Our friends over at Team Stripes were joined by Sean McIndoe, a.k.a. Down Goes Brown, on their latest podcast.
Team Stripes’ Brandon Bourgeois and McIndoe talk replacement refs, donuts, the changing roles of officials, and Rule 31.11, which covers what happens when officials can’t make the game — and the one time in the NHL that players had to pull on the striped sweaters and officiate their own game.
Check it out now.
For your reference, here’s the rule:
31.11 Unable to Continue – Should a Referee accidentally leave the ice or receive an injury which incapacitates him from discharging his duties while play is in progress, the game shall be automatically stopped. If the Referee is unable to continue, the game shall continue using the one Referee, two Linesmen system.
If, owing to illness or accident, one of the Referees is unable to continue to officiate, the remaining Referee shall perform the duties of the ill or injured Referee during the balance of the game. In the event that a member of the League’s Hockey Operations or Officiating departments is in attendance at a game where a spare official is present, he shall have the authority to substitute the injured Referee with the spare official.
If, through misadventure or sickness, the Referees and Linesmen appointed are prevented from appearing, the League will make every attempt to find suitable replacement officials, otherwise, the Managers or Coaches of the two Clubs shall agree on Referee(s) and Linesman(men). If they are unable to agree, they shall appoint a player from each side who shall act as Referee and Linesman; the player of the home Club acting as Referee and the player of the visiting Club as Linesman.
If the regularly appointed officials appear during the progress of the game, they shall at once replace the temporary officials.
Pick up Sean’s amazing new book: The Down Goes Brown History of the NHL and follow him on Twitter (@DownGoesBrown)
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