulebook rather than left to teams to negotiate.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent topic summaries of the supplied IIHF Rule Book 2026/27, version 1.0, June 2026. This is not the NHL rulebook or a complete reproduction. Women’s, junior and pilot provisions are identified separately; competition regulations govern applicable formats. References use PDF pages.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗