The NHL has made some tweaks to the Emergency Back-Up Goalie (EBUG) rules for the 2026-27 season.  But what about Emergencey Back-Up Refs?  Do we need EBUR? 

Standby Stripes

All playoff games have at least one extra official in the building on standby, ready to hop in at a moment’s notice. Sometimes, that extra man is a referee, which makes things interesting when a liney goes down like we saw last postseason when refs Wes McCauley, Frederick l’Ecuyer, and Chris Schlenker were all tapped to sub in on the lines.

Regular season games, though, have nobody waiting in the wings. 

If an official is injured, sick, or unable to make it to the game, the league can opt to run with a three-man crew.   They also have a few options under Rule 31.11.

If, through misadventure or sickness, the Referees and Linespersons 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 Linesperson(s).

They did exactly that when severe Alberta weather prevented the linespersons from making it to the game. NHL officiating managers made an unofficial ‘call-up’ and tapped local AHL lineys Chad and Cody Huseby to work the game. 

Players Officiating?

And if the league can’t find ‘suitable officials’ they may have to resort to more extreme measures under Rule 31.11:

If they are unable to agree, they shall appoint a player from each side who shall act as Referee and Linesperson; the player of the home Club acting as Referee and the player of the visiting Club as Linesperson.

Crazy, right?  It’s actually happened. 

Back in 1983, a snowstorm kept referee Ron Fournier and Ron Asselstine from making the trip from Boston to New Jersey to work Devils vs. Whalers.  Fifteen minutes before scheduled puck drop, linesperson Ron Foyt took over refereeing duties and reached out to the teams to each appoint someone to work the lines.  The Devils tapped winger Garry Howatt; the Whalers chose defenseman Mickey Volcan. From NHL.com:

“All of a sudden, [Whalers coach] Larry Kish said, ‘We’re going to have a player from each team and you’re going to represent our team,'” Volcan, who was unable to play that night due to a hand injury sustained in Hartford’s morning skate, said. “So we put on some sweats and black practice jerseys and they called us in to the room prior to the game. We sat down and he [Foyt] went through it with us.”

The standby crew made it through the first period.  Fournier and Asselstine made it to the rink in time for the second.

If players did have to don the stripes, which ones would make good officials?   Some teams took to the ice to let the players make that call:

 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Nashville Predators

Vegas Golden Knights

Head coach Bruce Cassidy – after learning this was an actual rule – gave it some thought.