Official (ice Hockey) - On-ice Officials

On-ice Officials

As the name implies, on-ice officials do their job in the hockey rink. They are traditionally clad in a black hockey helmet, black trousers, a black-and-white striped shirt and black skates with white laces. They wear standard hockey skates and carry a finger whistle, which they use to stop play. They communicate with players, coaches, off-ice officials, both verbally and via hand signals. For many years (and currently in some minor and amateur leagues), officials had their last names on the back of their jerseys for identification, normally in a single row across the shoulders. (Some officials with long names would have their name in two rows, the most notable example being Andy Van Hellemond.) Starting in 1994, however, NHL officials wear numbers on their shirts, a procedure adopted by other leagues.

In the early days of hockey, the referees would be clad in a vest and tie along with their pants and carry a bell, not a whistle, to stop the game in progress. In those days, penalties were assessed more on common sense rather than following strict rules, and the official would deem what was allowed and not, as well as the length of the penalties.